Regarding the movie, I'll keep this short: pretty good, but given its reputation, I expected more extremity. That being said, I really did enjoy the flick, very effective and grotesque simultaneously.
But the creepiest thing was the soundtrack by Riz Ortolani. Meandering back and forth between calm, bluesy acoustic passages and that constant maddeningly horrific pew-pew sound with organ dissonance, I actually want to hear the score more than watch the movie again. I actually find the score even more nightmarish and intimidating outside of the movie, having listened to YouTube clips and the like.
Anyone actually own this score? If so, which version? Please share your thoughts on it regardless folks!
Sorry I can't help you on this title because I don't have it. While I own a few other soundtracks by Riz Ortolani, he is not a composer whose music I follow.
It's very gratifying, though, to witness a soundtrack fan/collector to accrue some interest in non-American film music (you've already taken a step or two further than a lot of other members in your sonic explorations).
It's an incredible creepy as well as beautiful score. I have the Red Stream Records version which is out of print as far as I know. Can't comment on other releases but would go for this one since it claims to be complete and remastered.
It's very gratifying, though, to witness a soundtrack fan/collector to accrue some interest in non-American film music (you've already taken a step or two further than a lot of other members in your sonic explorations).
Yeah, but not only that. No US-producer nor director would even think about scoring such extreme images with such beautiful music !! You should also check out (already mentioned) DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING or Morricone's NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS and CHI L'HA VISTA MORIRE.
Think I've got this somewhere and I have good memories of it. Must dig it out again. Couldn't sit through the film to see its effectiveness though. That animal cruelty stuff is a big no for me.
I have the German Lucertola-CD from the 90s. Incidentally, I had the chance to meet the producer, Peter Blumenstock (who happened to live near my hometown (!) here in Bavaria) himself one time. We entered the house (I think he still lived in his parents' house) and were led upstairs to his dimly lit room. He was sitting there in an old 70s office leather armchair, a big glass of red wine in one hand, left leg on his right thigh.
We had a nice talk about all possible topics but don't ask me now about his connections to obscure Italian mastertapes, record companies etc. - this meeting was 15 years ago! The only thing I do remember him saying was how he loved 70s Italian exploitation cinema and its music, of course. He produced 13 CDs of Italian exploitation and horror movie soundtracks under his own Lucertola label, all valuable collector's items by now, I suppose.
Since I saw CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST for the first time on video in the early 80s ( a classic "video nasty"...!) I was repelled by the gruesome images (this film is no fun to watch) but also strangely fascinated by the highly melodic main theme, a real antithesis to the splatter and gore on screen. It gave the whole film a somewhat melancholy quality since the theme is calm and melodic but not upbeat, more like a sad statement about how cruel the world can be and nobody can do anything about that.
Thanks for bringing up this nice score to such a gross film once again!
Josh Mitchell will have a strong opinion on this one. It's one of his tippy-top scores of all time, which he sent to me on CD a few years ago. I wouldn't have heard it otherwise. Absolutely love it. Still diggin' the pew-pew.
You all are the BEST, thank you! I appreciate the feedback, stories, and recommendations and will be taking heed of every single piece.
Josh Mitchell and I have traded some posts here and there surrounding Italian horror music, and horror music in general, and I really respect his feedback and opinions. It's funny this is one of his faves!
I'm very glad to see there are other fans of this work out there, and afn, the word "antithesis" when describing the music vs. the film is a perfect one. Truly a haunting piece of music even without the film's visual content.
RIZ ORTOLANI is one of the fine composers in modern times, a master melody man in many films as well as a solid pop composer. This one is another delicate pretty theme from RIZ.Like many other film composers the world hums one melody from the guy[MORE FROM MONDO CANE]and are too lazy to search for more.
Ortolani has composed some really gorgeous, melodic scores. The thing I find interesting about this score is the lovely, wistful opening theme that sort of sets a mood that is totally opposite of the horror the audience will soon observe. If an observer didn't see the title of the movie but only heard the opening theme, the observer might think he was going to watch a sweet bucolic movie. I've always wondered why the opening theme was juxtaposed against the horrific content that came later in the movie.
I've always wondered why the opening theme was juxtaposed against the horrific content that came later in the movie.
The beauty of that main theme makes the horrors that come later all the more horrifying. As that lush, melodic theme plays over the opening sequence and the viewer gets a bird's eye view of soaring above the rainforest, it's saying, "Oh, look at the rainforest from above, so pristine and majestic and peaceful," but once you descend into the darkness below the canopy, the music follows suit, reflecting the horror and paranoia and vicious cruelty that the humans inflict upon each other (and, of course, upon the unfortunate animals that were actually killed on film). The movie is very difficult to watch; I haven't seen it in years.
But yes, this is one of my all-time favorite scores. I love every little bit of it, from the main theme to the sinister synthesizer "pew pews" (as David so aptly described them) to the agonizing, atonal walls of strings and the funkdafied grooviness of the party music. The album program is just perfect.
We have the Lucertola Media CD release, which has the same track listing as the Red Stream release. I've never heard the latter, so I can't comment on whether or not the remastering is a significant improvement, but there are some very reasonably-priced new & used copies on the amazon marketplace: http://www.amazon.com/Cannibal-Holocaust-Riz-Ortolani/dp/B000B8A4Q6
The beauty of that main theme makes the horrors that come later all the more horrifying. As that lush, melodic theme plays over the opening sequence and the viewer gets a bird's eye view of soaring above the rainforest, it's saying, "Oh, look at the rainforest from above, so pristine and majestic and peaceful," but once you descend into the darkness below the canopy, the music follows suit, reflecting the horror and paranoia and vicious cruelty that the humans inflict upon each other (and, of course, upon the unfortunate animals that were actually killed on film). The movie is very difficult to watch; I haven't seen it in years.
Precisely. Ortolani's is (woeful even if ironic) some of the finest music ever to grace such unworthy repugnance. "Cannibal Holocaust" is a horrifically painful experience, not for it's obvious, huckstered, salient "atrocities," but for the real and alarming harm almost leeringly done to animals in its execution. Not too mention the Ugly American trashing of the aboriginal camp that almost looks, rather unsettlingly, real. The film is refuse.
Grindhouse Releasing will be issuing a massive 3-disc Bluray set of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST in the States on 7/1/14.
Included in the set: "Bonus CD – Amazing new remaster of the original Cannibal Holocaust score by Grammy winner and Academy Award nominee Riz Ortolani"
I wonder how much better they can make the movie look and sound, the shameless UK blu-ray I own looks great. It's not a movie I watch a lot and I find the story surrounding it a lot more interesting, I'll await some reviews before considering a possible upgrade.
