Mondo film
Encyclopedia
A mondo film is an exploitation
documentary film
, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary
, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations. Common traits of mondo films include emphasis on taboo subjects such as death and sex, portrayals of foreign cultures that have received accusations of racism and staged sequences presented as genuine documentary footage. Over time, the films placed more and more emphasis on footage of the dead and dying, both real and fake. The term "shockumentary" has also been used to describe the genre.
film Mondo Cane
(A Dog's World, a mild Italian
profanity
) that was made in 1962
by Paolo Cavara
, Gualtiero Jacopetti
and Franco Prosperi and proved a commercial success.
Documentary films imitating the approach of Mondo Cane in the sixties often included the term "mondo" in their titles, even if they were in English; some examples include Mondo Bizarro, Mondo Daytona, Mondo Mod, Mondo Infame and Mondo Hollywood
. Even films from outside the genre followed suit: Mondo Trasho
, Mondo Weirdo: A Trip to Paranoia Paradise, Mondo Keyhole
and Mondo Brutale (actually a German release of Wes Craven
's film The Last House on the Left
) all bill themselves as "mondo", although none are true mondo documentaries. Towards the seventies this naming convention began to fall out of favour and fewer mondo films identified themselves as such in their titles.
Over the years the film makers wanted to top each other in shock value in order to draw in audiences. Cruelty to animals, accidents, tribal initiation rites and surgeries are a common feature of a typical mondo. Much of the action is also staged, even though the film makers may claim their goal to document only "the reality". Subjects covered by mondo films include sex (Mondo Sex and Mondo Sexualis USA); celebrities (Mondo Elvis and Mondo Lugosi); youth culture (Mondo Teeno) and homosexual subculture (Mondo Rocco).
The Russ Meyer
film Mondo Topless
was one of the few "documentaries" restricted to the old midnight movie
circuit of the pre-VCR era, as it explored strip clubs in 1960s San Francisco, at a time when strip clubs were a novelty in the United States restricted to centers of port-city decadence such as San Francisco.
Other examples of movies in this genre include Mondo New York
by Harvey Keith, Mondo di Notte by Gianni Proia and Mondo Balordo by Roberto Bianchi Montero.
The eighties saw a resurgence of mondo movies, though now they focused almost solely on onscreen death, rather than cultures of the world. The Faces of Death
series is probably the best known example of this type of mondo, or 'death' movie. The producers at this time still used some faked footage, passed off as real, but the majority of the footage was legitimate. This includes scenes of real autopsies, suicides, accidents, and other curiosities.
The very rare 1985 film "Mondo Senza Veli" (World without Veils, aka Mondo Fresh) was purported, by those who had actually seen it, to feature at its end the very brutal execution of a young Arab rapist by public rectal impalement (see two web page links under References). This "episode" was, however, believed to have been a "staged" execution, by at least some viewers (as reported by "Someone Weird" in the first web page link).
The mondo film in the 21st century has transformed into a very 'in your face', gory spectacle, as seen in the Faces of Gore
and Traces of Death
series. There is considerably less fake footage and many of these use news footage of accidents from the far east
.
A number of films have parodied the genre over the years. Examples include Ricardo Fratelli's Mondo Ford; Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
by Saturday Night Live
's Michael O'Donoghue
and Is There Sex After Death?
by Jeanne and Alan Abel. Mondo Beyondo spoofed the films' approach to titling but was actually a parody of satellite television.
It could be argued that the Italian Cannibal Movie
is an off-shoot of the mondo film.
, Paolo Cavara, and Franco Prosperi. When this type of film proved successful, many imitators followed.
series with two more films, which are also known as Mondo Cane 3 and Mondo Cane 4 on various video releases.
popularized a new Mondo style called Death Films, which consisted completely of humans or animals dying in graphic ways.
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations. Common traits of mondo films include emphasis on taboo subjects such as death and sex, portrayals of foreign cultures that have received accusations of racism and staged sequences presented as genuine documentary footage. Over time, the films placed more and more emphasis on footage of the dead and dying, both real and fake. The term "shockumentary" has also been used to describe the genre.
History of the genre
Although there had been earlier films such as European Nights (1959) and World by Night (1960) that could arguably be pointed to as examples of the genre, the origins of the mondo documentary are generally traced to the ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
film Mondo Cane
Mondo cane
Mondo cane is a documentary written and directed by Italian filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western film...
