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1
00:00:26,993 --> 00:00:32,590
Can a reporter be objective,
be it in film or in print?
2
00:00:32,665 --> 00:00:33,723
I say, no.
3
00:00:40,507 --> 00:00:43,408
Pure objectivity doesn't exist
in a documentary.
4
00:00:43,476 --> 00:00:45,637
I totally agree.
5
00:00:51,418 --> 00:00:56,685
Even if you're intimately,
sincerely objective,
6
00:00:56,756 --> 00:00:58,781
the very moment you choose
the framing of a shot
7
00:00:59,692 --> 00:01:03,753
automatically,
your personal point of view comes out.
8
00:01:03,830 --> 00:01:06,958
Certainly, absolute objectivity
is impossible.
9
00:01:07,033 --> 00:01:09,934
But honesty exists and is essential.
10
00:01:17,077 --> 00:01:22,208
Italian neorealism
never convinced me, quite frankly.
11
00:01:22,282 --> 00:01:26,480
As a documentarist,
as a lover of documentaries,
12
00:01:26,553 --> 00:01:29,886
I saw neorealism
as fictionalized documentary.
13
00:01:29,956 --> 00:01:31,753
It always gave me that impression.
14
00:01:31,825 --> 00:01:33,156
''Let's pretend it's true.''
15
00:01:33,226 --> 00:01:34,693
This always bothered me.
16
00:01:34,761 --> 00:01:40,290
I don't mean to put down
the big directors of the past.
17
00:01:40,366 --> 00:01:42,129
This is my opinion.
18
00:01:42,202 --> 00:01:45,638
As a documentarist
I saw neorealism as artificial.
19
00:01:54,547 --> 00:01:57,209
I was a professionaljournalist,
I still am.
20
00:01:57,283 --> 00:01:59,376
For me the transition from, say,
21
00:01:59,452 --> 00:02:06,358
written journalism
to visual or filmed journalism
22
00:02:06,426 --> 00:02:11,887
was an evolution of my trade,
23
00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:16,129
a development in the ability
to express and narrate
24
00:02:16,202 --> 00:02:19,103
what I saw
and wanted to tell the public.
25
00:02:19,172 --> 00:02:20,503
That is,
26
00:02:20,573 --> 00:02:24,873
when I realized,
and it didn't take long,
27
00:02:24,944 --> 00:02:30,075
that cinema provided me
an immense wealth of photos, of frames,
28
00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:36,316
and at the same time a sound track
to transfer my text into spoken words,
29
00:02:36,389 --> 00:02:39,051
I realized that
this was the perfect medium
30
00:02:39,125 --> 00:02:42,288
to tell the facts oflife.
31
00:02:58,378 --> 00:03:01,404
My background is that of a naturalist.
32
00:03:02,515 --> 00:03:07,817
I graduated
in natural science and biology
33
00:03:07,887 --> 00:03:10,253
and further specialized in theology.
34
00:03:11,424 --> 00:03:15,258
We started shooting
some documentaries and realized that
35
00:03:15,328 --> 00:03:21,028
they were much more
lucrative than scientific studies.
36
00:03:25,004 --> 00:03:26,471
For us Europeanjournalists,
37
00:03:26,539 --> 00:03:29,770
going out into the streets in search offootage is a nearly suicidal endeavor.
38
00:03:31,311 --> 00:03:33,506
In movie theaters,
newsreels with the events of the week
39
00:03:33,580 --> 00:03:36,071
always preceded the feature film.
40
00:03:36,149 --> 00:03:40,518
I was a commentator, and from that
I got my interest in filmmaking,
41
00:03:40,587 --> 00:03:42,578
for the visual elements of storytelling.
42
00:03:42,655 --> 00:03:46,318
So I began shooting short documentaries.
43
00:03:58,538 --> 00:04:05,376
When Blasetti asked me
if I would do WORLD BY NIGHT,
44
00:04:06,045 --> 00:04:11,278
he sent me location scouting
all over the world in search of shows.
45
00:04:11,351 --> 00:04:13,615
He had given me some suggestions;
46
00:04:13,686 --> 00:04:17,679
he was looking for shows
like cabarets, or theaters,
47
00:04:17,757 --> 00:04:22,023
not things from real life,
but rather fiction.
48
00:04:22,762 --> 00:04:24,821
I researched thoroughly.
49
00:04:24,897 --> 00:04:29,425
Travel wasn't as easy then
as it is today,
50
00:04:30,136 --> 00:04:37,167
but I noticed that the most interesting
were not the theatrical shows
51
00:04:37,243 --> 00:04:39,643
but the show ofhumanity itself.
52
00:04:48,888 --> 00:04:53,655
I met Gualtiero through a mutual friend,
Carlo Gregoretti.
53
00:04:53,726 --> 00:04:59,961
I proposed the idea of a film
to Gualtiero: ''Love of the World.''
54
00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:03,025
I wanted to show
different aspects oflove in the world,
55
00:05:03,102 --> 00:05:07,163
ofhumans, and of animals.
56
00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:13,440
He replied that we should do
an ''anti-documentary'' instead.
57
00:05:13,513 --> 00:05:16,573
So farwe had done documentaries
58
00:05:16,649 --> 00:05:20,107
that just hail the places you're seeing.
59
00:05:20,186 --> 00:05:22,154
They're flattering, overpolished.
60
00:05:23,289 --> 00:05:26,986
''Let's show the real world.''
61
00:05:43,443 --> 00:05:47,880
My curiosity was such that I decided
I would do a very long newsreel.
62
00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:52,674
A long document of actualities
that I would title MONDO CANE,
63
00:05:53,853 --> 00:06:01,282
an ironic, mocking, even cynical title
to narrate these events oflife.
64
00:06:01,361 --> 00:06:03,261
I loved the idea.
65
00:06:17,076 --> 00:06:20,443
I chose events that caught my attention.
66
00:06:20,513 --> 00:06:23,243
First of all, research varies.
67
00:06:23,316 --> 00:06:25,409
You get it from the press,
68
00:06:25,485 --> 00:06:32,653
collecting news, collecting stories,
collecting articles.
69
00:06:32,725 --> 00:06:38,664
But you must assess if they
are cinematographically reproducible
70
00:06:38,731 --> 00:06:41,131
in terms of narration,
if they are for real.
71
00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,692
When it's certain
and you have a list of events,
72
00:06:44,771 --> 00:06:48,468
you prepare a summary
based on geographical location.
73
00:06:48,541 --> 00:06:53,308
For instance, film two scenes
in the Far East making just one trip.
74
00:06:56,649 --> 00:07:02,144
The fact is, we took advantage
of the little knowledge
75
00:07:02,221 --> 00:07:05,122
the public had of
the world at large back then.
76
00:07:05,191 --> 00:07:09,457
Shooting MONDO CANE today
would be very difficult.
77
00:07:09,529 --> 00:07:16,662
For instance, we could go with a camera
to an erotic club in Hamburg
78
00:07:16,736 --> 00:07:19,432
and they would easily let us in.
79
00:07:19,505 --> 00:07:24,738
If we attempted to do this today
we would have to pay, maybe.
80
00:07:24,811 --> 00:07:27,541
It would not be a surprise to them.
81
00:07:27,613 --> 00:07:30,673
Back then the whole world
was unprepared
82
00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:32,718
for our shooting strategy:
83
00:07:32,785 --> 00:07:36,721
slip in, ask, never pay, never reenact,
84
00:07:36,789 --> 00:07:39,121
and get everything right there.
85
00:07:51,337 --> 00:07:55,137
I was ignorant until I saw things
around the world.
86
00:07:55,208 --> 00:07:59,110
And what I witnessed always surprised me
and caught me unaware.
87
00:07:59,178 --> 00:08:02,147
There were no preparations.
There were no suggestions from anybody.
88
00:08:02,215 --> 00:08:04,342
They were casual finds.
89
00:08:08,754 --> 00:08:10,483
It wasn't difficult.
90
00:08:10,556 --> 00:08:12,615
All we had to do was face reality.
91
00:08:12,692 --> 00:08:18,062
Because all that we filmed
was true, real.
92
00:08:26,272 --> 00:08:31,733
There's a restaurant...
if I'm not mistaken called ''Four Seasons.''
93
00:08:31,811 --> 00:08:35,542
Anyway, it's a famous restaurant.
All Americans know about it.
94
00:08:35,615 --> 00:08:41,349
It serves canned ants, lizards,
all sorts of delicacies, snake blood.
95
00:08:41,420 --> 00:08:43,411
It was entertaining.
96
00:08:43,489 --> 00:08:51,897
It was also an exclusive restaurant
for a rich clientele.
97
00:08:51,964 --> 00:08:54,558
Very expensive.
98
00:08:54,634 --> 00:08:58,263
I found it amusing
not so much forwhat they ate,
99
00:08:58,337 --> 00:09:02,137
but for their ulterior reasons
for doing it:
100
00:09:02,808 --> 00:09:09,043
how they wanted to be filmed
to seem like extraordinary people,
101
00:09:09,115 --> 00:09:13,313
courageous,
nonconformists, experimental.
102
00:09:13,386 --> 00:09:17,152
So it was interesting.
A point of view on humanity.
103
00:09:26,566 --> 00:09:32,801
This issue of death being shown on film
was something rare then.
104
00:09:32,872 --> 00:09:34,840
Today it is overinflated.
105
00:09:35,841 --> 00:09:39,971
It was pure actuality,
and it happened to us by chance.
106
00:09:40,046 --> 00:09:42,810
Obviously,you cannot rehearse
someone's death.
107
00:09:42,882 --> 00:09:48,479
And as for the principle
of not showing human death on screen,
108
00:09:48,554 --> 00:09:50,522
to be honest, we ignored it.
109
00:09:50,590 --> 00:09:55,789
There is a death scene in MONDO CANE
where people are ready to die
110
00:09:55,861 --> 00:09:58,125
and we showed the so-called
''House of Death'' in Singapore
111
00:09:58,197 --> 00:10:03,635
where old people were taken,
waiting for them to die.
112
00:10:03,703 --> 00:10:07,298
Not killed, but left there to languish
until their death came.
113
00:10:07,373 --> 00:10:13,573
It was a normally accepted custom
there.
114
00:10:14,413 --> 00:10:16,938
There was no hatred
or ill feelings involved.
115
00:10:17,016 --> 00:10:21,180
Dying people didn't remain at home.
They awaited death in this place
116
00:10:21,253 --> 00:10:25,485
specifically conceived to house them
in their last hours.
