Mondo films are a subgenre of

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

s and

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

s. Many mondo films are made in a way to resemble a pseudo-documentary and usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, or situations. Common traits of mondo films include portrayals of foreign cultures (which have drawn accusations of

ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropology—as well as in colloquial English discourse—means to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of ...

or racism),Kerekes & Slater, p. 108. an emphasis on

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

subjects such as death and sex, and staged sequences presented as genuine documentary footage. Over time, the films have placed increasing emphasis on footage of the dead and dying (both real and fake). The term ''mondo'' is derived from the Italian word for "world". The term shockumentary is also used to describe the genre. Mondo films began to soar in popularity in the 1960s with the releases of ''

Mondo Cane ''Mondo Cane'' (literally "Doggish World" or "Dog's World", a mild Italian profanity) is a 1962 Italian mondo documentary film and directed by the trio of Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco E. Prosperi, with narration by Stefano Sib ...

'' (1962), '' Women of the World'' (1963) and '' Africa Addio'' (1966). The genre arguably reached its peak with ''

Faces of Death ''Faces of Death'' (later re-released as ''The Original Faces of Death'') is a 1978 American mondo horror film written and directed by John Alan Schwartz, credited under the pseudonyms "Conan Le Cilaire" and "Alan Black" respectively. The fi ...

'' in 1978, a film that inspired myriad imitators, such as the ''

Traces of Death ''Traces of Death'' is a 1993 Z movie mondo shockumentary that consists of various scenes of stock footage depicting death and real scenes of violence. Unlike the earlier ''Faces of Death'' which included fake deaths and reenactments, ''Traces ...

'' series, '' Banned from Television'', ''

Death Scenes ''Death Scenes'' is a 1989 mondo film starring Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey and directed by Nick Bougas. Overview Satanist Anton Lavey hosts this morbid mondo documentary about death. Sequels The film was followed by two sequels, ''Deat ...

'' and ''

Faces of Gore The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

'' series.

History

Although earlier films such as Alessandro Blasetti's '' Europa di notte'' (''Europe By Night'', 1959) and Luigi Vanzi's '' Il mondo di notte'' (''World By Night'', 1961) may be considered examples of the genre,Kerekes & Slater, p. 102. the origins of the mondo documentary are generally traced to the

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wo ...

Italian film ''

'' (''A Dog's World''—a mild Italian

profanity Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, ru ...

) by

Paolo Cavara Paolo Cavara (4 July 1926 – 7 August 1982) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He is best known for collaborating with Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco E. Prosperi on the 1962 mondo film ''Mondo Cane'', and for directing the fictio ...

Gualtiero Jacopetti Gualtiero Jacopetti (4 September 1919 – 17 August 2011) was an Italian documentary film director. With Paolo Cavara and Franco Prosperi, he is considered the originator of mondo films, also called "shockumentaries". Early life Gualtiero Jaco ...

and Franco Prosperi which was a commercial success.Mondo Cane
Variety Reviews, December 31, 1961 Documentary films imitating ''Mondo Cane'' in the 1960s often included the term "mondo" in their titles, even if they were in English; examples include ''Mondo Bizarro'', ''Mondo Daytona'', ''Mondo Mod'', ''Mondo Infame'' and ''

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 The film start ...

''.Kerekes & Slater, p. 107. Films outside the genre followed suit: ''

Mondo Trasho ''Mondo Trasho'' is a 1969 American 16mm mondo black comedy film by John Waters. The film stars Divine, Mary Vivian Pearce, David Lochary and Mink Stole. It contains very little dialogue, the story being told mostly through musical cues. Plo ...

'', ''Mondo Weirdo: A Trip to Paranoia Paradise'', ''

Mondo Keyhole ''Mondo Keyhole'' is a 1966 film directed by Jack Hill in his directorial debut. A sexploitation drama, it covers themes such as the pornography business, drug-taking, rape, martial arts and revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action agai ...

''Kerekes & Slater, p. 109. and ''Mondo Brutale'' (a German release of

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

's '' The Last House on the Left''Kerekes & Slater, p. 315.) title themselves ''mondo'', although none are mondo documentaries. Later in the decade, this naming convention began to fall out of favour and fewer mondo films identified themselves as such in their titles. ''

The War Game ''The War Game'' is a 1966 British pseudo-documentary film that depicts a nuclear war and its aftermath. Written, directed and produced by Peter Watkins for the BBC, it caused dismay within the BBC and also within government, and was subsequ ...

'', a 1965 British film depicting conditions before and after a nuclear attack on England, would not see public broadcast for twenty years. Filmmakers wanted to top each other in shock value to attract audiences. Cruelty to animals, accidents, tribal-initiation rites and surgeries are features of a typical mondo. Much of the action is staged, although the filmmakers may claim their goal is to document "reality". Subjects of mondo films include sex (''Mondo Sex'' and ''Mondo Sexualis USA''); celebrities (''Mondo Elvis'' and ''Mondo Lugosi''); youth culture (''Mondo Teeno'') and the gay subculture (''Mondo Rocco'').

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fe ...