(A Dog's World, a mild Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
) that was made in 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
by Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara has been a screenwriter and a movie director. He was born in Bolognain 1926.-Biography:During the Fifties, he studied architecture in Florence University, then he realized documentaries for scientific trips, and emerged as a pioneer of the underwater cinematography Paolo Cavara has...
, Gualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
and Franco Prosperi and proved a commercial success.
Documentary films imitating the approach of Mondo Cane in the sixties often included the term "mondo" in their titles, even if they were in English; some examples include Mondo Bizarro, Mondo Daytona, Mondo Mod, Mondo Infame and Mondo Hollywood
Mondo Hollywood
Mondo Hollywood is a documentary "mondo movie" by Robert Carl Cohen, released in 1967. Filmed over the preceding two years, it was described by Variety as a "flippy, trippy psychedelic guide to Hollywood".-Description:...
. Even films from outside the genre followed suit: Mondo Trasho
Mondo Trasho
Mondo Trasho is a 1969 16mm mondo black comedy film by Baltimore, Maryland filmmaker John Waters starring Divine, Mary Vivian Pearce, David Lochary and Mink Stole. It contains very little dialogue, the story being told mostly through musical cues.-Plot:...
, Mondo Weirdo: A Trip to Paranoia Paradise, Mondo Keyhole
Mondo Keyhole
Mondo Keyhole is a 1966 film directed by Jack Hill. It stars Nick Moriarty and Julissa.-Cast:*Nick Moriarty as Howard Thorne*Adele Rein as Vicky*Cathy Crowfoot as The Crow*Carol Baughman as Carol*Christopher Winters as Vampire...
and Mondo Brutale (actually a German release of Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
's film The Last House on the Left
The Last House on the Left (1972 film)
The Last House on the Left is a 1972 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Sean S. Cunningham.The story is inspired by the 1960 Swedish film The Virgin Spring, directed by Ingmar Bergman, which in turn is based on the 13th century Swedish ballad "Töres döttrar i Wänge"...
) all bill themselves as "mondo", although none are true mondo documentaries. Towards the seventies this naming convention began to fall out of favour and fewer mondo films identified themselves as such in their titles.
Over the years the film makers wanted to top each other in shock value in order to draw in audiences. Cruelty to animals, accidents, tribal initiation rites and surgeries are a common feature of a typical mondo. Much of the action is also staged, even though the film makers may claim their goal to document only "the reality". Subjects covered by mondo films include sex (Mondo Sex and Mondo Sexualis USA); celebrities (Mondo Elvis and Mondo Lugosi); youth culture (Mondo Teeno) and homosexual subculture (Mondo Rocco).
The Russ Meyer
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion "Russ" Meyer was a U.S. motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
film Mondo Topless
Mondo Topless
Mondo Topless is a 1966 pseudo documentary directed by Russ Meyer, featuring Babette Bardot and Lorna Maitland among others. It was Meyer's first color film following a string of black & white "roughie nudies", including Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! While a straightforward sexploitation film, the...
was one of the few "documentaries" restricted to the old midnight movie
Midnight movies
The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides...
circuit of the pre-VCR era, as it explored strip clubs in 1960s San Francisco, at a time when strip clubs were a novelty in the United States restricted to centers of port-city decadence such as San Francisco.
Other examples of movies in this genre include Mondo New York
Mondo New York
Mondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's...
by Harvey Keith, Mondo di Notte by Gianni Proia and Mondo Balordo by Roberto Bianchi Montero.
The eighties saw a resurgence of mondo movies, though now they focused almost solely on onscreen death, rather than cultures of the world. The Faces of Death
Faces of Death
Faces of Death is a 1978 mondo film which guides viewers through explicit scenes depicting a variety of ways to die and violent acts....
series is probably the best known example of this type of mondo, or 'death' movie. The producers at this time still used some faked footage, passed off as real, but the majority of the footage was legitimate. This includes scenes of real autopsies, suicides, accidents, and other curiosities.
The very rare 1985 film "Mondo Senza Veli" (World without Veils, aka Mondo Fresh) was purported, by those who had actually seen it, to feature at its end the very brutal execution of a young Arab rapist by public rectal impalement (see two web page links under References). This "episode" was, however, believed to have been a "staged" execution, by at least some viewers (as reported by "Someone Weird" in the first web page link).