117
00:10:25,558 --> 00:10:28,083
This was a discovery, and we filmed it.
118
00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,220
Something rather sensational,
especially in those times.
119
00:10:37,970 --> 00:10:43,465
We were aware
that we were shooting documentaries
120
00:10:43,542 --> 00:10:46,807
in a totally different manner.
121
00:10:46,879 --> 00:10:51,942
The cuts were quick,
lively and concise.
122
00:10:52,018 --> 00:10:56,284
Making a synthesis of a scene
and showing it.
123
00:10:56,355 --> 00:11:00,382
And also, it has to be said,
we wanted to shock the audience.
124
00:11:03,629 --> 00:11:07,565
Shocking and alternating emotions.
125
00:11:07,633 --> 00:11:12,468
Inserting soft scenes
126
00:11:12,538 --> 00:11:16,770
to allow digestion
of the violent scenes.
127
00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:20,206
To keep the audience's interest alive,
128
00:11:20,279 --> 00:11:23,271
there needs to be a contrast of images.
129
00:11:23,349 --> 00:11:27,718
I paid close attention to the openings,
contrapositions, everything,
130
00:11:27,787 --> 00:11:33,054
so as to give the narration
a sense of unity,
131
00:11:33,125 --> 00:11:35,093
the film being
a collection of distinct events.
132
00:11:35,161 --> 00:11:38,324
Three minutes of this,
three minutes of that, etc.
133
00:11:39,131 --> 00:11:43,568
Of course it was very energetic
and the scenes time consuming.
134
00:11:44,470 --> 00:11:46,631
The pig slaughter in Goroca,
for instance,
135
00:11:46,706 --> 00:11:50,142
would cost us a trip
to get a six or seven minute scene,
136
00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:53,667
whereas others would get material
for a two hour documentary.
137
00:11:53,746 --> 00:11:57,512
For us it was costly
in both time and exertion.
138
00:11:57,583 --> 00:12:03,886
In fact our films would take
two or three years to make.
139
00:12:23,008 --> 00:12:25,875
The editing of my films I do personally,
140
00:12:25,945 --> 00:12:28,709
even though they don't write it
in the credits.
141
00:12:28,781 --> 00:12:30,043
It's not important.
142
00:12:30,116 --> 00:12:33,017
I insist on doing the editing myself.
143
00:12:34,553 --> 00:12:38,421
I have a passion for editing.
144
00:12:38,491 --> 00:12:40,959
I spend hours at the Moviola
without realizing it.
145
00:12:41,026 --> 00:12:44,086
But it takes time,
the first cut and so on.
146
00:12:44,163 --> 00:12:46,688
As you well know,
this is the nature of our craft.
147
00:12:46,766 --> 00:12:50,395
So you cannot delegate the editing.
An author cannot delegate,
148
00:12:50,469 --> 00:12:52,266
maybe only in the case
of a well-defined film,
149
00:12:52,338 --> 00:12:54,238
with precise sequences
and takes, etc.,
150
00:12:54,306 --> 00:12:57,707
born from a well defined script
that only needs to be sewn together.
151
00:12:57,777 --> 00:13:02,146
A documentary has no script.
It is imagined, created on the spot.
152
00:13:02,214 --> 00:13:03,772
You can't do the same.
153
00:13:03,849 --> 00:13:08,149
It would be like a novel written
on loose sheets,
154
00:13:08,220 --> 00:13:10,586
shuffled together
and given to the public.
155
00:13:10,656 --> 00:13:12,055
Absurd.
156
00:13:12,124 --> 00:13:15,787
No,you're narrating, and
narration calls for delicate editing,
157
00:13:15,861 --> 00:13:18,329
and that's a task for the author,
as is the copy,
158
00:13:18,397 --> 00:13:19,694
the spoken commentary.
159
00:13:33,379 --> 00:13:36,644
Then there is the voice of music
which has to be descriptive, functional.
160
00:13:36,715 --> 00:13:39,650
Music tells a story.
It is not filler.
161
00:13:39,718 --> 00:13:42,016
I detest the kind of films where
two people kiss each other
162
00:13:42,087 --> 00:13:44,521
and there goes the violins.
That's horrendous.
163
00:13:44,590 --> 00:13:49,721
Music as a language
deserves the utmost respect.
164
00:13:49,795 --> 00:13:55,290
When music is playing, all othervoices
and effects should be silent.
165
00:14:03,242 --> 00:14:06,643
I was called.
166
00:14:06,712 --> 00:14:13,777
I showed up and I met
Jacopetti and Prosperi and also Cavara.
167
00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:17,050
Cavara was the third director
for a while,
168
00:14:18,524 --> 00:14:20,992
but moved on and busied himself
with other movies.
169
00:14:21,060 --> 00:14:27,124
We looked at each other
and we sniffed each other like dogs,
170
00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:29,925
they asked questions,
171
00:14:30,002 --> 00:14:36,874
and it was immediately clear
that there was a good feeling between us
172
00:14:36,942 --> 00:14:41,675
and so that is how
we started our collaboration.
173
00:14:50,656 --> 00:14:55,150
I worked very closely with them.
174
00:14:55,227 --> 00:14:57,593
They were very hard workers.
175
00:14:57,663 --> 00:15:02,157
They would go in the editing room
at around 8:00, 9:00 in the morning
176
00:15:02,234 --> 00:15:05,328
and leave at midnight, 1 a.m.,
177
00:15:05,404 --> 00:15:08,635
without a moment's rest.
178
00:15:08,707 --> 00:15:12,370
They were so full of enthusiasm
179
00:15:12,444 --> 00:15:19,145
and desire to work on these scenes
180
00:15:19,218 --> 00:15:22,051
and I lived with them the whole time.
181
00:15:22,121 --> 00:15:26,751
I followed them,
maturing the musical pieces.
182
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,027
I remember
183
00:15:38,103 --> 00:15:47,978
a scene in MONDO CANE
of the chicks being dyed for Easter.
184
00:15:48,047 --> 00:15:51,278
Ortolani asked what kind of music
I was looking for.
185
00:15:51,350 --> 00:15:53,113
''Come on, improvise,'' he says.
186
00:15:53,185 --> 00:15:54,777
''What do you mean improvise?''
187
00:15:54,853 --> 00:15:57,321
''Just sit at the piano
and play something.''
188
00:15:57,389 --> 00:16:00,722
I did the most obvious thing.
189
00:16:00,793 --> 00:16:03,785
I said, ''I can play
a music box style piece.''
190
00:16:03,862 --> 00:16:05,420
He replied, ''OK. Let me hear it.''
191
00:16:06,632 --> 00:16:09,601
He would play a few notes,
this short motif.
192
00:16:13,505 --> 00:16:15,871
He said, ''What is this?''
I said, ''I don't know.''
193
00:16:15,941 --> 00:16:17,602
He told me,
''What do mean you don't know?''
194
00:16:17,676 --> 00:16:20,839
''Write this down quickly right now!
This will be the theme of the movie!''
195
00:16:20,913 --> 00:16:23,245
This is how ''More'' was born.
196
00:16:33,625 --> 00:16:37,288
Katyna Ranieri, my wife,
197
00:16:37,963 --> 00:16:40,625
was singing at the Plaza in New York.
198
00:16:40,699 --> 00:16:46,501
At the time, Katyna appeared frequently
on television
199
00:16:48,007 --> 00:16:52,569
as a guest on theJohnny Carson show,
200
00:16:52,644 --> 00:16:54,839
and she started singing the song ''More.''
201
00:16:56,048 --> 00:17:00,781
In a matter of a week, there were
seven American versions of the song.
202
00:17:00,853 --> 00:17:04,152
In two weeks
there were versions by
203
00:17:04,223 --> 00:17:05,383
Frank Sinatra,
204
00:17:05,457 --> 00:17:06,321
Count Basie,
205
00:17:06,392 --> 00:17:07,757
Nat King Cole,
206
00:17:07,826 --> 00:17:08,918
Duke Ellington,
207
00:17:08,994 --> 00:17:10,461
Della Reese,
208
00:17:10,529 --> 00:17:12,224
Judy Garland,
209
00:17:12,297 --> 00:17:13,855
Stan Kenton,
210
00:17:13,932 --> 00:17:16,093
so many recordings,
so many American versions
211
00:17:16,168 --> 00:17:21,834
from the best American artists
of the time.
212
00:17:21,907 --> 00:17:23,568
The song was a hit everywhere.
213
00:17:23,642 --> 00:17:26,076
And it even became a classic,
214
00:17:26,145 --> 00:17:29,308
still played
at wedding ceremonies today.
215
00:17:29,381 --> 00:17:33,545
I often happen to hear it
as background music in hotels.
216
00:17:33,619 --> 00:17:35,553
''More'' got an Oscar nomination.
217
00:17:36,321 --> 00:17:40,348
Everyone thought the song ''More''
would win the Oscar,
218
00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,062
but as usual the American song won.
219
00:17:57,142 --> 00:18:01,238
When MONDO CANE was first released
in Italy, it was very well received,
220
00:18:01,313 --> 00:18:05,647
and it was the top movie
at the box office.
221
00:18:06,418 --> 00:18:08,579
It played for a long period of time.
222
00:18:08,654 --> 00:18:12,647
People would line up to see it.
223
00:18:12,724 --> 00:18:17,320
Some of the critics were against it,
some for it.
224
00:18:17,396 --> 00:18:23,995
The critics were not kind to them.
225
00:18:24,069 --> 00:18:29,507
They attacked them for many reasons,
226
00:18:29,575 --> 00:18:31,475
said they were porn directors
227
00:18:31,543 --> 00:18:34,808
because there were these black women
showing their breasts.
228
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,372
Beautiful and real breasts,
229
00:18:38,450 --> 00:18:40,941
not like the fake ones
you see everywhere today.
230
00:19:27,099 --> 00:19:32,036
The film was treated as a special event,
231
00:19:32,104 --> 00:19:36,768
so therefore it was a success,
we're not just talking about Italy here,
232
00:19:36,842 --> 00:19:39,709
but it was a great success
all over the world,
233
00:19:39,778 --> 00:19:42,440
even in the United States,
it was a huge success.
234
00:19:42,514 --> 00:19:45,347
MONDO CANE did great in America.
235
00:19:45,417 --> 00:19:50,650
I still rememberwhen I was in Florida,
236
00:19:50,722 --> 00:19:54,351
in many ports I saw boats
named ''MONDO CANE.''
