Mondo cane
Encyclopedia
Mondo cane is a documentary written and directed by Italian
filmmakers Paolo Cavara
, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti
. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western
film audiences. These scenes are presented with little continuity, as they are intended as a kaleidoscopic display of shocking content rather than presenting a structured argument
. Despite its claims of genuine documentation, certain scenes in the film are either staged or creatively manipulated in order to enhance this effect.
Mondo cane was an international box-office success and inspired the production of numerous, similar exploitation
documentaries, many of which also include the word "Mondo" in their title. These films collectively came to be recognized as a distinct genre known as mondo films
. In addition, the film's success led Jacopetti and Prosperi to produce several additional documentaries, including Mondo cane 2, Africa addio
, and Addio zio Tom, while Cavara directed La donna nel mondo
, Malamondo, as well as the anti-Mondo drama
Wild Eye. Despite general critical condemnation of exploitation cinema, Mondo cane won the 1962 David di Donatello
for best production and was also nominated for numerous other awards.
for Best Production (Migliore Produzione) by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano, which it shared with Una vita difficile
. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or
at the 15th Cannes Film Festival
, which it lost to O Pagador de Promessas. The movie's theme song, "More
", was written by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero and was given new lyrics in English
by Norman Newell
. In 1963
, the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, where it lost to "Call Me Irresponsible
" from the film Papa's Delicate Condition
.
As well as encouraging sequels, Mondo Canes shock-exploitation-documentary-exquisite corpse
style is credited with starting a whole genre: the mondo film
. Examples of mondo film include Mondo Bizarro, Mondo Daytona, Mondo Mod, Mondo Infame and Mondo Hollywood
; later examples include the Faces of Death
series.
The film also inspired lampooning, including Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
, written by Saturday Night Live
s Michael O'Donoghue
and starring members of the contemporary cast of that program.
In 2010 Mike Patton
released a musical album in tribute to the film, also called Mondo Cane
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
filmmakers Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara
Paolo Cavara has been a screenwriter and a movie director. He was born in Bolognain 1926.-Biography:During the Fifties, he studied architecture in Florence University, then he realized documentaries for scientific trips, and emerged as a pioneer of the underwater cinematography Paolo Cavara has...
, Franco Prosperi and Gualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti
Gualtiero Jacopetti was an Italian director of documentary films.He was born in Barga, in northern Tuscany...
. The film consists of a series of travelogue vignettes that provide glimpses into cultural practices around the world with the intention to shock or surprise Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
film audiences. These scenes are presented with little continuity, as they are intended as a kaleidoscopic display of shocking content rather than presenting a structured argument
Argument
In philosophy and logic, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, or give evidence or reasons for accepting a particular conclusion.Argument may also refer to:-Mathematics and computer science:...
. Despite its claims of genuine documentation, certain scenes in the film are either staged or creatively manipulated in order to enhance this effect.
Mondo cane was an international box-office success and inspired the production of numerous, similar exploitation
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
documentaries, many of which also include the word "Mondo" in their title. These films collectively came to be recognized as a distinct genre known as mondo films
Mondo film
A mondo film is an exploitation documentary film, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations...
. In addition, the film's success led Jacopetti and Prosperi to produce several additional documentaries, including Mondo cane 2, Africa addio
Africa Addio
Africa Addio is a 1966 Italian documentary about the end of the colonial era in Africa. The film was released in a shorter format under the names "Africa Blood and Guts" in the USA and "Farewell Africa" in the UK...
, and Addio zio Tom, while Cavara directed La donna nel mondo
La donna nel mondo
La donna nel mondo is a 1963 mondo documentary film made by Italians Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara and Franco Prosperi. Original music was composed by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero...
, Malamondo, as well as the anti-Mondo drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
Wild Eye. Despite general critical condemnation of exploitation cinema, Mondo cane won the 1962 David di Donatello
David di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for best production and was also nominated for numerous other awards.