The mondo film in the 21st century has transformed into a very 'in your face', gory spectacle, as seen in the Faces of Gore
Faces of Gore
Faces of Gore is a shockumentary video that depicts graphic footage of bloody, mangled bodies. Though death and violence is the focus of the video, no actual scenes of death are ever shown -- only aftermath/cleanup footage....
and Traces of Death
Traces of Death
Traces of Death is a 1993 direct-to-video, Z movie shockumentary that consists of various scenes of stock footage depicting death and real scenes of violence. Unlike Faces of Death, Traces consists mostly of actual footage depicting death and injury, and consists also of unlicensed footage from...
series. There is considerably less fake footage and many of these use news footage of accidents from the far east
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
A number of films have parodied the genre over the years. Examples include Ricardo Fratelli's Mondo Ford; Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video was a 1979 movie conceived by Saturday Night Live writer/featured player Michael O'Donoghue.-Plot:Mondo Video was a spoof of the controversial 1962 documentary Mondo Cane, showing people doing weird stunts. The logo for this film copies the original Mondo Cane logo...
by Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
's Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue was a writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live.-Childhood:O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York...
and Is There Sex After Death?
Is There Sex After Death?
-Plot:Driving through New York City in his Sexmobile, Dr. Harrison Rogers of the Bureau of Sexological Investigation searches out luminary figures in the world of sex.-Cast:* Alan Abel as Dr. Rogers* Buck Henry as Dr. Louise Manos* Marshall Efron as Vince Domino...
by Jeanne and Alan Abel. Mondo Beyondo spoofed the films' approach to titling but was actually a parody of satellite television.
It could be argued that the Italian Cannibal Movie
Cannibal film
Cannibal films are a sub genre of exploitation film made mostly by Italian filmmakers through the 1970s and 1980s. This sub genre is a collection of graphically gory movies that usually depict cannibalism by primitive, Stone-age natives deep inside the Asian or South American rain forests...
is an off-shoot of the mondo film.
Mondo movies
The original mondo film series was the Mondo Cane series made by Gualtiero JacopettiGualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
, Paolo Cavara, and Franco Prosperi. When this type of film proved successful, many imitators followed.
Jacopetti & Prosperi
- Mondo CaneMondo caneMondo cane is a documentary written and directed by Italian filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western film...
(19621962 in filmThe year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Gualtiero JacopettiGualtiero JacopettiGualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
, Paolo Cavara, Franco E. Prosperi. Music: Riz OrtolaniRiz OrtolaniRiziero "Riz" Ortolani is an Italian film composer.In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a jazz band of national Italian renown...
. Uncut run time: 108 minutes. R-rated run time: 85 minutes.
- La donna nel mondoLa donna nel mondoLa donna nel mondo is a 1963 mondo documentary film made by Italians Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara and Franco Prosperi. Original music was composed by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero...
(19631963 in filmThe year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Franco E. Prosperi, Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero JacopettiGualtiero JacopettiGualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
. Music: Riz OrtolaniRiz OrtolaniRiziero "Riz" Ortolani is an Italian film composer.In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a jazz band of national Italian renown...
, Nino Oliviero. Uncut run time: 107 minutes.
- Mondo Cane 2 (a.k.a. Mondo Pazzo) (19631963 in filmThe year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Franco E. Prosperi, Gualtiero Jacopetti. Music: Nino Oliviero. Uncut run time: 95 minutes. R-rated run time: 76 minutes.
- Africa AddioAfrica AddioAfrica Addio is a 1966 Italian documentary about the end of the colonial era in Africa. The film was released in a shorter format under the names "Africa Blood and Guts" in the USA and "Farewell Africa" in the UK...
(19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Gualtiero JacopettiGualtiero JacopettiGualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
, Franco Prosperi. Music: Riz OrtolaniRiz OrtolaniRiziero "Riz" Ortolani is an Italian film composer.In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a jazz band of national Italian renown...
. Uncut run time: 139 minutes. Unrated English version: 128 minutes. R-rated version: 80 minutes.
- Addio Zio TomAddio Zio TomGoodbye Uncle Tom is a 1971 Italian/Spanish film directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi and features music by Riz Ortolani.Addio Zio Tom is a pseudo documentary where the filmmakers go back in time and visit antebellum America, using period documents to examine, in graphic detail, the...
(19711971 in filmThe year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Gualtiero JacopettiGualtiero JacopettiGualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
, Franco Prosperi. Music: Riz OrtolaniRiz OrtolaniRiziero "Riz" Ortolani is an Italian film composer.In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a jazz band of national Italian renown...
. Uncut run time: 136 minutes. Unrated English version: 123 minutes.
Max Steele
In the late 80s, Stelvio Massi, a.k.a. Max Steele, made two spin offs of the original Mondo CaneMondo cane
Mondo cane is a documentary written and directed by Italian filmmakers Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western film...
series with two more films, which are also known as Mondo Cane 3 and Mondo Cane 4 on various video releases.