237
00:19:55,060 --> 00:19:56,994
So it was successful...
238
00:19:57,062 --> 00:20:01,465
but you have to take the times
into account.
239
00:20:02,134 --> 00:20:05,695
The film was something new.
Its visual style was, too.
240
00:20:05,771 --> 00:20:08,934
What do I think now?
I think it was a very good movie,
241
00:20:09,007 --> 00:20:15,845
but it wouldn't work today,
because of television.
242
00:20:15,914 --> 00:20:22,547
You couldn't keep the freshness,
243
00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:27,381
therefore you'd lose immediacy.
244
00:20:27,459 --> 00:20:31,623
Many beautiful things die.
It is normal.
245
00:20:31,697 --> 00:20:36,464
Those that last are miracles
ofhuman intellect, ofhuman spirit.
246
00:20:36,535 --> 00:20:39,197
I know what it cost me in effort,
247
00:20:39,271 --> 00:20:40,260
in danger,
248
00:20:41,273 --> 00:20:45,039
so I firmly believed in my work
and got satisfaction from it,
249
00:20:45,110 --> 00:20:46,270
as did the others.
250
00:20:46,345 --> 00:20:49,178
I keep it as an event in my life,
251
00:20:49,848 --> 00:20:51,543
a beloved thing in my life.
252
00:20:58,824 --> 00:21:00,917
While shooting MONDO CANE,
253
00:21:04,863 --> 00:21:10,631
Rizzoli proposed that we should plan
to do more documentaries.
254
00:21:10,702 --> 00:21:17,198
During post-production it was evident
that we had so much material
255
00:21:17,276 --> 00:21:23,647
from MONDO CANE that it would be
a pity to waste three years' work
256
00:21:23,715 --> 00:21:26,411
and hundreds of thousands
of feet of film.
257
00:21:26,485 --> 00:21:31,479
Anyway, we didn't
want to waste the footage
258
00:21:31,556 --> 00:21:35,890
so we decided to make another movie,
MONDO CANE 2.
259
00:21:41,933 --> 00:21:45,630
Let me tell you one thing up front:
MONDO CANE 2 doesn't belong to me.
260
00:21:47,039 --> 00:21:49,735
I didn't want to do it really.
261
00:21:49,808 --> 00:21:54,802
I knew it was going to be old hat,
a rehash.
262
00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,940
So I didn't have the same enthusiasm
that I had with MONDO CANE.
263
00:21:58,016 --> 00:22:02,715
I would think, ''Look at what I've
invented, how beautiful and new it is.''
264
00:22:02,788 --> 00:22:05,882
These were my thoughts
when I was shooting MONDO CANE.
265
00:22:05,957 --> 00:22:08,687
MONDO CANE 2?
Well, the spell was broken there.
266
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:14,255
It was about commerce, money.
267
00:22:14,333 --> 00:22:16,096
Not about creating something.
268
00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:21,765
And most directors wouldn't either.
269
00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,276
Imagine making LA DOLCE VITA 2
or 8 and 3/ 4.
270
00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:26,538
They neverwould.
271
00:22:26,611 --> 00:22:33,949
But the producers were really insistent
and I had a debt of gratitude to them.
272
00:22:34,019 --> 00:22:37,511
So I agreed.
273
00:22:45,163 --> 00:22:50,726
Exceeding expectations
for MONDO CANE 2 was difficult,
274
00:22:50,802 --> 00:23:00,234
because the newness of it was gone,
it had been used up already.
275
00:23:00,312 --> 00:23:07,809
We had to shoot additional scenes in
Africa, in America, in Europe, in India.
276
00:23:07,886 --> 00:23:10,912
We shot in several parts of the world
277
00:23:10,989 --> 00:23:17,087
and also acquired material
that was especially interesting,
278
00:23:17,162 --> 00:23:21,155
something we never did
for the first MONDO CANE.
279
00:23:33,812 --> 00:23:39,341
The burning monk was purchased
to be used as real life footage,
280
00:23:39,418 --> 00:23:45,584
then we added some scenes
because we had very little.
281
00:23:45,657 --> 00:23:51,653
It was simply a case of someone
arriving late to film that scene.
282
00:23:59,871 --> 00:24:02,135
No, it was totally fabricated.
283
00:24:02,207 --> 00:24:05,472
Exactly,
Rambaldi made this mannequin,
284
00:24:05,544 --> 00:24:09,002
and it was taken to Bangkok
where it was burned.
285
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,672
We were making cinema.
286
00:24:10,749 --> 00:24:15,277
We didn't just do documentary:
287
00:24:15,353 --> 00:24:18,720
if something was missing
to make a scene work well,
288
00:24:18,790 --> 00:24:20,189
we would fix it.
289
00:24:22,561 --> 00:24:25,257
I only want to talk about
the films I've done,
290
00:24:25,330 --> 00:24:28,527
whose responsibility
and merit falls on me.
291
00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:33,196
I reject MONDO CANE 2, completely.
292
00:24:33,872 --> 00:24:37,933
Not to save my reputation,
which I don't ultimately care about,
293
00:24:38,009 --> 00:24:41,274
but because MONDO CANE,
294
00:24:43,248 --> 00:24:47,651
sadly, indirectly spawned a breed of dozens
of titles: MONDO this, MONDO that.
295
00:24:47,719 --> 00:24:52,747
Ghastly stuff, absurdities that people
strangely would go to see.
296
00:26:16,474 --> 00:26:20,604
This offended and damaged me because
the overall perception was,
297
00:26:20,679 --> 00:26:21,941
''Oh yes, MONDO CANE,
298
00:26:22,013 --> 00:26:24,038
the film with the scene of the auntie
with her nose cut off.''
299
00:26:24,115 --> 00:26:26,049
Stuff that I never filmed.
300
00:26:26,117 --> 00:26:33,546
People confused MONDO CANE
with all that ugly, vulgar junk.
301
00:26:33,625 --> 00:26:36,560
We didn't mind the imitations.
302
00:26:36,628 --> 00:26:39,188
That was expected,
303
00:26:39,264 --> 00:26:45,601
forwe had sold so many scenes
to other people
304
00:26:45,670 --> 00:26:47,501
who were doing the same kind of films.
305
00:26:47,572 --> 00:26:50,837
I had many requests to work
on this genre of movies.
306
00:26:50,909 --> 00:26:53,901
But I always refused.
307
00:26:53,979 --> 00:27:02,045
I didn't want to betray the original idea
of the creators and directors.
308
00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:09,083
I even refused to work with Gualtiero
and Prosperi on MONDO CANE 2.
309
00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:14,996
There were imitations,
and offers were coming from everywhere.
310
00:27:15,066 --> 00:27:18,763
All the Italian producers,
311
00:27:18,837 --> 00:27:21,601
Cervi, Titanus,
were trying to separate us,
312
00:27:21,673 --> 00:27:25,575
because each of us was like a player
on a soccer team
313
00:27:25,644 --> 00:27:27,908
afterwinning the world cup.
314
00:27:27,979 --> 00:27:32,279
Each of us had seen his value magnified.
315
00:27:32,350 --> 00:27:34,545
So they tried to pull us apart.
316
00:27:34,619 --> 00:27:37,918
Very interesting offers to me,
317
00:27:37,989 --> 00:27:41,322
to Gualtiero and the crew
to do these films.
318
00:27:47,265 --> 00:27:49,859
Prosperi and I were together.
319
00:27:49,934 --> 00:27:55,770
I shared with him success and failure,
the good ideas and the bad.
320
00:27:55,840 --> 00:28:00,277
We each had our own lives,
our own tastes,
321
00:28:00,345 --> 00:28:08,309
but our collaboration
was always friendly and polite,
322
00:28:08,386 --> 00:28:10,377
despite our completely
different characters.
323
00:28:10,455 --> 00:28:13,253
I'm much more extroverted,
324
00:28:13,324 --> 00:28:16,418
but that didn't bear
on our relationship.
325
00:28:35,013 --> 00:28:42,852
Prosperi andJacopetti
are both talented filmmakers.
326
00:28:42,921 --> 00:28:46,857
Jacopetti is more inventive,
has more imagination,
327
00:28:46,925 --> 00:28:49,086
Prosperi is more rational.
328
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:53,563
But they have the same
degree of influence on the direction.
329
00:28:53,631 --> 00:28:59,160
We never profoundly disagreed.
I want to say it again:
330
00:28:59,237 --> 00:29:02,900
foryears and years,
we had the deepest respect.
331
00:29:02,974 --> 00:29:05,442
''Good morning. Good night.
How are you?''
332
00:29:05,510 --> 00:29:10,140
The films were often credited
toJacopetti and not me.
333
00:29:10,215 --> 00:29:13,241
They would say,
''This movie is byJacopetti.''
334
00:29:13,318 --> 00:29:15,218
He was the man of scandal.
335
00:29:15,286 --> 00:29:18,517
He had been in a scandal,
336
00:29:19,758 --> 00:29:24,695
had a relationship
with a very young girl,
337
00:29:24,763 --> 00:29:27,391
a sixteen year old.
338
00:29:27,465 --> 00:29:35,167
He was almost put in jail,
but married her to avoid imprisonment.
339
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,367
The story was in every newspaper.
340
00:29:37,442 --> 00:29:38,534
The man of scandal.
341
00:29:38,610 --> 00:29:40,669
So he was obviously
better-known than I was.
342
00:29:40,745 --> 00:29:43,578
I had a background as a naturalist.
343
00:29:43,648 --> 00:29:47,607
I abstained from notoriety
344
00:29:48,486 --> 00:29:55,187
and didn't have
a history of scandals behind me.
345
00:29:55,260 --> 00:29:59,993
There was no jealousy
346
00:30:00,064 --> 00:30:05,627
because after doing films with him,
347
00:30:06,571 --> 00:30:10,507
I did other films
that had enormous financial success.
348
00:30:10,575 --> 00:30:11,974
Like THIS VIOLENTWORLD and
349
00:30:12,043 --> 00:30:14,409
SAVAGE MAN, SAVAGE BEAST,
produced by Titanus.
350
00:30:14,479 --> 00:30:18,142
Films that I never put my name on
351
00:30:18,216 --> 00:30:24,212
because I resented
always doing the same kind of films.
352
00:30:24,289 --> 00:30:29,249
I'm telling this as proof that
I didn't really care about the credit.