Production
In the beginning, as Cavara (who took the helm for European and Euro-Asiatic zone) and his supervisor Stanis Nievo' interviews revealed, Mondo Cane was a unique project conceived with La donna nel Mondo, and worked at the same time (1960-'62).Awards
Mondo cane was nominated for two awards for the 1962 film season. It won the David di DonatelloDavid di Donatello
David di Donatello, named after Donatello's David, is a movie award assigned each year for cinematic performances and production by Ente David di Donatello, part of Accademia del Cinema Italiano. It is the Italian equivalent to the Academy Award. There are 24 categories as of 2006.- History :The...
for Best Production (Migliore Produzione) by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano, which it shared with Una vita difficile
A Difficult Life
A Difficult Life is a Commedia all'italiana or Italian-style comedy film directed by Dino Risi in 1961.-Plot:...
. It was also nominated for the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the 15th Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, which it lost to O Pagador de Promessas. The movie's theme song, "More
More (Theme from Mondo Cane)
"More " is a film score song written by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero for the 1962 Mondo film Mondo cane. Originally composed as an instrumental and titled "Ti guarderò nel cuore", lyrics were later provided by Marcello Ciorciolini, which were adapted into English by Norman Newell...
", was written by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero and was given new lyrics in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Norman Newell
Norman Newell
Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
. In 1963
36th Academy Awards
The 36th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1963, were held on April 13, 1964 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. They were hosted by Jack Lemmon....
, the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song, where it lost to "Call Me Irresponsible
Call Me Irresponsible
"Call Me Irresponsible" is a 1962 song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics written by Sammy Cahn.According to the Mel Tormé book The Other Side of the Rainbow with Judy Garland on the Dawn Patrol, Van Heusen originally wrote the song for Garland to sing at a CBS dinner...
" from the film Papa's Delicate Condition
Papa's Delicate Condition
Papa's Delicate Condition is a 1963 comedy film starring Jackie Gleason and Glynis Johns. It was an adaptation of the Corinne Griffith memoir of the same name, about her father and growing up in Texarkana, Texas. Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn won an Academy Award for Best Song for "Call Me...
.
Influence
The film spawned several direct sequels, starting with Jacopetti and Prosperi's own Mondo Cane 2 (also known as Mondo Pazzo), released the following year. Much later, in the eighties, two more sequels emerged: Mondo Cane Oggi: L'Orrore Continua and Mondo Cane 2000: L'Incredible. The franchise continued into the nineties with two sequels from the German Uwe Schier; despite the fact that they were the fifth and sixth films in the series, they were titled Mondo Cane IV and Mondo Cane V.As well as encouraging sequels, Mondo Canes shock-exploitation-documentary-exquisite corpse
Exquisite corpse
Exquisite corpse, also known as exquisite cadaver or rotating corpse, is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule Exquisite corpse, also known as exquisite cadaver (from the original...
style is credited with starting a whole genre: the mondo film
Mondo film
A mondo film is an exploitation documentary film, sometimes resembling a pseudo-documentary, usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, and situations...
. Examples of mondo film include Mondo Bizarro, Mondo Daytona, Mondo Mod, Mondo Infame and Mondo Hollywood
Mondo Hollywood
Mondo Hollywood is a documentary "mondo movie" by Robert Carl Cohen, released in 1967. Filmed over the preceding two years, it was described by Variety as a "flippy, trippy psychedelic guide to Hollywood".-Description:...
; later examples include the Faces of Death
Faces of Death
Faces of Death is a 1978 mondo film which guides viewers through explicit scenes depicting a variety of ways to die and violent acts....
series.
The film also inspired lampooning, including Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video was a 1979 movie conceived by Saturday Night Live writer/featured player Michael O'Donoghue.-Plot:Mondo Video was a spoof of the controversial 1962 documentary Mondo Cane, showing people doing weird stunts. The logo for this film copies the original Mondo Cane logo...
, written by Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
s Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue
Michael O'Donoghue was a writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live.-Childhood:O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York...
and starring members of the contemporary cast of that program.
In 2010 Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
released a musical album in tribute to the film, also called Mondo Cane
Mondo Cane (album)
Mondo Cane is an album by Mike Patton, released on May 4, 2010 through Ipecac Recordings. It features cover versions of 1950s and 1960s Italian pop music, performed by Mike Patton with an orchestra of about 65 people...
.