- Mondo Cane Oggi (a.k.a. Mondo Cane 3) (19861986 in film-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
). Italy. Director and Cinematography: Stelvio Massi (Max Steele). Screenplay: Stelvio Massi. Uncut run time: 78 minutes.
- Mondo Cane 2000, l'Incredibile (a.k.a. Mondo Cane 4) (19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
). Italy. Director and Cinematography: Stelvio Massi (Max Steele). Screenplay: G. Crisanti
The Castiglioni Brothers
In 1969, the brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni began to make a series of their own Mondo films that lasted into the early 80s. They made five films in all, tying Jacopetti and Prosperi as the most prolific Mondo film producers. Each film examines brutal and bizarre behavior on the African continent. Their films are also known for being some of the most graphic Mondo films ever made.- Africa Segreta (a.k.a. Secret Africa) (19691969 in filmThe year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
). Italy. Directors: Angelo Castiglioni, Alfredo Castiglioni. Uncut run time: 103 minutes. Music: Angelo Francesco LavagninoAngelo Francesco LavagninoAngelo Francesco Lavagnino was an Italian composer. He is best known for writing the scores to dozens of films, including The Naked Maja, Legend of the Lost, Gorgo, Daisy Miller, and two directed by Orson Welles, Othello, Chimes at Midnight, and Esther and the King.Lavagnino won the Nastro...
.
- Africa Ama (a.k.a. Africa Uncensored) (19711971 in filmThe year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music...
). Italy. Directors: Angelo Castiglioni, Alfredo Castiglioni. Music: Angelo Francesco LavagninoAngelo Francesco LavagninoAngelo Francesco Lavagnino was an Italian composer. He is best known for writing the scores to dozens of films, including The Naked Maja, Legend of the Lost, Gorgo, Daisy Miller, and two directed by Orson Welles, Othello, Chimes at Midnight, and Esther and the King.Lavagnino won the Nastro...
.
- Magia Nuda (a.k.a. Mondo Magic) (19751975 in filmThe year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
). Italy. Directors: Angelo Castiglioni, Alfredo Castiglioni. Music: Zacar.
- Addio Ultimo Uomo (a.k.a. The Last Savage) (19781978 in filmThe year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
). Italy. Directors: Angelo Castiglioni, Alfredo Castiglioni. Music: Franco Godi.
- Africa Dolce e Selvaggia (a.k.a. Shocking Africa) (19821982 in film-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
). Italy. Directors: Angelo Castiglioni, Alfredo Castiglioni. Music: Franco Godi.
The Savage Trilogy
Antonio Climati, cinematographer to Prosperi and Jacopetti in many Mondo films, teamed up with Mario Morra in 1974 to produce their own string of Mondo films, aptly named the "Savage Trilogy". Franco Prosperi also went on to produce these films. Climati and Morra were notorious for staging several scenes of their documentaries.- Ultime grida dalla savanaUltime grida dalla savanaUltime grida dalla savana , also known as La Grande caccia and by its English title Savage Man Savage Beast, is a Mondo documentary directed by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra. Filmed all around the world, its central theme focuses on hunting and the interaction between man and animal...
(a.k.a. Savage Man Savage Beast) (19751975 in filmThe year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra. Music: Carlo SavinaCarlo SavinaCarlo Savina was an Italian composer and conductor who composed, arranged, and conducted music for films-and is especially remembered for being the music director of films such as The Godfather , Amarcord , and The Bear .Savina worked with many of the notable film score composers of the 20th...
. Uncut run time: 94 minutes.
- Savana violentaSavana violentaSavana violenta , also known as This Violent World and Mondo Violence, is a Mondo film directed by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra. The film documents various scenes of graphic behavior in an attempted exposé of worldly violence...
(a.k.a. This Violent World) (19761976 in filmThe year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra. Music: Guido De Angelis, Maurizio De Angelis.
- Dolce e selvaggioDolce e selvaggioDolce e selvaggio is a Mondo film directed by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra. The title "Sweet and Savage" refers to the juxtaposition of pleasant and violent imagery within the film...
(a.k.a. Sweet and Savage) (19831983 in film-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Antonio Climati, Mario Morra. Music: Daniele Patucchi.
John Alan Schwartz
In 1978, Faces of DeathFaces of Death
Faces of Death is a 1978 mondo film which guides viewers through explicit scenes depicting a variety of ways to die and violent acts....
popularized a new Mondo style called Death Films, which consisted completely of humans or animals dying in graphic ways.