353
00:30:29,327 --> 00:30:35,755
If I had to put the different roles
in the crew on a scale of importance
354
00:30:35,834 --> 00:30:37,324
I could only tell you this:
355
00:30:37,402 --> 00:30:45,571
What really mattered was the team spirit,
our mutual cooperation,
356
00:30:45,643 --> 00:30:47,543
our mutual dedication.
357
00:30:47,612 --> 00:30:50,979
Not one of us was ever
more important than the others.
358
00:31:00,358 --> 00:31:02,656
While we were shooting
MONDO CANE 2,
359
00:31:02,727 --> 00:31:04,661
we began shooting
for WOMEN OFTHE WORLD also.
360
00:31:05,797 --> 00:31:11,064
Rizzoli had proposed the project
during MONDO CANE 2
361
00:31:11,135 --> 00:31:13,899
so that is why
the two productions overlapped.
362
00:31:15,573 --> 00:31:20,670
WOMEN OFTHE WORLD, honestly,
the idea for it was Oriana Fallaci's.
363
00:31:23,715 --> 00:31:26,343
So Rizzoli invited Oriana Fallaci
364
00:31:26,417 --> 00:31:31,878
onto his yacht in Cannes.
365
00:31:32,557 --> 00:31:39,486
Fallaci went and Rizzoli
proposed a collaboration with us.
366
00:31:39,564 --> 00:31:45,696
When I said to Rizzoli, ''Let's do a film
about women in the world,''
367
00:31:45,770 --> 00:31:49,262
Oriana claimed copyright on the title.
368
00:31:49,340 --> 00:31:54,300
Now, Gualtiero and Oriana Fallaci
were both strong characters,
369
00:31:54,379 --> 00:31:56,506
so they immediately clashed,
370
00:31:56,581 --> 00:31:59,141
because Fallaci wanted to be in charge.
371
00:31:59,217 --> 00:32:02,186
She said that WOMEN OFTHE WORLD
was her idea and work,
372
00:32:02,253 --> 00:32:05,347
so she wanted to direct everything,
and the rest should follow.
373
00:32:05,423 --> 00:32:07,288
Gualtiero, as you can imagine, replied,
374
00:32:07,358 --> 00:32:09,918
''No. I've done other films
so I have to direct.''
375
00:32:09,994 --> 00:32:14,294
This fight got so out of control
that at one point
376
00:32:14,365 --> 00:32:19,166
Gualtiero grabbed Fallaci
and wanted to throw her overboard.
377
00:32:19,237 --> 00:32:22,206
I had to intervene to calm them down.
378
00:32:22,273 --> 00:32:24,537
Oriana Fallaci is admirable,
379
00:32:24,609 --> 00:32:27,009
as long as she is in New York
and you're in Beijing.
380
00:32:27,078 --> 00:32:29,046
You can't deal with her.
381
00:32:29,113 --> 00:32:33,607
She's too lively.
I don't know how else to put it.
382
00:32:33,685 --> 00:32:38,782
Anyway, Rizzoli calmed her down,
383
00:32:38,856 --> 00:32:42,292
you can always find a way
to settle these things.
384
00:32:43,461 --> 00:32:47,397
And so we used the title
and did WOMEN OFTHE WORLD.
385
00:32:58,009 --> 00:33:02,275
We just wanted to discuss
the subject of women,
386
00:33:02,347 --> 00:33:05,942
very much explored in cinema,
387
00:33:06,017 --> 00:33:11,421
and that somehow was in keeping
with my old idea about love in the world.
388
00:33:11,489 --> 00:33:17,291
So it was very interesting to me.
389
00:33:17,362 --> 00:33:21,958
The subject was strictly about women,
nothing else.
390
00:33:22,033 --> 00:33:25,696
We salvaged many unused scenes
from MONDO CANE.
391
00:33:25,770 --> 00:33:31,970
This reserve footage
is normally called ''the rushes,''
392
00:33:32,043 --> 00:33:36,707
miles of film with complete events,
393
00:33:36,781 --> 00:33:44,051
excess material that we had discarded
in favor ofbetter footage.
394
00:33:56,501 --> 00:34:00,028
We had all sorts of problems
during the shoot.
395
00:34:00,104 --> 00:34:03,938
Obviously not the same problems
we'd face today.
396
00:34:04,008 --> 00:34:10,311
For instance we had to film
the life of prostitutes
397
00:34:10,381 --> 00:34:11,814
in the streets of Hamburg,
398
00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:14,681
on that dead-end street
of prostitutes in Hamburg.
399
00:34:14,752 --> 00:34:20,019
There were pimps behind these women,
so it was forbidden to shoot,
400
00:34:20,091 --> 00:34:23,322
because of the pimps
and because of the authorities.
401
00:34:23,394 --> 00:34:27,194
We had to be on the lookout,
what to shoot and how.
402
00:34:27,265 --> 00:34:28,732
And poor Cavara,
403
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:33,100
he had to covertly pass the exposed film
404
00:34:33,171 --> 00:34:36,629
to a fellow technician
who waited in a nearby street,
405
00:34:36,707 --> 00:34:39,175
who was pursued by a pimp
wanting to stab him with a knife.
406
00:34:39,243 --> 00:34:42,269
He made it by sheer luck.
407
00:34:59,897 --> 00:35:02,957
Again, it was the impact of newness.
408
00:35:03,034 --> 00:35:09,030
A lesbian was a scandal then,
unlike today.
409
00:35:09,107 --> 00:35:11,302
It was something exceptional,
410
00:35:11,375 --> 00:35:17,314
especially because people
didn't admit it.
411
00:35:17,381 --> 00:35:24,549
So it was something new,
something deserving prominence.
412
00:35:25,223 --> 00:35:30,388
Scandals were taken advantage of,
413
00:35:30,461 --> 00:35:36,263
until it became acceptable
414
00:35:36,334 --> 00:35:39,235
and normal as they are today.
415
00:35:39,303 --> 00:35:42,431
The world was different then.
416
00:35:49,914 --> 00:35:54,681
At the time, to show exposed breasts,
a topless girl,
417
00:35:54,752 --> 00:35:56,276
was a matter for the censors.
418
00:35:56,354 --> 00:35:58,345
And so we really got into trouble.
419
00:35:58,422 --> 00:36:02,483
However the documentary
evolved to completion
420
00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:07,327
and was also a success with the public.
421
00:36:22,613 --> 00:36:29,314
Something in particular interested me:
422
00:36:29,387 --> 00:36:35,155
a topic both journalistically
and politically relevant,
423
00:36:35,226 --> 00:36:36,693
AFRICAADDIO,
424
00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:38,592
a spectacular political subject.
425
00:36:48,906 --> 00:36:50,897
Gualtiero received a letter
from a friend.
426
00:36:50,975 --> 00:36:58,746
She wrote, ''I'm in Africa,
and Africa is changing.''
427
00:36:58,816 --> 00:37:01,751
That is,
428
00:37:01,819 --> 00:37:09,248
Africa as portrayed
and idealized by Europeans,
429
00:37:09,327 --> 00:37:11,261
by Westerners,
430
00:37:11,329 --> 00:37:13,559
is changing and is about to disappear.
431
00:37:13,631 --> 00:37:18,227
It might seem incredible
that a simple letter from a young woman
432
00:37:18,302 --> 00:37:21,999
would affect me so much, but it was then
that I envisioned AFRICAADDIO.
433
00:37:28,713 --> 00:37:31,807
I remember him saying
at the spur of the moment:
434
00:37:31,882 --> 00:37:37,616
''Why don't we document
this change in Africa?''
435
00:37:37,688 --> 00:37:40,680
Obviously, I agreed enthusiastically.
436
00:37:40,758 --> 00:37:42,817
As usual, I paid Rizzoli a visit.
437
00:37:42,893 --> 00:37:48,024
You can imagine proposing
a film about Africa at the time.
438
00:37:48,099 --> 00:37:52,468
''What? Farewell Africa?
What does it mean?''
439
00:37:53,504 --> 00:37:57,770
''Well, the changes in Africa
at this precise moment in time
440
00:37:57,842 --> 00:38:03,508
of abrupt, brutal transition
for a whole continent.''
441
00:38:04,515 --> 00:38:09,214
It was a long and hard enterprise
that lasted three years.
442
00:38:09,287 --> 00:38:12,984
This is the destiny ofa peoplewho wanted to ignore the colorofskin.
443
00:38:13,057 --> 00:38:15,651
This is Portugal.
444
00:38:15,726 --> 00:38:20,425
White or black,we're all Portuguese.
445
00:38:20,498 --> 00:38:22,489
But the rebels ofAngola don't agree.
446
00:38:22,566 --> 00:38:25,399
This is Africa.Only blacks are Africans.
447
00:38:25,469 --> 00:38:27,494
We were away for long periods of time,
448
00:38:27,571 --> 00:38:30,563
and we were so busy working...
449
00:38:30,641 --> 00:38:35,704
and had no daily newspapers,
450
00:38:35,780 --> 00:38:39,375
no newspapers from Italy
in Africa at the time.
451
00:38:40,318 --> 00:38:42,616
In Africa at the time
you didn't follow the news,
452
00:38:42,687 --> 00:38:46,680
no computers,
many things were different.
453
00:38:46,757 --> 00:38:51,854
The politics that concerned us
were of the continent
454
00:38:51,929 --> 00:38:53,829
where we were working and traveling.
455
00:38:53,898 --> 00:39:02,101
But we didn't have a political
point of view, an opinion to follow.
456
00:39:02,173 --> 00:39:05,904
The film was totally objective.
457
00:39:05,976 --> 00:39:08,604
There were no guidelines,
no ''this wins, that wins.''
458
00:39:08,679 --> 00:39:12,342
No! We were witnesses to a tragedy,
459
00:39:12,416 --> 00:39:17,513
political meaning left aside.
460
00:39:23,728 --> 00:39:26,288
I love Africa deeply.
461
00:39:26,364 --> 00:39:28,264
I had been dreaming of it
ever since I was a child.
462
00:39:28,332 --> 00:39:30,857
The first time I set foot in Africa,
463
00:39:30,935 --> 00:39:35,770
you know, like the Pope does
when visiting a foreign land,
464
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:41,142
we got off the ship
and kissed the soil of Africa,
465
00:39:41,212 --> 00:39:42,873
for our dream had come true.
466
00:39:42,947 --> 00:39:45,973
We have scenes in AFRICAADDIO
that, I believe,
467
00:39:46,050 --> 00:39:51,955
are the only document of those dramatic
events the continent lived through.
