Mondo film is a subgenre of exploitative documentary films. Many mondo films are pseudo-documentaries and usually depict sensational topics, scenes, or situations. Common traits of mondo films include portrayals of foreign cultures (which have drawn accusations of ethnocentrism or racism),Kerekes & Slater, p. 108. an emphasis on taboo 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).Mondo New York (1988) The New York Times
The term is Italian for . 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 (1962), Women of the World (1963) and Africa Addio (1966). The genre arguably reached its peak with Faces of Death (1978), a film that inspired myriad imitators, such as Banned from Television, Death Scenes, and the Traces of Death and Faces of Gore series.
History Although earlier films such as Alessandro Blasetti's Europe by Night (1959) and (World by Night, 1960) may be considered examples of the genre,Kerekes & Slater, p. 102. the origins of the mondo documentary are generally traced to the 1962 Italian film Mondo Cane (A Dog's World—a mild Italian profanity) by Paolo Cavara, Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi which was a commercial success.Mondo Cane (1962) The New York TimesRevisiting a Cinematic Smackdown, and Other Avant-Garde Pleasures The New York Times, October 1, 2009Mondo Cane Variety Reviews, December 31, 1961
Documentary films imitating Mondo Cane in the 1960s often included the term in their titles, even if they were in English; examples include Mondo Bizarro, Mondo Daytona, Mondo Mod, Mondo Infame and Mondo Hollywood.Kerekes & Slater, p. 107. Films outside the genre followed suit: Mondo Trasho, Mondo Weirdo: A Trip to Paranoia Paradise, Mondo KeyholeKerekes & Slater, p. 109. and Mondo Brutale (a German release of Wes Craven's The Last House on the LeftKerekes & 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.
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's film Mondo Topless was one of the few "documentaries" restricted to the old midnight movie circuit in the pre-VCR era; it explored strip clubs in 1960s San Francisco, 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 1970s and 1980s saw a resurgence of mondo movies focusing almost exclusively on (onscreen) death, instead of world cultures. The Faces of Death 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 Italian cannibal film is arguably an offshoot of the mondo film.
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 Faces of Gore and Traces of Death series. There is less fake footage, and many use news footage of accidents from East Asia.
The late 2010s saw another resurgence, beginning with the Bootleg Death Tape series and Faces of Dying series from filmmaker Dustin Ferguson, which both involved various independent directors from around the world.
In 2015 a new take on the Mondo shockumentary genre came via a short film titled Cibo Di Violenza at a run time of 12 minutes, this film is listed as Cibo Di Violenza in Italian and translated as "Food of Violence" in English; both the director Bazz Hancher and co-writer Mike Lima are English.
A number of films have parodied the genre. Examples include Ricardo Fratelli's Mondo Ford, Mr. Mike's Mondo Video by Saturday Night Lives Michael O'Donoghue, 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.
Film series
Mondo Cane
The original mondo film series was the Mondo Cane series by Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara, and Franco Prosperi. When this type of film proved successful, many imitators followed.
+ Jacopetti and ProsperiTitleYearCountryDirector and screenplayMusicUncut run timeNotesMondo Cane 1962 Italy Gualtiero JacopettiPaolo CavaraFranco E. ProsperiRiz Ortolani108 minutesR-rated run time 85 minutes; a.k.a. A Dog's LifeLa donna nel mondo 1963Riz OrtolaniNino Oliviero107 minutesa.k.a. Women of the WorldMondo Cane 2 1963 Gualtiero JacopettiFranco ProsperiNino Oliviero95 minutesR-rated run time 76 minutes; a.k.a. Mondo PazzoAfrica Addio 1966 Riz Ortolani139 minutesUnrated English version 128 minutes; R-rated version 80 minutes; a.k.a. Africa: Blood & Guts, Farewell AfricaAddio Zio Tom 1971136 minutesUnrated English version 123 minutes; a.k.a. Goodbye Uncle Tom
The pair's Mondo candido (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's novel, Candide.
In the late 1980s, Stelvio Massi (a.k.a. Max Steele) made two spin-offs of the original Mondo Cane series, known as Mondo Cane 3 and Mondo Cane 4 on video.
+ Max SteeleTitleYearCountryDirector and cinematographyScreenplayUncut run timeNotesMondo cane oggi - L'orrore continua1986 Italy Stelvio MassiStelvio Massi78 minutesa.k.a. Mondo Cane 3Mondo cane 2000 - L'incredibile 1988G. Crisanti73 minutesa.k.a. Mondo Cane 4
Mondo films about Africa 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.
+ Castiglioni brothersTitleYearCountryDirectorsMusicNotesAfrica segreta1969ItalyAngelo Francesco Lavagnino a.k.a. Secret Africa; uncut run time 103 minAfrica ama1971 a.k.a. Africa UncensoredMagia nuda1975 Ciro Dammicco (credited as Zacar) a.k.a. Mondo MagicAddio ultimo uomo1978Franco Godi a.k.a. The Last SavageAfrica dolce e selvaggia1982 a.k.a. Shocking Africa
Savage Trilogy
Antonio Climati, cinematographer to Prosperi and Jacopetti in many mondo films, joined Mario Morra 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.
+ Savage TrilogyTitleYearCountryDirectorsMusicNotes Ultime grida dalla savana 1975 Italy Carlo Savina a.k.a. Savage Man Savage Beast; uncut run time 94 minSavana violenta 1976 a.k.a. This Violent World Dolce e selvaggio 1983 Daniele Patucchi a.k.a. Sweet and Savage
Faces of Death
The 1978 Faces of Death popularized a mondo style known as "death films", which depicted humans or animals dying in graphic ways.
+ John Alan SchwartzTitleYearDirectorScreenplayNotes The Faces of Death series1978–1991 John Alan Schwartz John Alan Schwartz Four parts The Worst of Faces of Death1991 Compilation of first three Faces of Death films Faces of Death: Fact or Fiction?1999 Documentary about Faces of Death
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 V draws heavily on Death Scenes; Faces of Death VI 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).
+ Uwe SchierTitleYearCountryNotes Mondo Cane IV1992Germany Mondo Cane teil V1993 a.k.a. Mondo Cane 5 Faces of Death V1995 Faces of Death VI1996
Several imitators followed the Faces of Death series; many used (or were composed entirely of) footage from other mondo films.
+ Faces of Death imitatorsTitleYearDirectorScreenplayMusicNotes The Death Scenes series1989–1993 Nick Bougas Richard Gibson, Peter H. Gilmore Three parts The Traces of Death series1993–2000 Damon Fox Various Five parts The Banned from Television series1998 Joe Francis APM Music Three parts; released in the US by Mantra Films. The Banned! In America series1998–2003 Nomo Ichi Delta 9 Six parts; released in the US by Brain Damage Films. The Faces of Gore series1999–2000 Todd Tjersland Three parts Best of Faces of Gore2000 Compilation video
Other mondo films (1960s – 1980)
Other mondo films and movies influenced by the genre were released.