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 MONDO
CANE (Blue
Underground) Eight DVDs. Total running time is 926 minutes. That would
be 7237 hours for the mathematically challenged. Not Rated; lots of real
life shyt that may disturb you.
Mondo Cane- 1962. 108 minutes. Depicts the odder side of
various cultures from around the world. From animal slaughter to tattoos,
it’s all shown here. Poor sharks get giant, poisonous sea urchins
stuffed down their throats to slowly suffer and die. Made me feel bad.
Mondo Cane 2-
1964. 94 minutes. More of the same from its predecessor. Burning munks,
slave trade in the Sudan, and religious wackos licking the ground till
their tongues bleed. All sorts of wackiness.
Africa Addio; Directors’ Cut-
1966. 139 minutes. Italian language with English subtitles. As the English
withdraw and colonialism comes to an end, a number of African nations are
suddenly burdened with being ill prepared for independence. Spanning three
years, Africa Addio shows how these nations struggled with instability.
Murders, wars, famine, and massive animal pouching are gruesomely
detailed. You know, it’s been over almost 40 years since this movie was
made and these nations still haven’t learned their lessons or stopped
this nonsense. Way too much death in this documentary. Troubling.
Africa Addio; English Version-
1966. 128 minutes. Same as above, but in English. Extras include; trailer,
tv spot, poster and still gallery, and a DVD-Rom press book.
Goodbye Uncle Tom- 1971. 123 minutes. Shot like a reality tv or
documentary, Goodbye Uncle Tom follows a number of people involved in the
mid 1800s American slave trade. From start to finish, we hear from those
in charge why they believe in slavery and witness the absolute ugliness
humans inflicted upon each other. Downright disturbing movie. The
treatment of the slaves seemed all too real; to the point of me
questioning how some of the infants were treated. Amazing idea!
Extras include theatrical trailer, behind the scenes footage with
audio commentary, stills, etc.
Addio Zio Tom (Goodbye Uncle Tom)-
1971. 136 minutes. Director’s cute of the above. In Italian with
optional English subtitles. Much “ballsier” than the above version to
due American translators censoring English version as to not pissing off
Black Americans. This version far exceeds it’s English counterpart.
Women of the World- 1963. 107 minutes.
This disc takes a look at how women around the world fit within
society in their own bizarre way. Remember, this was made in 1963 and what
was considered bizarre then, is mostly commonplace today. Highlights:
women in the Israeli army (lot of good looking ones!), clan of 84 women
who are married to some old fart Scottish dude, and American women high up
on the corporate and government ladders. Nothing all that interesting or
revealing. Brief nudity.
The Godfathers of Mondo-
2003. 90 minutes. Very cool documentary about Gualtiero Jacopetti and
Franco Prosperi, you know, the two dudes who made this box set possible.
The doc includes running interviews with the directors and many of their
crew. Cult film historians also talk about Jacopetti and Prosperi’s
groundbreaking filmmaking. This documentary is most compelling and
definitely made me appreciate the duo’s work even more than I thought. I
would suggest watching this DVD last…
Not only were Gualtiero Jacopetti and
Franco Prosperi light years ahead of their time, they also invented
today’s ever popular “Shockumentary” genre of media. Although, this
stuff isn’t just shock, it has educational, and even cultural value. I
did enjoy this box set, however, if I bought it I may be annoyed with
getting two different versions of two movies. The only good that comes
from the English versions of Addio Africa and Tom, is that
we see how much superior and hard hitting the director’s version are
when compared/watched side by side. I think the most amazing thing about
these DVDs is how relevant the subject mater still is, even after 30 or so
years. Jacopetti and Prosperi knew how to pick their topics! Good stuff
over here.- Denis Sheehan
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