468
00:39:52,022 --> 00:39:59,224
We planned to spend a lot of time,
to even run fatal risks,
469
00:39:59,296 --> 00:40:02,527
but without a schedule.
470
00:40:06,270 --> 00:40:10,297
Suddenly the situation in East Africa
became explosive, so we moved there.
471
00:40:10,374 --> 00:40:12,604
Thereafter, we would shuttle
to and from different countries,
472
00:40:12,676 --> 00:40:19,639
South Africa, East Africa, Mozambique,
all the while running after events.
473
00:40:20,418 --> 00:40:24,286
Every time something happened,
we would be there.
474
00:40:24,355 --> 00:40:29,520
And instead of sending our material
to the papers, as a reporterwould do,
475
00:40:29,593 --> 00:40:33,927
we locked it in a safe,
and we later assembled AFRICAADDIO.
476
00:40:44,508 --> 00:40:49,275
We never abandoned our original idea
for AFRICAADDIO, that is,
477
00:40:49,346 --> 00:40:52,338
to bid a farewell to Africa.
478
00:40:52,416 --> 00:40:57,752
At the same time, predicting
what would happen in the future
479
00:40:57,822 --> 00:41:04,227
and make a critical statement about
those who abandoned Africa so hurriedly.
480
00:41:04,295 --> 00:41:12,361
We believed the British and French made
a gross mistake leaving Africa that way.
481
00:41:12,436 --> 00:41:19,433
Africa wasn't ready for that independence,
which was its right.
482
00:41:19,510 --> 00:41:20,807
Not at that moment.
483
00:41:20,878 --> 00:41:25,941
There was no political class
that could replace
484
00:41:26,016 --> 00:41:32,979
that kind of foreign administration,
the British especially.
485
00:41:33,057 --> 00:41:38,085
There was no political class
prepared for this.
486
00:41:38,762 --> 00:41:42,858
AFRICAADDIO prophetically
foresaw all this.
487
00:41:49,340 --> 00:41:52,468
Violence, too, is a form of objectivity.
488
00:41:53,177 --> 00:41:58,706
Violence exists in the world,
489
00:41:58,782 --> 00:42:01,273
so why not show it?
490
00:42:01,352 --> 00:42:07,018
We didn't show violence
for the sake of it,
491
00:42:07,091 --> 00:42:09,491
but to point out that
it should be fought against.
492
00:42:09,560 --> 00:42:13,189
If in AFRICAADDIO we show
the violence of animals being killed,
493
00:42:13,264 --> 00:42:14,754
it's because it happens.
494
00:42:21,839 --> 00:42:28,403
Elephants are segregated
in national parks
495
00:42:28,479 --> 00:42:37,444
where they are decimated yearly to keep
the population within the right limits.
496
00:42:37,521 --> 00:42:42,185
When these national parks
were only a few,
497
00:42:42,259 --> 00:42:46,628
showing the slaughter of these animals
498
00:42:46,697 --> 00:42:51,498
was a way of creating an awareness
in public opinion.
499
00:42:57,408 --> 00:43:02,436
Now, the Safari caused a lot of debate.
500
00:43:02,513 --> 00:43:05,778
I understand the reason:
we showed animals being killed.
501
00:43:05,849 --> 00:43:08,909
Actually,
half of the total footage was cut.
502
00:43:08,986 --> 00:43:11,420
I decided to cut it.
503
00:43:11,488 --> 00:43:14,457
Ortolani did something extraordinary.
504
00:43:14,525 --> 00:43:18,291
He composed a symphony
in sync with the killing.
505
00:43:27,538 --> 00:43:31,634
While I was working in the U.S.
506
00:43:33,077 --> 00:43:41,849
I kept thinking of some scenes
from AFRICAADDIO that I had seen.
507
00:43:43,220 --> 00:43:49,523
I was thinking about it and
I had always admired Walt Disney
508
00:43:49,593 --> 00:43:54,587
for the way they do
their musical editing,
509
00:43:54,665 --> 00:43:59,329
how they synchronize everything,
510
00:43:59,403 --> 00:44:04,067
every movement of a tail,
of a squirrel, of a bird,
511
00:44:04,141 --> 00:44:07,668
every gesture was
in sync with the music.
512
00:44:07,745 --> 00:44:14,207
When I was back in Italy,
I saw the footage of AFRICAADDIO.
513
00:44:14,284 --> 00:44:20,621
I applied the precise technique
I learned from Walt Disney.
514
00:44:32,736 --> 00:44:40,768
This is the famous,
tragically famous male hippopotamus
515
00:44:40,844 --> 00:44:45,838
that you see speared to death
in AFRICAADDIO.
516
00:44:46,517 --> 00:44:48,610
I think it would be very difficult
517
00:44:48,686 --> 00:44:53,555
to find a beautiful hippo this size
today in Mozambique,
518
00:44:53,624 --> 00:44:57,321
where most animals have been killed
519
00:44:57,394 --> 00:45:05,028
in the course of the war that divided
Mozambique from the Portuguese.
520
00:45:05,102 --> 00:45:08,594
The police discoverhundreds ofcaches ofivory and furs.
521
00:45:08,672 --> 00:45:13,075
The gangs ofpoachershave used grenades
522
00:45:13,143 --> 00:45:16,010
to kill over300 elephantswithout tusks
523
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:19,948
Poachers would kill elephants
ust for ivory.
524
00:45:20,017 --> 00:45:24,977
We have film with tusks being
confiscated, warehouses full of tusks.
525
00:45:25,055 --> 00:45:32,393
Rhinos were killed for their horns.
Animals were killed for food.
526
00:45:32,463 --> 00:45:34,522
It was a form of anarchy.
527
00:45:34,598 --> 00:45:40,161
We had access to these national parks
528
00:45:40,237 --> 00:45:46,301
with the permission of the management
of these parks.
529
00:45:51,749 --> 00:46:01,556
This one belongs to one of the biggest
elephant specimens in Mozambique.
530
00:46:01,625 --> 00:46:04,958
During the time
we were filming AFRICAADDIO
531
00:46:05,028 --> 00:46:07,258
we had a helicopter at our disposal
532
00:46:07,331 --> 00:46:15,170
so the park rangers
protecting the animals
533
00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:23,169
sometimes would borrow it
to prosecute poachers.
534
00:46:23,847 --> 00:46:28,750
On one occasion
we caught a group of them
535
00:46:28,819 --> 00:46:31,287
who had just killed this animal.
536
00:46:31,355 --> 00:46:39,228
As a token of gratitude
the government gave me this tusk.
537
00:46:46,003 --> 00:46:51,441
Our biggest advantage throughout
the eight months of filming AFRICAADDIO
538
00:46:51,508 --> 00:46:58,209
was having this helicopter
at our disposal with a pilot and mechanic.
539
00:46:59,516 --> 00:47:03,316
We could reach places, film,
540
00:47:03,387 --> 00:47:08,825
and flee if we sniffed danger.
541
00:47:08,892 --> 00:47:16,355
We were in Kenya when the episodes
against Nyerere occurred.
542
00:47:16,433 --> 00:47:19,266
It was a Muslim revolt.
543
00:47:19,336 --> 00:47:23,932
We rented an airplane
and flew to Dar es Salaam
544
00:47:24,007 --> 00:47:25,736
which was closed down, practically.
545
00:47:34,418 --> 00:47:39,856
We checked into a hotel
where they wouldn't let us out.
546
00:47:40,924 --> 00:47:44,155
But we were so curious
and eager to film what was going on.
547
00:47:44,228 --> 00:47:46,253
It was our reason to be there
in the first place.
548
00:47:46,330 --> 00:47:59,334
So we found a taxi that drove us
to a place called ''The Barracks''
549
00:47:59,409 --> 00:48:03,140
where the rebel soldiers were.
550
00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:12,584
We asked to be let in,
even if it was all shut.
551
00:48:12,656 --> 00:48:15,090
It was a state of emergency.
552
00:48:15,993 --> 00:48:20,794
They refused initially,
but then as is usual with journalists,
553
00:48:20,864 --> 00:48:24,493
we insisted on talking
to the chief of the rebels.
554
00:48:26,703 --> 00:48:33,438
They led us into The Barracks,
searched us and took our belongings.
555
00:48:33,510 --> 00:48:40,643
They tied our hands,
and called in a firing squad.
556
00:48:40,717 --> 00:48:42,048
This is all true.
557
00:48:49,192 --> 00:48:52,423
They had machine guns.
558
00:48:52,496 --> 00:48:54,361
They lined us up against a wall,
559
00:48:54,431 --> 00:48:58,197
Climati, Nievo, and me.
560
00:48:58,869 --> 00:49:00,393
We were ready for the worst.
561
00:49:00,470 --> 00:49:04,634
I remember telling Climati,
''Smile, smile.''
562
00:49:04,708 --> 00:49:08,371
Showing panic
would have been really dangerous.
563
00:49:08,445 --> 00:49:13,314
And this squad of a dozen men got ready.
564
00:49:13,383 --> 00:49:15,817
For a moment I thought,
''This is the end!''
565
00:49:15,886 --> 00:49:21,847
Finally a young colored officer arrived,
shouting,
566
00:49:23,193 --> 00:49:26,560
''Stop! They're not Whites.
They're Italians.''
567
00:49:26,630 --> 00:49:28,689
The phrase that saved our lives.
568
00:49:28,765 --> 00:49:32,531
''They are not whites,''
which meant we were not English.
569
00:49:34,338 --> 00:49:36,829
So they didn't kill us,
570
00:49:36,907 --> 00:49:40,206
a miracle at the end,
but we got this close.
571
00:49:40,277 --> 00:49:44,111
They were the worst episodes
we've gone through.
572
00:49:49,219 --> 00:49:52,916
Two months later, Stanleyville, strongholdofSimba leader Nicholas Olenga,
573
00:49:52,990 --> 00:49:55,788
has been conqueredby Belgian paratroopers and mercenaries.
574
00:49:55,859 --> 00:49:58,123
The city is a cemetery without graves.
575
00:49:58,195 --> 00:49:59,958
During the 1 00 days ofoccupation,
576
00:50:00,030 --> 00:50:02,863
the Simba have tortured and,in part, eaten 1 2,000 Africans.
577
00:50:03,667 --> 00:50:09,264
It was physically wearing,
due also to being away from home.
578
00:50:10,173 --> 00:50:12,664
We all had loved ones.
