Indeed, the two themes of Mondo Cane are established before the film is ten minutes old. Sex and death; two topics which were certainly taboo then, although it is debatable whether they can still lay claim to such a title.
Whilst it presents itself as a globe-trotting cod-anthropological study of various cultures and societies, it in fact says most about the culture which spawned it, not least its rampant sexism. Whether dancing for onlookers, massaging hung-over businessmen or parading semi-nude on beautiful beaches, women, as far as this particular piece is concerned, are nothing more than slaves to the sexual whims of masculine society.
But there is a humanity here, and a sense of humor, both of which are lacking from 99% of the later shockumentaries. One scene in particular is especially heartbreaking, detailing the effects of radiation on a small Caribbean island. Due to nuclear testing nearby, birds have taken to living underground, laying thousands of eggs which, we are told, will never hatch. Fish have miraculously learned to live for almost two hours at a time on dry land, with some even scaling trees, only to be thumped down by hungry locals. Most poignant of all, though, is the footage of a tortoise which has clambered ashore to lay its eggs, only to get lost on its way back to the ocean. The creature has lost all sense of direction, and so rather than turning back the way it came, it heads on further inland, passing the dead remains of its kin, at the mercy of the heat.
But why the fuck didn't they set down the camera for a second and take the poor thing back into the water?
Again, there are times when the ethics displayed here are unfathomable.
But there is a beauty also, and a genuine sense of wonder at the mysteries of nature. Unfortunately, there's a distasteful racism too. Germany, Hamburg in particular, is presented here as being populated by beer-swilling, street-brawling, moronic drunkards, who if not dancing in the street, are pissing in it. Indigenous tribes-people are referred to as "Barbarians", and the violent nature of their foibles is contrasted on several occasions with the quirky, yet tender and moving eccentricities of the west.
Article comments
1 - Andrés Mego
Hi
Your review is great. I used it as input for my own article about "Mondo Cane" in my blog (in spanish, sorry) Do you have more info about the making of this film?
Regards
Andrés
2 - Elizabeth Riggs
We just got the Mondo Cane movies (just Mondo Cane I and II), and they are as good as I remembered them from the early 60s when I went to see it with one of my guy friends. (Back then, we used to date a lot of guys before settling down to "going steady" and finally to engagement and marriage.) I was then, and am now, fascinated by the juxtaposition of so many seemingly antithetical cultural practices. Back then, I was most intrigued by the Cargo Cult, and have followed info about it. It's almost sad that this quirky view of Heaven and Earth has about gone the way of the Dodo bird. Your review was pretty much along the lines of my "take" on these two movies, and I'll be back for more! Thanks, Duke!
Cheerio!
Elizabeth