Mondo cane (1962)

Directors:

Paolo Cavara
Gualtiero Jacopetti
(more)

Writers:

Paolo Cavara (writer)
Gualtiero Jacopetti (writer)

Release Date:

30 March 1962 (Italy)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

All The Scenes You Will See In This Film Are True And Taken Only From Life...If Often They Are Shocking It Is Because There Are Many Astounding, Even Unbelievable Things In This World

Plot:

The original "shockumentary" consisting of a collection of mostly real archive footage displaying mankind at its most depraved and perverse, displaying bizarre rituals, cruel behavior, and animal violence.

Plot Keywords:

Slaughter | Pet Cemetery | Shockumentary | Cargo Cult | Mondo Film

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Rossano Brazzi	...	Himself
Stefano Sibaldi	...	Narrator (voice)

Directed by
Paolo Cavara
Gualtiero Jacopetti
Franco Prosperi		(as Franco E. Prosperi)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paolo Cavara		writer
Gualtiero Jacopetti		writer

Produced by
Gualtiero Jacopetti	....	producer

Original Music by
Riz Ortolani

Cinematography by
Antonio Climati
Benito Frattari

Film Editing by
Gualtiero Jacopetti

Music Department
Nino Oliviero	....	composer: song "More"

Production Companies

• Cineriz

Distributors

• Times Film Corporation (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Cinemation Industries (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (retitled re-release) (dubbed)
• Tempo Films (1963) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Blue Underground (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia Films (Spain)
• Intermedia Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Intermedia Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Prima Film (Canada) (re-release) (dubbed)
• Simitar Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS) (as "Tales of the Bizarre: Rites, Rituals and Superstitions")
• Vidcrest (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Woodhaven Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Woodhaven Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

A Dog's Life
Mondo Cane No. 1 (USA) (reissue title)
Tales of the Bizarre: Rites, Rituals and Superstitions (USA) (video box title)
Cette chienne de vie (France) [fr]
Este perro mundo (Spain) [es]
Mondo cane (Denmark) [da]
Mondo cane - kova maailma (Finland) [fi]
Mundo Cão (Brazil) [pt]
Pieski swiat (Poland) [pl]
Skylisia zoi (Greece) [el]
Tämä on Maailma (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

108 min | UK:91 min (cut) | USA:97 min (re-release: 1970)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | UK:R (original rating: 1962) | UK:X (re-rating: 1963) (cut) | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM18 | Norway:16 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (w)

Filming Locations:

Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

The film was initially rejected for UK cinema and only passed in 1963 after 14 minutes of cuts with heavy edits to the animal killings, scenes showing German drug addicts, and the killing of a man by a bull.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)

Soundtrack:

Ti guarderò nel cuore (More)

seems quaint 40+ years later

I recently picked up the "Mondo Cane collection" from Blue Underground. Seeing Mondo Cane for the first time, I was surprised to see how downright quaint it all seems. I'm sure it shocked people when it was first released, but, and maybe I'm jaded in saying this, it just felt like a slightly risque National Geographics episode. One sequence DID scare me though. Was it the decapitated bulls? NOPE. Was it the Chinese eating dog? new i know that happens. Right now you're thinking "What the heck can be so shocking??!!?" Well it was the segment of those old ladies exercising, all those blubbering wrinkly behinds... *shudders*

My Grade: B-

DVD Extras: 3 theatrical trailers (English, Italian & Usa); Radio spot; Poster and stills gallery; Location gallery; Lobby promo (5 minutes); & an essay on the Mondo phenomenon