Cannibal Holocaust
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
95 minutes
Cannibal
Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato 1980) is tainted a controversial film. A film I
had avoided for some time due to its real footage of animal cruelty. The DVD is
bombarded with, “Possibly the most disturbing film ever made” as much as I was
told “good luck” when borrowing it from uni library. The warnings are correct. Cannibal Holocaust holds this status well
and no doubt it’s hard to watch. Seeing a coatimundi (a mammal that looks like
a Muscat), snake, spider, spider monkey and pig tortured, I did question if it’s
necessary? However, as hard as it is to say so, this should not be deterrence.
It’s an impressive film that uses real and staged footage, breaking of the
fourth wall and is savvy.
Cannibal
Holocaust opens with a peaceful montage of the Amazon through a series of
jump cuts. It then crosses to a high-rise consumer New York and later returned
to at the end of the narrative when the main protagonist states, “I wonder who
the real cannibals are”. This was a tad
obvious and cheesy but enjoyable nonetheless. Cannibal Holocaust is essentially about a group of ridiculously,
unlikable characters who go deep into the jungle to make a documentary on a
‘notorious’ cannibal tribe. After causing general havoc, these characters
indulge in savage acts. This is accompanied with the return of the tranquil
music that softens and contrast’s the film’s blatant nastiness. Perhaps, this
makes it easier to watch. Or as much, criticises our tolerance levels. It’s as
if, were watching scenes from the news or a nature documentary and its graphic
imagery becomes more accessible. The group lose their way in the jungle and gradually
killed by the locals. While, the only likeable character Harold Monroe (Robert
Kerman) finds the groups left over footage and takes it to the media. Unethical
behaviour is also explored through the media who want to make the documentary
more marketable. It is Harold who fights the media and his respect for the
locals.
Deodato’s commentary is
interesting. I like his ridged views on the media and how imagery can be
distorted. Earlier in the narrative before understanding the real nastiness of
the group, we are shown a very violent scene of a local penetrating a female
character with a large rock. But our perspective changes once we see what the
white community do to the local community who are in fact hostile. Presuming
of course, you are following Deodato’s lead and looking at the group with
distain and the locals as victims. Although, it has been speculated Deodato was
unabashedly racist or as much, trying to comprehend the films use of animal
cruelty given the fact that Deodato stated he’s an animal lover makes this
hard to see the film outside these issues. Still, it’s impressive that Cannibal Holocaust maintains its shock
value. If, it provided a nuanced argument, then it wouldn’t have the same
effect. While its gritty documentary and found footage was popularized in The Blair
Witch Project (Danick Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez) just take out Cannibal Holocaust’s actual realness and
add Blair Witches clever marketing.
Cannibal
Holocaust is an upsetting film. It’s depressing to sit and witness cruelties
of humankind. Although, these acts are
pretty full blown, we can’t deny that sexual violence and cruelty doesn’t
exist. At times I thought Cannibal
Holocaust should be compulsory viewing, and then I thought, settle down it
should be the person’s right to not wish to see a turtle’s head and shell hacked
off. Then I remembered the news at 6.00pm already provides this sort of imagery
to the public.
