made with
sorry for the mistakes!
Savage Man Savage Beast
Doesn’t matter if Pitt Doenitz existed or
not, or if he is alive or dead. Because, Pit Dernitz has an enviable
place in the history of cinema, as highlight of this Mondo Movie. After
thirty-four years, there are still those who rack his brains about the
veracity of his death. He has been mauled by a lion or not? And if so,
in Angola? Or in Namibia?
We must say we are among those who believe it’s a fake scene. A
good scene, well planned and studied and on which there are the hands
of Carlo Rambaldi, who actually cites this film in his curriculum. Too
many camera movements, the reverse shots and definitely ironic ending
with the lioness with the camera in its mouth.
The truth is known by few and probably we are facing with a scene that
mixes the real and the fake, but it's the most famous scene of a Mondo
Movie although that was released at the end of the genre era and after
the great masterpiece, it wrote a page of history.
Nothing of innovative because in the end we are always in front of a
work that moves on the traditional rules of the genre. A frantic and
forced search of sensationalism a massive machismo and sense of
superiority by the storyteller. The audience is happy: had the
confirmation of their beliefs. But "Ultime grida dalla savana" is an
important film because it leads the Mondo Movies towards to the
shockumentary, a genre that in the following years had a more (morbid)
space, and influence in part the genre cinema. See under the voice
"cannibal".
The mysterious production (on which the authors have always refused to
speak about) that sources say would used also the city of Formia as a
set and some immigrants and residents of the area, adds to the charm
and interest of this work, which risked of falling into the oblivion
very quickly.
"La grande caccia" is the title of a Mondo Movie by Antonio Climati and
Mario Morra. Disappointing. It was released in Rome area and then
disappears leaving only some soundtrack LP. Then arrives the wily
Franco Prosperi who putts hand on the work, but is excluded from the
credits because "Titanus" the production company, doesn’t want
the reputation of Prosperi, branded as fascist after "Africa Addio"
(with Jacopetti), may damage the movie. The signature to the comment
pass to Alberto Moravia, a famous Italian writer, who asking five
million of lire.
"Ultime grida dalla savana" is the new title and is the first part of a
wild trilogy by Climati and Morra ("Savana violenta" e "Dolce e
selvaggio" follow it) and has as its center the relationship between
man and the ' surrounding environment, including animals.
From the deep Africa, to South America, via Europe. Hunting, fishing
and lifestyles. Analyzed and studied in the purest way of the genre.
Blood like rain. Quartered animals and brutality. Images of great
violence (our Dernitz) and an Indios killed and skinned by a group of
hunters. Relief with the sabotage of fox hunting and the free love of a
hippie group.
To frame the whole there is the great soundtrack of the great Ritz Ortolani that ends on LP.
A great job skillfully managed (both in production and after) that
doesn’t hide to watchful eyes the tricks of the two directors.
That there are many fake scenes, that the facts narrated are built, it
is something that we "smart" human of the future comes to mind almost
immediately. But the game is always to contextualize a film at a time
when it was released and then we can understand how much "Ultime Grida
della savana", has shocked the audience. And how censorship has worked
on it.
An important witness, as almost the mondo movies, not so much for the
things shown but for the job itself that defines a cinema and society
of the time. With the pace of our Pit Dernitz.