579
00:50:14,378 --> 00:50:17,279
Just to let you know the spirit
we had at the time,
580
00:50:17,347 --> 00:50:22,842
we were young -Climati and Nievo
came close to me and said:
581
00:50:22,919 --> 00:50:29,119
''We've thought about it.
We've got families, and no insurance.''
582
00:50:29,192 --> 00:50:36,655
We actually had insurance,
but not forwar.
583
00:50:37,334 --> 00:50:41,964
I didn't know what to do.
It was a situation of responsibility.
584
00:50:42,039 --> 00:50:48,444
I took a pen and ink and extended
the insurance for risks at war.
585
00:50:48,512 --> 00:50:50,742
I took the responsibility.
586
00:50:51,415 --> 00:50:54,907
They accepted this paper.
587
00:50:54,985 --> 00:50:58,944
They were simply honoring a duty
towards their families,
588
00:50:59,022 --> 00:51:01,047
but we were really happy to be there.
589
00:51:01,124 --> 00:51:05,026
The next day we followed the battle
to the front line.
590
00:51:14,471 --> 00:51:18,237
People were not
prepared for cameras then.
591
00:51:18,308 --> 00:51:20,401
They didn't know what we were doing,
592
00:51:20,477 --> 00:51:23,605
and most of the time
our cameras were disguised.
593
00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:31,143
In Zanzibarwe rented a Dhow,
an Arabic sailboat
594
00:51:31,221 --> 00:51:32,984
and we would film
from inside the Dhow.
595
00:51:33,056 --> 00:51:38,289
Orwe filmed with an angled loop:
we pointed the camera in one direction,
596
00:51:38,361 --> 00:51:44,197
but were actually filming on the side,
like a periscope.
597
00:51:50,273 --> 00:51:56,041
The scenes we shot in the Congo
were really strong,
598
00:51:56,113 --> 00:52:00,072
like the one
with the terrorist, ''Gancha.''
599
00:52:00,150 --> 00:52:04,519
Prior to the arrival of the mercenaries,
600
00:52:04,588 --> 00:52:07,386
This man had set a school on fire,
601
00:52:07,457 --> 00:52:12,156
killing 30 children and their teacher.
602
00:52:12,229 --> 00:52:15,721
When the mercenaries got there
and were interrogating him,
603
00:52:15,799 --> 00:52:21,499
one of them suddenly
pulled out his pistol
604
00:52:21,571 --> 00:52:23,368
and killed him before our eyes.
605
00:52:28,912 --> 00:52:31,073
Carlo Gregoretti was with us,
606
00:52:31,148 --> 00:52:35,949
the same Gregoretti
that had introduced Gualtiero and me.
607
00:52:36,019 --> 00:52:42,015
We invited Gregoretti to join us
simply out of friendship.
608
00:52:42,092 --> 00:52:46,825
He was there and he took part
in the filming in Africa,
609
00:52:46,897 --> 00:52:48,524
and also published in ''L'espresso''
610
00:52:48,598 --> 00:52:51,761
some of the scenes from AFRICAADDIO.
611
00:53:05,682 --> 00:53:11,814
This false news that caused
such a scandal in Italy in ''L'espresso,''
612
00:53:13,657 --> 00:53:17,684
Carlo Gregoretti
wrote a few articles about
613
00:53:17,761 --> 00:53:21,822
''The army of Ciombe
at the orders ofJacopetti.''
614
00:53:55,498 --> 00:53:59,059
The famous article in ''L'espresso''
was triggered by this:
615
00:53:59,135 --> 00:54:05,472
Gualtiero, as I said,
was a man of extraordinary charisma,
616
00:54:05,542 --> 00:54:09,979
but also of peculiar attitude,
617
00:54:10,046 --> 00:54:11,946
impudent at times.
618
00:54:12,015 --> 00:54:17,043
He met Carlo Gregoretti, who
had been invited to join us in Africa.
619
00:54:17,954 --> 00:54:23,415
While chatting, Gualtiero blurted out
something he shouldn't have said,
620
00:54:23,493 --> 00:54:25,654
as often happens among friends.
621
00:54:25,729 --> 00:54:30,530
Gualtiero said something like,
622
00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:35,230
''The mercenaries did everything
we told them to do.''
623
00:54:39,075 --> 00:54:45,014
This is how the unfortunate
misunderstanding happened.
624
00:54:45,081 --> 00:54:51,645
So, the legend that
we were after bloody events was born,
625
00:54:51,721 --> 00:54:53,985
ust for the sake of entertainment.
626
00:54:54,057 --> 00:54:57,322
It was said that we would
cynically twist the circumstances
627
00:54:57,394 --> 00:55:02,093
to make the scenes
technically more effective,
628
00:55:02,165 --> 00:55:05,965
''staging death under the sun.''
629
00:55:06,036 --> 00:55:09,028
Can you imagine
that we would stage such a scene?
630
00:55:09,105 --> 00:55:14,475
I say it cynically, to have a man killed
for a single take?
631
00:55:14,544 --> 00:55:16,569
Technically speaking,
it didn't even make sense.
632
00:55:16,646 --> 00:55:19,137
It would be much smarter to fire blanks,
and have him drop 1 00 times,
633
00:55:19,215 --> 00:55:22,651
so as to be able to film as many takes
as needed and pick the best.
634
00:55:22,719 --> 00:55:28,851
Nobody in his right mind would say
we had a man killed
635
00:55:28,925 --> 00:55:31,689
ust to film a scene.
It was preposterous!
636
00:55:31,761 --> 00:55:36,323
An exaggeration,
but it affected the public opinion.
637
00:55:41,004 --> 00:55:49,434
When our material arrived in Rome
it was viewed by our editors.
638
00:55:50,347 --> 00:55:54,443
Paolo Cavara was also on the staff,
639
00:55:55,952 --> 00:56:02,016
but was left out of the crew
of all our films except MONDO CANE.
640
00:56:02,726 --> 00:56:09,757
Maybe he was holding a grudge,
641
00:56:09,833 --> 00:56:13,633
mostly againstJacopetti,
642
00:56:13,703 --> 00:56:16,365
so when he saw some of the footage,
643
00:56:17,273 --> 00:56:25,305
he claimed he had seen us
forcing a mercenary to kill a black man
644
00:56:25,382 --> 00:56:27,612
ust to complete a scene.
645
00:56:29,352 --> 00:56:33,755
The film was confiscated at Technicolor,
with a sign on the door saying:
646
00:56:33,823 --> 00:56:37,054
''Confiscated due to massacre.''
647
00:56:37,127 --> 00:56:40,290
So I was in Rome now,
answering the magistrates
648
00:56:40,363 --> 00:56:44,299
about all the incriminating scenes
in the movie.
649
00:56:44,968 --> 00:56:48,199
I was asked absurd questions.
650
00:56:48,271 --> 00:56:51,001
For example, the judge
sat with me at the editing table,
651
00:56:51,074 --> 00:56:54,874
when he saw the scene of the liberation
of the town of Stanley,
652
00:56:54,944 --> 00:56:58,141
where we filmed dead people
in the streets, he asked,
653
00:56:58,214 --> 00:57:01,741
''Who killed them? Was it you?''
654
00:57:01,818 --> 00:57:06,585
This kind of nonsense.
655
00:57:06,656 --> 00:57:09,887
In the meantime,
Gualtiero, Nievo, and Climati,
656
00:57:09,959 --> 00:57:13,827
the ones under direct accusation,
had to go back to the Congo
657
00:57:13,897 --> 00:57:18,596
and get some papers to certify
658
00:57:18,668 --> 00:57:22,900
that all the accusations were false.
659
00:57:22,972 --> 00:57:27,170
Stanis Nievo went with me
and we made the same trip again.
660
00:57:27,243 --> 00:57:32,180
First to the embassy,
where we had a notary accompanying us
661
00:57:32,248 --> 00:57:39,154
with seals and everything
to legalize signatures,
662
00:57:39,222 --> 00:57:44,387
and in fact we did gather a big folder
with all the evidence and testimonies
663
00:57:44,461 --> 00:57:49,455
of people stating
that we had saved them.
664
00:57:55,305 --> 00:57:58,103
We had actually saved people,
665
00:57:58,174 --> 00:58:00,870
on both sides,
who were about to be executed.
666
00:58:00,944 --> 00:58:04,573
We would hire them as our crew,
saying they were porters or something.
667
00:58:04,647 --> 00:58:06,672
At one point
we really had a following.
668
00:58:06,749 --> 00:58:08,376
How did it end?
All ended well
669
00:58:08,451 --> 00:58:11,318
for the simple reason
that as soon as the judge asked us
670
00:58:11,387 --> 00:58:15,619
if the scene was real
where people are killed,
671
00:58:15,692 --> 00:58:19,560
we would answer,
''It was all a fake, all staged.''
672
00:58:19,629 --> 00:58:26,762
So the magistrates were happy
and we could walk away from this mess.
673
00:58:26,836 --> 00:58:32,138
But of course the acquittal was published
with three lines on page five.
674
00:58:32,208 --> 00:58:34,768
The accusation had been broadcast
on the front page of every paper.
675
00:58:34,844 --> 00:58:37,779
But that's how it goes.
It's no surprise.
676
00:58:41,951 --> 00:58:45,785
Following the publication
of the article,
677
00:58:47,090 --> 00:58:50,992
the left took a stand.
678
00:58:51,060 --> 00:58:57,090
They realized that this film
showed something very different
679
00:58:57,166 --> 00:59:02,399
from the politically correct
vision of Africa
680
00:59:02,472 --> 00:59:04,064
finally becoming independent,
681
00:59:04,140 --> 00:59:08,008
the death of colonialism,
freedom to Africa.
682
00:59:08,077 --> 00:59:10,170
This was the politically correct view
of the time.
683
00:59:10,246 --> 00:59:13,215
We showed the other side of it.
684
00:59:13,283 --> 00:59:17,219
No, Africa is not ready
for this independence.
685
00:59:17,287 --> 00:59:19,084
The debate became political.
686
00:59:20,089 --> 00:59:22,148
Our position was clear.
687
00:59:22,225 --> 00:59:25,058
The scenes we filmed,
688
00:59:25,862 --> 00:59:30,799
the interviews we made,
689
00:59:30,867 --> 00:59:33,893
we weren't interested
in the politics of the moment.
690
00:59:33,970 --> 00:59:35,699
We said things honestly.
691
00:59:35,772 --> 00:59:41,540
Our point of view was quite clear.