's film '' Mondo Topless'' was one of the few "documentaries" restricted to the old

midnight movie 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. As a cinematic ...

circuit in the pre-VCR era; it explored

strip clubs Strip or Stripping may refer to: Places * Aouzou Strip, a strip of land following the northern border of Chad that had been claimed and occupied by Libya * Caprivi Strip, narrow strip of land extending from the Okavango Region of Namibia to ...

in 1960s

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

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 this genre include '' Mondo New York'' by Harvey Keith, ''Mondo di Notte'' by Gianni Proia and ''Mondo Balordo'' by Roberto Bianchi Montero. The 1980s saw a resurgence of mondo movies focusing almost exclusively on (onscreen) death, instead of world cultures. The ''

'' series is a notable example of this type of mondo (or "death") movie. The producers used fake footage (passed off as real), but some of the footage was legitimate (including scenes of autopsies, suicides and accidents). The rare 1985 film ''Mondo Senza Veli'' (''World Without Veils'' or ''Mondo Fresh'') was purported by viewers to feature at its end the brutal execution of a young Arab rapist by public rectal impalement. This episode was, however, believed to have been a staged execution by some viewers. Mondo films in the 21st century feature gore, exemplified by the ''

'' and ''

'' series. There is less fake footage, and many use news footage of accidents from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

. The late 2010s saw another resurgence beginning with the ''

Bootleg Death Tape Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made an ...

'' series and ''

Faces of Dying The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human Personal identity, identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental d ...

'' series from filmmaker

Dustin Ferguson Dustin Ferguson is an American underground filmmaker from Lincoln, Nebraska. He has directed numerous music videos and more than 100 horror films since 2007, including ''The Amityville Legacy''.Mr. Mike's Mondo Video'' by ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...

''s

Michael O'Donoghue Michael O'Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was an American 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 ...

, and '' Is There Sex After Death?'' by Jeanne and Alan Abel. ''Mondo Beyondo'' spoofed the films' approach to titling but was a parody of satellite television.Kerekes & Slater, p. 155. The Italian cannibal film is arguably an offshoot of the mondo film.

Films

The original mondo film series was the ''Mondo Cane'' series by

, and Franco Prosperi. When this type of film proved successful, many imitators followed. The pair's ''

Mondo candido ''Mondo candido'' is a 1975 black comedy film directed by acclaimed Mondo directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi. The film is a liberal adaptation of Voltaire's 1759 novel ''Candide''. Plot Candido ( Christopher Brown) is a naï ...

'' (1975) is not a "Mondo" film; the title was imposed on them by the studio, who wished to cash in on their earlier successes. The film is a retelling of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

's novel, ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, Th ...

''. In the late 1980s Stelvio Massi (a.k.a. Max Steele) made two spinoffs of the original ''

'' series, known as ''Mondo Cane 3'' and ''Mondo Cane 4'' on video. In 1969, brothers Angelo and Alfredo Castiglioni began to make a series of their own mondo films until the early 1980s. 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 considered some of the most graphic Mondo films ever made. Antonio Climati, cinematographer to Prosperi and Jacopetti in many mondo films, joined

Mario Morra Mario Morra (born 1935) is an Italian film editor, director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, Morra began working as an assistant editor in the early 1960s, and made his debut as film editor in 1964.Roberto Poppi. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano ...

in 1974 to produce their own string of mondo films, known as the Savage Trilogy. Prosperi also produced the films. Climati and Morra were known for staging scenes. The 1978 ''

'' popularized a Mondo style known as "death films", which depicted humans or animals dying in graphic ways. Uwe Schier bought the rights to the ''Mondo Cane'' and ''Faces of Death'' films 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 other films (including ''Death Scenes'' and ''Death Faces IV'').Kerekes & Slater, pp. 156-158. In 1993, Hurricane Pictures edited a mix of scenes featured in ''Addio ultimo uomo'' and ''Shocking Africa'', labeling it the "fifth chapter" of the saga (''Teil V'' in German). Several imitators followed the ''Faces of Death'' series; many used (or were composed entirely of) footage from other mondo films.

References

Bibliography

* ''RE/Search No. 10:

Incredibly Strange Films ''RE/Search No. 10: Incredibly Strange Films'' is a book about American underground and other films. It was guest edited by Jim Morton, with associate editor Boyd Rice, in the RE/Search series edited by V. Vale and Andrea Juno, originally publi ...

'': A Guide to Deviant Films.

RE/Search RE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded by its editor V. Vale in 1980. In several issues, Andrea Juno was also credited as an editor. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fan ...

Publications 1986, * Brottman, Mikita: ''Mondo Horror. Carnivalizing the Taboo.'' In: Prince, Stephen (ed.) 2004: The horror film. S. 167–188. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. . * Goodall, Mark 2006: ''Sweet & Savage. The World Through the Shockumentary Film Lens.'' London: Headpress. . (the standard work on the mondo and cannibal genre) * Goodall, Mark 2006: ''Shockumentary Evidence. The perverse politics of the Mondo film.'' In: Dennison, Stephanie (Hg.) 2006: ''Remapping world cinema. Identity, culture and politics in film.'' S. 118–128. London: Wallflower. . * Kerekes, David; Slater, David 2006: ''Killing for culture. Death film from Shockumentaries to snuff.'' Manchester: Headpress. . * Stefano Loparco, 'Gualtiero Jacopetti - Graffi sul mondo'. The first complete biography dedicated to the co-director of 'Mondo cane'. Il Foglio Letterario, 2014 - * Shipka, Danny 2011: ''Perverse titillation. The exploitation cinema of Italy, Spain and France, 1960-1980.'' Jefferson: Mcfarland. .

External links

*Fanzine about Italian Mondo Movies https://www.instagram.com/tv/CicUxVrAjLW/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= * Italian Mondo Movies collection '50s- '70s, https://www.spazioeimmagini.com/italian-mondo-movies-50s-70s, Spazio e Immagini. *Exhibition AI LIMITI DEL MONDO. Original vintage photos and documents from the Italian Mondo Movies '58 '74,https://www.spazioeimmagini.com/exhibitions-2022, Spazio e Immagini.
Vomit Bag Video

Mondo / Death

The Internet Mondo Movie Database (ImMDB)
{{Italian film genres Film genres Documentary film genres

History

Films

See also

References

Bibliography

External links