- The Faces of Death SeriesFaces of DeathFaces of Death is a 1978 mondo film which guides viewers through explicit scenes depicting a variety of ways to die and violent acts....
(1978-1996) (Six parts). Director and Screenplay: John Alan Schwartz.- The Worst of Faces of DeathThe Worst of Faces of DeathThe Worst of Faces of Death is a direct-to-video compilation of highlights from the first three Faces of Death films. The parachuter landing in the alligator pit, as well as the slaughterhouse footage, the shootout in front of the pharmacy and monkey brain eating sequence are lifted whole from the...
(19871987 in film-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
). Director and Screenplay: John Alan Schwartz. Compilation video of the first three Faces of Death films. - Faces of Death: Fact or Fiction?Faces of DeathFaces of Death is a 1978 mondo film which guides viewers through explicit scenes depicting a variety of ways to die and violent acts....
(19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
). Director: John Alan Schwartz. Screenplay: John Alan Schwartz, James B. Schwartz. Documentary about the film Faces of Death.
- The Worst of Faces of Death
Uwe Schier
Uwe Schier bought the rights to the Mondo Cane and Faces of Death titles and released his own entries in both series, consisting largely of footage lifted from other mondo films: Faces of Death 5 draws heavily on Death Scenes; Faces of Death 6 consists almost entirely of Days of Fury; and Mondo Cane IV (not to be confused with Mondo Cane 2000, l'Incredibile, Schier's Mondo Cane IV is in fact the fifth film in the series) lifts from films including Death Scenes and Death Faces IV. In 1993, Hurricane Pictures edited a mix of scenes featured in Addio ultimo uomo and Shocking Africa, labeling it fifth chapter of the saga (teil V in German language).- Mondo Cane IV (19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
). Germany. - Mondo Cane teil V (a.k.a. Mondo Cane 5) (19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
). Germany. Producer: Uwe Schier and Gian Carlo Rossi. - Faces of Death 5 (19951995 in film-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
). Germany. - Faces of Death 6 (19961996 in filmMajor releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
). Germany.
Faces of Death imitators
Several imitators followed the Faces of Death series, and many used (or were composed entirely of) footage from other mondo films.- The Traces of Death SeriesTraces of DeathTraces of Death is a 1993 direct-to-video, Z movie shockumentary that consists of various scenes of stock footage depicting death and real scenes of violence. Unlike Faces of Death, Traces consists mostly of actual footage depicting death and injury, and consists also of unlicensed footage from...
(1993-2000) (Five Parts). Director and Screenplay: Damon Fox.
- The Faces of Gore SeriesFaces of GoreFaces of Gore is a shockumentary video that depicts graphic footage of bloody, mangled bodies. Though death and violence is the focus of the video, no actual scenes of death are ever shown -- only aftermath/cleanup footage....
(1999-2000) (Three Parts). Director and Screenplay: Todd Tjersland.- The Best of Faces of GoreFaces of GoreFaces of Gore is a shockumentary video that depicts graphic footage of bloody, mangled bodies. Though death and violence is the focus of the video, no actual scenes of death are ever shown -- only aftermath/cleanup footage....
(2000). Director and Screenplay: Todd Tjersland. Compilation video of the Faces of Gore series.
- The Best of Faces of Gore
Others
- Mondo Nudo (19631963 in filmThe year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
). Italy. Director: Francesco De Feo. Screenplay: Gian Carlo Fusco, Giuseppe Marotta. Music: Teo Usuelli.
- Il Pelo nel Mondo (19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Antonio Margheriti, Marco Vicario. Music: Bruno Nicolai, Nino Oliviero. (released in the USA by ABC Films as Go, Go, Go World!)
- Kwaheri: Vanishing AfricaKwaheriKwaheri, also known as Kwaheri: Vanishing Africa or Kwaheri: The Forbidden, is a 1964 mondo film directed by David Chudnow and Thor Brooks. The film was a pseudo-documentary about vanishing native tribes in Africa...
(19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). USA. Directors: Thor L. Brooks, Byron Chudnow. Screenplay: Michael Vittes. Music: Byron Ross.
- I Malamondo (19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). Italy. Director: Paolo Cavara. Screenplay: Guido Castaldo, Paolo Cavara, Ugo Gregoretti, Francesco Torti. Music: Ennio Morricone.
