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- Cannibal Holocaust - Deluxe Collectors Edition - Dutch DVD - 

Before "The Blair Witch Project", it's shaky camera work and "what you are
now watching is not just a film but genuine footage" attitude, there was this
film, Cannibal Holocaust. 
This is one of my, if not my all time favourite, horror film. 
It comes from a genre of films that suddenly appeared with a bang in the late
seventies but disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. 
More of a "sub-genre" than a bona-fide new genre, they were the "cannibal films".
This was not the first in the cannibal sub-genre, not by a long way.
In my opinion though, it was the one that finished the sub-genre before it
even got really started. 
For the simple reason that none of the other cannibal films that followed 
could match it for it's realism and ferociousness. So much so that Deodata 
had to prove in court that the film was fake and not a cleverly disguised 
"snuff movie". 
In fact, even today, some countries still refuse to allow it to be released
while even though others have released it, it is in a very edited form. 
This particular DVD is a Region 2 Dutch import and is completely uncut. 
Being uncut, you need to have a very strong stomach to watch it in more ways
than one. 
Unlike other gore films, the story is just as strong as the gore. But more 
importantly, it makes you think. Something no other gore film does or even 
attempt to do. It is impossible to watch this film for the first time and 
remain unaffected. 
Filmed in 1979, it was directed by Ruggero Deodata from a story by Gianfranco 
Clerici and produced by Franco Palaggi & Franco Di Nunzio. 
The film is basically in two parts. The first half concerns an Anthropologist,
Professor Harold Monroe, who travels deep into the Amazon Forest to find an 
award winning film crew who have travelled there to shoot a documentary but 
have not returned. After dealing with the hardships of the "jungle" with the
aid of trackers, he discovers that the Amazon is ruled by two warring cannibal
tribes. He is also subjected to seeing some of the tribes brutal rites before
he finally finds the crew. Or what's left of their bodies to be more precise. 
Knowing that the secret to their demise will lie within some cans of 16mm film
that they shot, he must first find a way to bargain with the tribe who have
turned the corpses and the cans into some form of crude monument. 
Finally getting back to "civilization", a television network decide to show 
the contents of the cannisters on national television, as a "tribute" to the
"fallen heroes". 
Even though we find out that their previous award winning documentary, "Road 
To Hell", was mostly staged for their own ends. 
Wisely, they decide first to view the contents of the cannisters first to make
sure the footage hasn't been damaged by the Amazon's humidity. 
This is where the second half of the film kicks in as what we see now is predominantly
from through the eyes (and lens) of the deceased team. In the same kind of 
way that made the "Blair Witch" so famous. Except what we see here is the crew
far from being heroes. Instead, we see there discovery of the cannibal tribe.
We also see how because the tribe were too peaceful, thus too boring to film, 
the crew resort to setting fire to the tribes huts and killing their livestock
so while they film the aftermath, they can blame the events on the rival tribe.
They then basically "exploit" the tribe by beating and raping them so they can 
gain some more sensationalst footage to take back with them to New York for 
their documentary. But then the tribe is pushed too far and retaliate by hunting
down, slaughtering and then devouring their attackers in ritualistic rites. 
Yet incredibly, even as this is happening systematically to each of them, the
remaining survivors still try to film the others deaths, risking and inevitably
losing their own lives to do so. 
This film shows just how far some will go for the sake of journalism, whether
it be real or staged. 
It makes you think, "who are the real "savages?", those who eat their enemies
flesh to survive, or those that go as far to cause chaos, just to film to make 
themselves famous. Or what about those who, knowing the truth, still want to
attract viewers by portraying the "victims" as heroes? 
The one problem with many who watch this film are the scenes of animal mutilation. 
Whereas the scenes of the crew being slaughtered and eaten were faked, the 
animal mutilation is not. This in itself opens a can of worms that I will not
even try argue the points "for and against" here. 
If you decide to track this film down and cannot bear to see cruelty to animals,
then do not watch this film. 
As for the picture and sound of this film, both have been especially digitally 
remastered for this DVD from the original negatives and you can tell. 
The film is in letterbox format with an aspect ratio of 1.85 and anamorphically 
enhanced. 
The sound is reproduced in two channel mono but Riz Ortolani's score is still
crystal clear. 
There are English and Dutch subtitles. 
Extras consist of two interviews with Deodato, one hosted by his son Saverio, 
the other on stage with Martin Coxhead at the 1998 Eurofest. Both are shot 
on video and while quality isn't brilliant they're still watchable.
There are English and German theatrical trailers. 
Artwork, a stills gallery and finally a colour booklet that features a Deodato
biography and filmography. 
All in all, a very disturbing yet cleverly shot film that deserves to be watched,
if you can stomach the gore and scenes of animal mutilation that is. 
Sergio Leone, of the legendary "man with no name"/ Clint Eastwood Westerns said 
upon viewing the finished version of this film that it would be Ruggero Deodata's
most famous work, his finest hour.
For good or bad reasons, better or worse, he was right.

Reviewed By Dracula

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