692
00:59:41,611 --> 00:59:45,638
It was not a justification
for colonialism
693
00:59:45,715 --> 00:59:49,173
but it was a condemnation for leaving
a continent in miserable conditions.
694
00:59:49,252 --> 00:59:54,986
Daily I fought with the censors,
with the Ministry.
695
00:59:55,658 --> 00:59:58,991
They demanded cuts
they had no authority to demand.
696
00:59:59,062 --> 01:00:01,428
You don't ask to cut political ironies.
697
01:00:01,497 --> 01:00:05,729
Rather,you ask for cuts
because of customs, and moral codes.
698
01:00:05,802 --> 01:00:07,235
But they had the upper hand
699
01:00:07,303 --> 01:00:10,136
and without their OK,
newspapers wouldn't advertise.
700
01:00:10,206 --> 01:00:16,145
So I had to make a flexible compromise.
701
01:00:16,813 --> 01:00:23,946
The result was that I got a reputation
702
01:00:24,020 --> 01:00:25,817
for being politically incorrect.
703
01:00:29,092 --> 01:00:33,529
The film was released
to great anticipation by the public
704
01:00:33,596 --> 01:00:37,498
because all these attacks
caused quite a stir.
705
01:00:37,567 --> 01:00:39,865
So they were very curious to see it
706
01:00:39,936 --> 01:00:45,169
and it was promoted very well,
in terms of propaganda.
707
01:00:45,241 --> 01:00:52,613
I remember Rover
bought our battered cars
708
01:00:52,682 --> 01:00:57,676
to be displayed in the theater
for publicity.
709
01:00:57,754 --> 01:01:01,155
Of course, when a film is released,
if it stirs debate
710
01:01:01,224 --> 01:01:03,920
the producers are more than happy,
711
01:01:03,993 --> 01:01:09,488
because it leads to success
and that means money.
712
01:01:09,565 --> 01:01:12,466
We all know about lines
at the box office.
713
01:01:12,535 --> 01:01:15,732
It was an assault
to see AFRICAADDIO.
714
01:01:18,174 --> 01:01:20,665
No one wins and no one loses,once and forall.
715
01:01:20,743 --> 01:01:24,839
No condition is defiiniteexcept forwhite and black deaths
716
01:01:24,914 --> 01:01:29,544
that together infect the ruinsand dissolve, amidst the buzz offlies
717
01:01:29,619 --> 01:01:31,712
into absolute biological equality.
718
01:01:33,122 --> 01:01:36,683
As for the criticisms,
they were ferocious.
719
01:01:36,759 --> 01:01:40,855
The public was not used to
this kind of truth.
720
01:01:40,930 --> 01:01:48,769
People were very reactive to the idea
of mistreatment towards blacks,
721
01:01:49,605 --> 01:01:51,505
towards Africans.
722
01:01:51,574 --> 01:01:54,600
The mere mention of the difference
in skin color
723
01:01:54,677 --> 01:01:58,670
provoked violent reactions,
no matterwhat you said.
724
01:01:58,748 --> 01:02:03,776
On our part there was absolutely
no intention of racism.
725
01:02:03,853 --> 01:02:07,721
I counted 98 press conferences
all over the world,
726
01:02:08,591 --> 01:02:12,960
always fighting to no avail.
There was no point.
727
01:02:13,963 --> 01:02:16,693
It was like talking to a wall:
''No! The film is racist!''
728
01:02:21,370 --> 01:02:24,464
On our left is
one of the Davids of Donatello
729
01:02:24,540 --> 01:02:26,405
that we had the fortune
ofbeing awarded.
730
01:02:26,476 --> 01:02:28,569
This is the one for AFRICAADDIO,
731
01:02:28,644 --> 01:02:33,274
the one that we did not receive
from the hands of
732
01:02:33,349 --> 01:02:39,310
the Minister of Culture
and Entertainment, who refused to do it.
733
01:02:39,388 --> 01:02:44,416
This is to point out again how lively
the controversies were
734
01:02:44,494 --> 01:02:47,190
surrounding AFRICAADDIO.
735
01:02:47,263 --> 01:02:52,496
Regarding the foreign language editions,
736
01:02:52,568 --> 01:02:56,299
I decided to personally oversee
the French version,
737
01:02:57,240 --> 01:03:03,338
because I wanted a good translation.
738
01:03:04,213 --> 01:03:13,918
Cineriz Productions didn't spare
any expense so it was a job well done.
739
01:03:13,990 --> 01:03:17,892
Then one fine day the copies are gone.
740
01:03:19,295 --> 01:03:21,263
Vanished.
741
01:03:23,232 --> 01:03:29,637
I did some research
but got only vague replies.
742
01:03:32,875 --> 01:03:38,006
Then the truth is revealed.
743
01:03:38,080 --> 01:03:43,484
Politically,
France's De Gaulle government,
744
01:03:43,553 --> 01:03:44,952
De Gaulle's dictatorship,
745
01:03:45,021 --> 01:03:51,290
formally asked Rizzoli not to distribute
the film for political reasons.
746
01:03:51,360 --> 01:03:57,560
It was during the ''Pieds Noirs''
in Africa, the Algerian crisis.
747
01:03:59,836 --> 01:04:03,897
The compensation was generous, though.
748
01:04:03,973 --> 01:04:09,240
It included a Legion d'Honneur.
To whom, I won't say, for discretion.
749
01:04:17,854 --> 01:04:23,190
The English version, unbeknownst to me,
750
01:04:23,259 --> 01:04:29,289
was entrusted to an English translator.
751
01:04:29,365 --> 01:04:31,060
But I couldn't oversee it.
752
01:04:31,133 --> 01:04:33,693
I was busy with other things.
753
01:04:33,769 --> 01:04:38,729
It ended up with
a completely different translation,
754
01:04:38,808 --> 01:04:48,843
for fear of riots
from the black population.
755
01:05:00,696 --> 01:05:02,596
Forthis great day ofUhuru,
756
01:05:02,665 --> 01:05:05,327
every party has promised its voters
757
01:05:05,401 --> 01:05:07,926
the prize ofthe land, livestock,houses and cars,
758
01:05:08,004 --> 01:05:09,471
ofthe whites that remained.
759
01:05:09,538 --> 01:05:11,472
An excess of caution, probably.
760
01:05:11,540 --> 01:05:13,531
The film was completely altered.
761
01:05:13,609 --> 01:05:19,241
Anyway, the film that resulted
was not AFRICAADDIO.
762
01:05:19,315 --> 01:05:20,543
It was something else.
763
01:05:35,064 --> 01:05:37,931
To this day I'm still indignant,
764
01:05:38,000 --> 01:05:41,197
and wish I could
bash someone's face in.
765
01:05:41,270 --> 01:05:50,872
Unfortunately, I got to know about it
when it was too late.
766
01:05:50,947 --> 01:05:53,177
Rizzoli had died,
767
01:05:53,249 --> 01:05:59,119
and I had to suffer the outrage
of seeing the film I loved so much,
768
01:05:59,188 --> 01:06:05,593
a film that cost me sacrifice,
passion, and youth.
769
01:06:05,661 --> 01:06:11,691
To see it castrated, and insulted.
770
01:06:11,767 --> 01:06:14,759
I felt rage and grief.
771
01:06:14,837 --> 01:06:17,533
''Blood and guts.'' Come on!
772
01:06:24,780 --> 01:06:28,375
MONDO CANE no longer exists,
but AFRICAADDIO still exists.
773
01:06:29,051 --> 01:06:30,780
If I had to reedit it,
774
01:06:30,853 --> 01:06:33,879
I would only change the voice over,
the commentary.
775
01:06:33,956 --> 01:06:36,948
I wouldn't touch the images,
776
01:06:37,026 --> 01:06:39,859
because the film AFRICAADDIO
is still relevant today.
777
01:06:39,929 --> 01:06:41,760
This comforts me immensely.
778
01:06:41,831 --> 01:06:44,994
I'm really proud,
not because it might be immortal,
779
01:06:45,067 --> 01:06:49,094
but because of
how I intuited the future.
780
01:06:49,171 --> 01:06:51,230
AFRICAADDIO is a film
that I love very much.
781
01:06:51,307 --> 01:06:58,110
I remember it with pleasure and pain.
782
01:06:58,180 --> 01:07:00,148
Great pain.
783
01:07:00,216 --> 01:07:01,706
It was a beautiful film,
784
01:07:01,784 --> 01:07:03,012
an important film,
785
01:07:03,085 --> 01:07:08,182
shocking, full of events,
violent.
786
01:07:08,257 --> 01:07:11,590
Very beautiful, it had it all.
787
01:07:11,660 --> 01:07:15,255
AFRICAADDIO is the film
I'm most partial to,
788
01:07:15,331 --> 01:07:17,856
the one that cost me the most effort
789
01:07:17,933 --> 01:07:21,494
that I had the most enthusiasm about.
790
01:07:21,570 --> 01:07:23,936
AFRICAADDIO was a film with a soul.
791
01:07:24,006 --> 01:07:26,133
It was an act oflove.
792
01:07:31,280 --> 01:07:40,712
After AFRICAADDIO...you don't like to
get so viciously criticized or insulted,
793
01:07:40,790 --> 01:07:45,386
especially after traveling
for three years, risking your life,
794
01:07:45,461 --> 01:07:48,259
sacrificing so much
to make a documentary.
795
01:07:48,330 --> 01:07:53,597
Upon receiving defamatory accusations
as being racists etc.,
796
01:07:53,669 --> 01:08:00,700
we tried to make a new film
that would be clearly anti-racist.
797
01:08:11,253 --> 01:08:16,555
Once I got this idea, this intuition,
798
01:08:16,625 --> 01:08:21,653
to make a movie as if staging a newsreel
back in past times,
799
01:08:21,730 --> 01:08:23,061
it would be something bizarre
800
01:08:23,132 --> 01:08:26,932
because certainly in the 1 800's
they wouldn't conceive of documentaries.
801
01:08:28,971 --> 01:08:32,031
The idea fascinated me.
802
01:08:32,108 --> 01:08:36,545
Also it would give me some respite from
the toils of actual newsreel shooting,
803
01:08:36,612 --> 01:08:39,638
which is draining and unfulfilling.
804
01:08:39,715 --> 01:08:45,449
So we thought, ''Why don't we do
'Mandingo' as a documentary?''
805
01:08:45,521 --> 01:08:50,458
Like a vintage documentary,
806
01:08:50,526 --> 01:08:54,622
in the sense that we imagine
being photographers
807
01:08:54,697 --> 01:09:01,967
coming to America in the 1 800's
to observe the situation.
