MOCKUMENTARY TO THE EXTREME

Telling the story of a search for a lost group of documentary filmmakers, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (Ruggero Deodato, 1980) delves deep into the Amazon rain forest.  Much of the film is composed of "discovered" footage from the lost crew that depicts savage behavior from those you might not suspect.  This is considered one of the most extreme films committed to celluloid and created great controversy during its release.  Upon the film's release, its director was arrested and charged with obscenity and the film was banned in several countries.  The uproar surrounding the film stemmed not only from its graphic violence and sexuality but also the rumor that actual deaths were filmed.  Thus CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST was considered a snuff film, a film that depicts an actual death for exploitative purposes.  CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is widely considered an example of an exploitation film, a film that markets lurid material to get its audience normally regarded as obscene and gratuitous, while some critics have considered it as a strong commentary of savagery in modern western culture.  Now infamous, CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST is ranked among the most controversial films ever made.  Famed Italian director Sergio Leone wrote to Deodato stating, "What a movie! The second part is a masterpiece of cinematographic realism, but everything seems so real that I think you will get in trouble with all the world."