http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3L2UK7jtpM
Brutes And Savages
4/5The Film
The short lived but still controversial 'Mondo' genre is most often associated with the Italian entries that made it famous, but an American film distributor, Arthur Davis, was responsible for putting together Brutes And Savages, now released in the 'uncivilized' version from Synapse films, restoring some fifteen minutes of never before seen footage into this already infamous entry.
For those not familiar with Mondo films, at their essence they're 'shockumenaries' – films that purport to be actual footage of actual events, but more often than not have a distinctly exploitative slant to them, oft times with the camera leering over shocking material such as animal violence, medical procedures, and bizarre sexual escapades.
Brutes And Savages begins with about half an hour of what it claims is footage from the Arthur Davis Expedition to the heart of deepest Africa, where the viewer is treated to tribal rituals of mating, combat, what is probably the films most infamous scene, the rite of manhood. This primitive ceremony involves a trio of young tribesman who, in order to make the journey from boyhood to manhood, must cross what the film claims is a crocodile infested river. The first tribesman makes it across safe and sound, but he's caught the attention of the hungry reptiles who converge upon the unlucky second contestant, who is inevitably eaten alive by the goofiest looking plastic crocodile ever captured on film.
From here, our intrepid film crew head off to South America, to capture even more 'forbidden scenes, never before filmed' for your viewing pleasure.
Once they reach their destination, we take a trip through 'Death Village,' a poverty stricken shanty town full of underprivileged denizens and their sickly looking children. Even more so than the gratuitous animal violence, this scene is rather disturbing. The almost nonchalant narration only makes it all the more tragic as the camera leers over the poverty and dilapidated condition under which these people live.
Too depressed to stay in 'Death Village,' the expedition moves on to such unusual events as the 'infamous' turtle wedding ceremony, where the groom slaughters a turtle and drains some of his blood into a bowl, so that he can rub it on his bride to be. Once this is over with, the couple head back to their hut where they don their ceremonial grab which consists of toucan beaks as phallic symbolism. They then proceed to rub each other down before hopping into the hammock together to consecrate their marriage. All of this is supposedly filmed without permission using hidden cameras, but somehow, the cameraman is able to get the footage from various different angles and is able to get very close to the action without using a zoom. Go figure.
From here we lay witness to a sacrificial ceremony where a poor llama is put to death and buried in the ground, as well as some National Geographic style footage of jungle survival, during which the narrator explains to us the law of the jungle and how only the strong survive. Cue footage of crocodiles eating things, a hawk battling a snake, etc..
After a strangely out of place explanation of the Bolivian cocaine industry where we see the illustrious Mr. Davis purchase a bag of cocoa leaves from a vegetable market, we see yet another tribal ritual involving opposing sides battling it out with slings and rocks. As one of the combatants is hit and given a brain aneurism, luckily Mr. Davis is on hand to get him to a hospital, where we witness the proceeding brain surgery that had to happen in order to save the man's life. We later find out that it was a complete success and that 'he lived to fight another day.'
The last portions of the film find the expedition supposedly sneaking into the world famous Inca Museum of Erotic Pottery. Never before filmed, the crew bring their cameras in to shoot under less than ideal lighting conditions (which appear to be just fine) to capture never before seen footage of pottery portraying such explicit acts as oral, anal and homosexual encounters.
Finally, to finish their 'documentary' on a positive note, they film a strange ritual in which some townspeople induce their llama's into having an orgy. This is completed by having some of the townsmen simulate sex with some of the female llama's, so that animal and man can become one in the world, if even for only a brief period of time.
At times, equally preposterous and outrageous, the film also has some genuinely interesting moments and some exceptional photography. While the 'African' footage looks like it could have been shot pretty much anywhere, the South American footage has some great scenery and is nicely composed... even when it's supposedly being shot with a hidden camera. While the film isn't for everyone (there is quite a lot of animal violence if you couldn't discern that from the descriptions above), it is an interesting, if very bogus, travelogue through some seriously bizarre territory.
3.5/5Video
Brutes And Savages is presented 'windowboxed' at 1.33.1, which is how the film was shot. The liner notes state that it may have been matted to 1.85.1 when it played it's one week theatrical run in New York City. Overall, this is an exceptional transfer. Except for a few scenes which look to be stock footage, colors are beautifully reproduced and the lush scenery of the jungle is a wonder to behold. There are some inherent flaws in the source material that crop up in a few spots, including some minor specks and grain, and some red hues creeping out from the left and right sides in a few spots, but for the most part, Brutes And Savages looks great.
3/5Audio
The Dolby Digital Mono track serves it's purpose just fine. There aren't any issues with hiss or distortion and the un-credited narration by Richard Johnson (of The Haunting) is clear as a bell. There isn't really any dialogue in the movie save for the narration and the sound effects are basically relegated to the background, but Riz Ortolani's (Cannibal Holocaust) amazing disco score comes through very nicely and never overshadows the narration.2.5/5Extras
If the fifteen minutes of never before seen footage isn't enough of an extra for you, underneath some amusing animated menus you'll find the film's original theatrical trailer as well as some excerpts from Arthur Davis' travel diary with an un-credited introduction from Chris Poggiali and Don May. Poggiali also contributes three pages of liner notes that detail Davis' unusual career and how the film came to be made, promoted, and distributed. Well worth a read. 3.5/5Overall
If you can stomach the animal violence, Brutes And Savages makes for an interesting and often unintentionally hilarious viewing experience. Go in with a strong stomach suspend your disbelief for a while as Davis and crew show you 1,001 forbidden scenes!
| Film Rating | DVD Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Director: | Arthur Davis | Film: |
| Writer: | Arthur Davis | Video: |
| Released: | 1977 | Audio: |
| Cast: | The Arthur Davis Expedition, Richard Johnson, A Big Fake Crocodile | Extras: |
| Overall: | ||
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