Cannibal holocaust (1979)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1979
Running Times: 86 mins 3 sec (UK - video)      95 mins     96 mins
Format: Eastmancolor
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: F.D. Cinematografica
Presented By: Franco Palaggi, Franco Di Nunzio
In Charge of Production: Giovanni Masini

SCRIPT
Script/Story: Gianfranco Clerici

DIRECTION
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Assistant Director: Salvatore Basile, Lamberto Bava

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Sergio D'Offizi
Camera: Roberto Forges Davantati
Assistant Camera: Enrico Maggi
Key Grip: Ennio Brizzolari
Chief Electrician: Luigi Pasoualini
Stills: Paolo Maria Cavicchioli
Colour: Luciano Vittori

EDITING
Editor: Vincenzo Tomassi
Assistant Editor: Rita Antonelli
Cutting Room Assistant: Armando Pace

MUSIC
Music: Riz Ortolani

SOUND
Sound: Raul Montesanti
Boom: Umberto Montesanti
Sound Mixer: Bruno Longobardo

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Massimo Giussini (Giustini?)
Assistant Make Up: Nicola Catalani
Wardrobe: Lucia Costantini

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Aldo Gasparri

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Antonello Geleng
Props: Rodolfo Ruzza

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Rossana Rocchi
Production Secretary: Vito Di Bari

LOCATIONS
Locations: Empire State Building, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA; New York City, New York, USA

CAST
Robert Kerman (Professor Monroe)
Francesca Ciardi (Faye Daniels)
Perry Pirkanen (Alan Yates)
Luca Barbareschi (Mark Tommaso)
Salvatore Basile (Chako)
Ricardo Fuentes
Gabriel Yorke
Paolo Paoloni
Lionello Pio Di Savoia
Luigina Rocchi

PLOT SUMMARY

A team of young documentarists disappears while on a shoot in the South American jungles. A rescue team fails to find the missing film-makers but recovers their reels of film. As the footage is assembled a horrific portrait of life among the cannibal natives of the Amazon begins to emerge - but even worse is the portrayal of the missing film-makers whose callous behaviour looks to have sparked the savagery in the first place...

A powerful and deeply disturbing critique of the practices of the news media, Cannibal Holocaust more than deserves its reputation as the most extreme and shocking of all the Italian cannibal movies. Essential viewing but only for those who think they can handle its unrelenting visceral onslaught. (Full Review)

Global Sales
Global Sales: Compix International

Japan
Video Distributor: CBS/Fox

Netherlands
Video Distributor: IVC; Cult Epics
Laserdisc Distributor: Cult Epics

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Alianza (?) Cinematografica Espanola

UK
Video Distributors: Go Video; Vipco (VIP666 - retail); Vipco (VIP666DVDRP - rental pack)( Vipco (VIP666DVDR - rental)
DVD Distributor: Vipco (VIP666DVD)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Grindhouse Releasing; Transcontinental (1985 reissue)
Video Distributor: Video Search of Miami
Laserdisc Distributor: Cult Epics

Australia
Rating: banned

Finland
Rating: banned

France
Rating: -16

Germany
Rating: 18

Norway
Rating: banned

Spain
Rating: S/18

UK
Rating: banned; 18 (with 5 mins 44 sec of cuts)

USA
Rating: X

1980
October
29: Spain - theatrical release

1981
April
22: France - theatrical release

2001
March
5: UK - video trailer rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release)

July
17: UK - rated 18 by the BBFC (for video release, with 5 mins 44 sec of cuts - "Cuts required to scenes involving real cruelty to animals and to eroticised sexual violence, in accordance with BBFC policy and guidelines.")

October
15: UK - video release (Vipco (VIP666; VIP666R; VIP666RP)); DVD release (Vipco (VIP666DVD))

2003
October
3: USA - shown at the Cinematheque, Cleveland, Ohio

Those who filmed it were devoured alive by cannibals!

Savage! Terrifying! True!

Eaten Alive! The Ultimate Terror Movie

The most grueling film ever made.

In 1979, four documentary film makers disappeared in the jungles of South America whilst shooting a film about cannibalism. Months later, their footage was found.

The mother of all cannibal films.

Jungle Holocaust - US title
Nackt und der Fleischt Cannibal - German title
Nackt und zerfleischt - German title
Cannibal Massaker
Holocausto Canibal - Spanish title
Cannibale Omega

LINKS

SEE ALSO
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Chi Fei Zhou (1997)
Lukas - En mördares biografi (1999)
The Tony Blair Witch Project (2000)

MAGAZINES

Delirium no.2 (UK)
credits

L'Ecran Fantastique no.19 (1981) pp.70-71 (France)
illustrated interview

Foreign Sales, Italian Movie Trade vol.5 no.10 (October 1979) p.54 (Italy)
credits

Foreign Sales, Italian Movie Trade vol.5 no.12 (December 1979) p.22 (Italy)
news item (United Artists Spearhead: Cannibal Holocaust)

Is It Uncut? no.5 p.23 (UK)
article

Is It Uncut? no.6 pp.10-11 (UK)
article

Rivista del Cinematografo vol.54 no.2/3 (February/March 1981) p.122 (Italy)
credits

Sex, Shocks and Sadism p.19 (USA)
review

Variety 24 October 1979 p.50 (USA)
note

Variety 19 June 1985 p.26 (USA)
credits, review (by Lor)

NEWSPAPERS

The Chronicle Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 3 October 2003 p.37 (USA)
review (Art House Films by Steve Fogarty)

The Daily Gleaner 4 May 1983 p.5 (Jamaica)
review (How low have the mighty fallen! by Michael Reckord)

BOOKS

Cannibal Holocaust and the Extreme Cinema of Ruggero Deodato
credits, synopsis, review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.61
credits

Killing For Culture pp.64-71, 231, 329
illustrated article

The Seduction of the Gullible p.43-45
illustrated synopsis, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

spanish poster
credits, poster tag

Video Search of Miami Catalogue September 1991 p.6
listing

academics, cannibalism, fake documentaries, film-makers, jungles

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008