Ultimo mondo cannibale

Jungle Holocaust
Spanish theatrical poster
Directed by Ruggero Deodato
Produced by Giorgio Carlo Rossi
Written by
Starring
Music by Ubaldo Continiello
Cinematography Marcello Masciocchi
Edited by Daniele Alabiso
Distributed by American International Pictures (United States)
Release date
  • 8 February 1977 (1977-02-08) (Italy)
Running time
 92 minutes
Language Italian

Ultimo mondo cannibale (English: Last Cannibal World; also known as Cannibal The Last Survivor and Jungle Holocaust)[1] is a 1977 cannibal exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato. The film stars Massimo Foschi, Me Me Lai and Ivan Rassimov. The screenplay was written by Tito Carpi, Gianfranco Clerici and Renzo Genta, and tells the story of a man trying to escape from a jungle island inhabited by a native cannibal tribe.[2]

It is the precursor to Deodato's controversial 1980 film Cannibal Holocaust, but was originally slated to be directed by Umberto Lenzi as a follow-up to his prototypical 1972 cannibal film Il paese del sesso selvaggio (Man from Deep River).

While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the video nasty panic.

Plot

A group of oil prospectors travel to an outpost in a jungle on the island of Mindanao. A rough landing damages the plane. The two prospectors Robert (Massimo Foschi) and Rolf (Ivan Rassimov) find the abandoned remains of the original prospecting camp. Later, a member of the team goes missing. The two prospectors and their pilot go into the jungle, and the pilot is killed. The two prospectors then discover that the missing team member was eaten by cannibals. After getting separated in the jungle, Robert is kidnapped by a stone-age cannibal tribe. The tribe subjects Robert to various tortures, including tying him up, stripping him nude and fondling his genitals, and repeatedly dropping him with a bungee cord. The cannibals then imprison Robert in a cave, where he is starved.

Robert manages to escape with a native girl (Me Me Lai), who he keeps tied to a cord. The native girl tries to escape, and Robert rapes her. The two then find Rolf, whose leg is infected with gangrene. The three of them wander through the jungle until they eventually find the landing field. The cannibals then set upon them and kill the native girl, then cook and eat her. After Rolf is hit in the chest with a spear, Robert fights and kills one of the cannibals with a spear laced with cobra venom. Robert then eats the native's liver to frighten the other cannibals. Robert and Rolf then manage to make it to the plane and fly off.

Cast

  • Massimo Foschi as Robert Harper
  • Ivan Rassimov as Rolf
  • Me Me Lai as Pulan
  • Shiek Razak Shikur as Charlie
  • Judy Rosly as Swan

Controversy

The film was censored upon its intital theatrical release in the United Kingdom, with nearly four minutes of cuts, mainly directed to scenes of animal cruelty. In 2003, the film was allowed to released on DVD, but nearly three minutes of cuts were still required.[3]

In Australia, the film was initially banned before being released on VHS with heavy cuts to remove "indecent violence"[4]

References

  1. ↑ "ULTIMO MONDO CANNIBALE (1977)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  2. ↑ "Movie Review : Ultimo mondo cannibale". The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  3. ↑ "BBFC Cuts L: La". Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "Films: L #1 | Censor". RefusedClassification.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
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