- Le Schiave Esistono Ancora (a.k.a. Slave Trade in the World Today) (19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). Italy. Directors: Maleno Malenotti, Roberto Malenotti, Folco Quilici. Screenplay: Baccio Bandini, Gianfranco Calderoni, Roberto Malenotti. Music: Teo Usuelli.
- Mondo Balordo (19641964 in filmThe year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....
). Italy. Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero. Screenplay: Guido Castaldo Francesco Torti. Music: Coriolano Gori, Nino Rosso.
- Mondo ToplessMondo ToplessMondo Topless is a 1966 pseudo documentary directed by Russ Meyer, featuring Babette Bardot and Lorna Maitland among others. It was Meyer's first color film following a string of black & white "roughie nudies", including Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! While a straightforward sexploitation film, the...
(19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
). USA. Director: Russ Meyer. Music: The Aladdins.
- Mondo Freudo (19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
). USA. Director: Lee Frost. Music: Rodney Lee Bermingham, The Duvals, Chuck Morgan, Bill Wild.
- Mondo Bizarro (19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
). USA. Director and Screenplay: Lee Frost. Music: Lawrence Von Lattman.
- Sweden: Heaven and HellSweden: Heaven and HellSweden: Heaven and Hell is an Italian mondo film from 1968 directed by Luigi Scattini.The film which is made up of nine segments focuses on different aspects of sexuality in Sweden such as lesbian nightclubs, porn films, swinging lifestyle of married couples and sex education of teenagers...
(19681968 in filmThe year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
). Italy. Director: Luigi Scattini.
- Mondo TrashoMondo TrashoMondo Trasho is a 1969 16mm mondo black comedy film by Baltimore, Maryland filmmaker John Waters starring Divine, Mary Vivian Pearce, David Lochary and Mink Stole. It contains very little dialogue, the story being told mostly through musical cues.-Plot:...
(19691969 in filmThe year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
). USA. Director and Screenplay: John WatersJohn Waters (filmmaker)John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
.
- Shocking Asia (19741974 in filmThe year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...
). West Germany. Director: Rolf Olsen. Screenplay: Rolf Olsen, Ingeborg Stein Steinbach. Uncut run time: 94 minutes.
- Notti Porno nel Mondo (a.k.a. Mondo Erotica) (19771977 in filmThe year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
). Italy. Director and Screenplay: Bruno Mattei. Music: Gianni Marchetti.
- This Is America (a.k.a. Crazy Ridiculous American People {UK}, a.k.a. Jabberwalk) (19771977 in filmThe year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
) USA. Directed by Romano Vanderbes.
- This Is America - Part 2 (19771977 in filmThe year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
) USA. Directed by Romano Vanderbes.
- Brutes and Savages (19781978 in filmThe year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
). USA. Director: Arthur Davis. Screenplay: Jenny Craven. Music: Riz OrtolaniRiz OrtolaniRiziero "Riz" Ortolani is an Italian film composer.In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a jazz band of national Italian renown...
.
- Mr. Mike's Mondo VideoMr. Mike's Mondo VideoMr. Mike's Mondo Video was a 1979 movie conceived by Saturday Night Live writer/featured player Michael O'Donoghue.-Plot:Mondo Video was a spoof of the controversial 1962 documentary Mondo Cane, showing people doing weird stunts. The logo for this film copies the original Mondo Cane logo...
(19791979 in filmThe year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
). USA. Director: Michael O'DonoghueMichael O'DonoghueMichael O'Donoghue was a writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live.-Childhood:O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York...
.
- Des Morts (a.k.a. Of the Dead) (19811981 in film-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
). Director and Screenplay: Jean-Pol Ferbus, Dominique Garny, Thierry Zéno. Music: Alain Pierre. Uncut run time: 105 minutes.
- The Killing of America (a.k.a. Violence U.S.A. {Japan}) (19821982 in film-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
). USA. Director: Sheldon Renan, Leonard Schrader. Screenplay: Chieko Schrader, Leonard Schrader. Music: W. Michael Lewis, Mark Lindsay. Uncut run time: 90 minutes.
- Mondo New YorkMondo New YorkMondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's...
(19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) USA. Director: Harvey Keith. Screenplay: Harvey Keith and David Silver. Uncut run time: 83 minutes.
- Mondo Ford (20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) USA. Director: Scott Calonico/Ricardo Fratelli. Screenplay: Scott Calonico/Ricardo Fratelli. Uncut run time: 7 minutes.
- Mondo Sexxxx: The Terry Kobrah Story (20112011 in filmThe year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...
). USA. Director: Logan Myers.