By Chris Summerfield
A horror movie that still creates controversy today.
A film in some ways that was way ahead of its time, portraying the lengths that some media would go to capture what they hope would shock and cause as much controversy as possible, manipulating people just to gain fame, a movie that was supposed banned when released within over 50 countries.
So the movie, four young American’s head out to Amazon to capture footage of cannibalistic tribes, the four American’s being, director, Alan Yates (Gabriel Yorke) and Faye Daniels (Francesca Ciardi) and cameramen Jack Anders (Perry Pirkanen) and Mark Tomaso (Luca Giorgio Barbareschi).
The four Americans have not been heard from for quite a while so Professor Monroe, (Robert Kerman) heads out to the Amazon to discover what has happened to them, his guide being, Chaco Losojos (Salvatore Basile) an experienced tracker with his assistant, they begin to discover the path the party of four used, then find their guide being in an advanced decomposed state.
It becomes apparent that the four missing Americans caused problems with the tribes, they eventually befriend the tribe named, Yanomamo, (Not spelled exactly like that though) where they discover the bones of the Americans and the missing reels that will reveal what happened to them.
On returning to New York, with the reels, the executives of the Pan broadcasting company invites, Monroe to host a broadcast of the tapes found, however Monroe decides to view them first…
The reels show what led to the horrific end of the documentary crew, their reckless and barbaric behaviour towards, the tribes of Amazon, their inhuman behaviour, with lack of respect towards the tribes they filmed. The crew, torture, rape, burn and murder these people, just so to capture it on camera, pushing them to the revenge they deliver and even when that is being carried out, filming it… This is not a documentary, just share murder on the same level that the Nazi’s would have carried out and filmed. The four deceased were not documentary makers, but monstrous murderers.
May I say at this stage, I apologise for stating this movie in a previous review has being two thirds documented, in which it is not, after watching it again, possible just over half of the movie being in form of documentation…
And It was reported that after the premiere, the director, Deodato was arrested, on obscenity charges, in which were changed to murder, the courts claiming it was a snuff movie and that some of the actors had actually died on set, in which proved to be untrue… It was still banned by many countries for its graphic brutality, sexual assault and animal violence, and as for the impalement scene, it was believed to have been an actual person dead and he had to prove it to the courts how he had carried that out, so to prove it wasn’t a dead person…
A shocking and even now still hard hitting movie, even though the version I have has been heavily edited, however it is still a movie that at times is upsetting and alarming to watch, a true horror…
Rating: 9/10