808
01:09:02,671 --> 01:09:13,240
So we studied the subject,
the history of slavery in America
809
01:09:15,417 --> 01:09:20,445
and began to film adopting,
mind you,
810
01:09:21,590 --> 01:09:27,620
the viewpoint of men from those times
regarding slavery.
811
01:09:41,410 --> 01:09:46,712
So you would see
the English poet Thackeray
812
01:09:46,782 --> 01:09:51,719
visiting one of those
gorgeous mansions in Louisiana
813
01:09:51,787 --> 01:09:54,051
like in GONE WITH THE WIND,
814
01:09:54,123 --> 01:09:57,559
and witness the confusion
that reigned in the house.
815
01:10:07,503 --> 01:10:10,961
In GOODBYE UNCLETOM,
the characters are not made up.
816
01:10:11,040 --> 01:10:14,498
They portray real historical characters,
817
01:10:14,577 --> 01:10:16,772
people who played a role in history,
science, and religion.
818
01:10:16,845 --> 01:10:19,473
The reverend and his sermon;
those writings are for real,
819
01:10:19,548 --> 01:10:22,540
not some screenwriter's dialogue.
820
01:10:22,618 --> 01:10:27,055
The theory of scientific racism is real.
821
01:10:41,270 --> 01:10:43,738
I was the one doing the research
822
01:10:43,806 --> 01:10:47,572
because of my professorial background.
823
01:10:47,643 --> 01:10:51,943
So I read all the documents I could find
824
01:10:52,014 --> 01:10:58,442
on the topic of slavery in America.
825
01:11:05,194 --> 01:11:07,355
The topic was very interesting.
826
01:11:07,429 --> 01:11:11,388
It was the time when racism and slavery
were widely discussed.
827
01:11:11,467 --> 01:11:16,495
It was a time of redemption.
It was the time of Martin Luther King.
828
01:11:16,572 --> 01:11:19,370
A topic very up to date.
829
01:11:27,049 --> 01:11:34,114
This was our idea, to demonstrate
how such aberrations originate.
830
01:11:34,189 --> 01:11:45,896
Without softening it
with our present day view of things.
831
01:11:45,968 --> 01:11:53,101
Without the hypocrisy of declaring that
832
01:11:53,175 --> 01:12:05,349
African slaves in those times were
woefully aware of their conditions.
833
01:12:05,421 --> 01:12:07,981
Because for the most part
they were not.
834
01:12:08,057 --> 01:12:13,256
They were stolen from their homeland,
835
01:12:13,329 --> 01:12:19,199
brought to another, totally different
country, with a different language.
836
01:12:19,268 --> 01:12:24,763
Receiving no education,
not going to school, without freedom,
837
01:12:24,840 --> 01:12:28,606
they could hardly
have an idea of their roots.
838
01:12:28,677 --> 01:12:33,137
Just as the white owners had
no conscience of doing something evil,
839
01:12:33,215 --> 01:12:37,549
they were righteous in what they did,
based on religious beliefs,
840
01:12:37,619 --> 01:12:40,850
the Bible suggesting it.
841
01:12:40,923 --> 01:12:43,050
So they saw things differently.
842
01:12:43,125 --> 01:12:48,358
An African was a sort of animal
to be used as a workhorse,
843
01:12:48,430 --> 01:12:54,426
and it was for their own good that
they were taught to live that way.
844
01:12:54,503 --> 01:12:59,531
Let us not forget that
for us Christians, Catholics,
845
01:12:59,608 --> 01:13:05,376
traveling along with Spaniards
and Portuguese to America,
846
01:13:05,447 --> 01:13:07,677
the pagans didn't have a soul.
847
01:13:07,750 --> 01:13:11,083
I mean, literally,
pagans didn't have a soul.
848
01:13:11,153 --> 01:13:13,314
So a slave was like an animal,
849
01:13:13,389 --> 01:13:18,588
he could be killed
like we would kill a chicken.
850
01:13:18,660 --> 01:13:20,594
That was the concept back then.
851
01:13:20,662 --> 01:13:24,689
So in the film we tried to show that.
852
01:13:25,367 --> 01:13:28,530
But it was interpreted as cynicism.
853
01:13:28,604 --> 01:13:32,768
It was probably our mistake.
We should have stated it clearly:
854
01:13:32,841 --> 01:13:38,279
''Attention, what you are about to see
is the viewpoint of men of those times.
855
01:13:38,347 --> 01:13:40,008
It is not ourviewpoint.''
856
01:14:11,680 --> 01:14:17,585
As for the shoot, remember
we were coming off AFRICAADDIO,
857
01:14:17,653 --> 01:14:21,180
a project that lasted three years
and cost us much sacrifice.
858
01:14:21,256 --> 01:14:25,158
Being away from home for three years
is very hard.
859
01:14:25,227 --> 01:14:29,027
So for GOODBYE UNCLETOM
we planned three months of shooting
860
01:14:29,097 --> 01:14:31,292
like a normal film.
861
01:14:31,366 --> 01:14:33,493
So where do we shoot?
862
01:14:33,569 --> 01:14:42,944
It was going to be a fiction,
for the first time in our lives,
863
01:14:43,011 --> 01:14:44,410
so we decided on Brazil.
864
01:14:44,480 --> 01:14:51,648
We obtained visas, passed medical tests
and were granted permission.
865
01:14:51,720 --> 01:14:57,488
We left Italy for New York and
were stopped by the Brazilian government
866
01:14:57,559 --> 01:15:00,926
with a counterorder stating:
867
01:15:00,996 --> 01:15:03,897
''Stop the crew of MONDO CANE
and AFRICAADDIO.''
868
01:15:03,966 --> 01:15:06,935
Our reputation had eventually
caught up with us.
869
01:15:07,002 --> 01:15:09,937
''Stop this crew from entering Brazil.''
870
01:15:50,712 --> 01:15:55,706
Papa Doc was in charge of everything.
871
01:15:55,784 --> 01:16:00,346
With the recommendation
from the Italian ambassador,
872
01:16:00,422 --> 01:16:02,583
Papa Doc gave us a lot ofhelp.
873
01:16:02,658 --> 01:16:11,589
Seven or eight cars with diplomatic
plates, special permission,
874
01:16:12,301 --> 01:16:17,102
all in exchange for some chit-chat,
some sympathy for this strange old man.
875
01:16:17,172 --> 01:16:21,370
I remember the dinners
we had to attend every Friday night.
876
01:16:21,443 --> 01:16:25,903
He would treat us to stale bread,
cheese and water from the swimming pool:
877
01:16:25,981 --> 01:16:29,007
the rhetoric of sobriety.
878
01:17:05,153 --> 01:17:10,819
It was fun, it was a new experience:
879
01:17:10,892 --> 01:17:16,660
putting on costumes, building sets,
and writing dialogue.
880
01:17:16,732 --> 01:17:20,099
I had never done that before.
881
01:17:20,769 --> 01:17:22,031
They called me.
882
01:17:22,104 --> 01:17:27,633
I went and stayed there not too long,
three or four months. I don't remember.
883
01:17:27,709 --> 01:17:31,645
Maybe two months.
I stayed a very short time
884
01:17:31,713 --> 01:17:36,446
because the film was born bad
and was going to end worse.
885
01:17:48,163 --> 01:17:52,998
The final scene
was the story of Nat Turner,
886
01:17:53,769 --> 01:18:05,203
who at the height of the slave era was
the first to revolt against the whites.
887
01:18:05,280 --> 01:18:06,941
So, what were we aiming for?
888
01:18:07,015 --> 01:18:10,974
The chance to have
a conscience for blacks.
889
01:18:11,053 --> 01:18:17,822
The closing scene where the child
wants his balloon back and he pops it.
890
01:18:17,893 --> 01:18:24,731
He does it just out of malice
and I felt it wasn't gratuitous malice.
891
01:18:24,800 --> 01:18:29,362
I saw it as a legitimate moral vengeance
from this man
892
01:18:29,438 --> 01:18:32,100
who had so much
identified with that character
893
01:18:32,174 --> 01:18:34,005
who had been destroyed.
894
01:18:40,015 --> 01:18:45,180
It should go without saying that
nobody today would endorse slavery,
895
01:18:45,253 --> 01:18:47,278
by any stretch of the imagination.
896
01:18:47,355 --> 01:18:53,658
So, a film that was made to respond
to all accusations of racism
897
01:18:53,729 --> 01:18:55,890
from AFRICAADDIO, to be anti-racist,
898
01:18:55,964 --> 01:19:02,062
turned out to be a reiteration
of our alleged racism.
899
01:19:02,137 --> 01:19:04,697
Racism that, once again,
we absolutely reject.
900
01:19:04,773 --> 01:19:06,707
It would be illogical, stupid.
901
01:19:06,775 --> 01:19:13,476
As for the film being...
it is difficult to watch.
902
01:19:13,548 --> 01:19:16,108
Understandably so.
903
01:19:16,184 --> 01:19:23,420
Maybe we went a little too far
904
01:19:23,492 --> 01:19:27,656
and lost sight of the public.
905
01:19:28,263 --> 01:19:31,232
My theory is the public is always right.
906
01:19:31,299 --> 01:19:36,464
There's no such thing as the masterpiece
that the public didn't get.
907
01:19:36,538 --> 01:19:38,733
I find the idea offensive.
908
01:19:38,807 --> 01:19:40,638
The public appreciates good things.
909
01:19:41,309 --> 01:19:43,470
But if it is rejected
because it isn't understood,
910
01:19:43,545 --> 01:19:45,513
it means that it needed an explanation,
911
01:19:45,580 --> 01:19:48,242
and if an explanation is necessary
then the film just doesn't work.
912
01:19:48,316 --> 01:19:50,011
It must be self-explanatory.
913
01:19:59,194 --> 01:20:02,652
Presenting this documentary
about the slavery ofblack people
914
01:20:02,731 --> 01:20:06,292
without a word of introduction,
915
01:20:06,368 --> 01:20:12,671
it was inevitable that the authors'
intentions would be misconstrued.
916
01:20:12,741 --> 01:20:14,436
It's our own fault.
917
01:20:14,509 --> 01:20:20,778
As for the criticism of the film,
we had to accept it.
918
01:20:20,849 --> 01:20:24,649
Moreover, it didn't have
the same success as the previous ones,
919
01:20:24,719 --> 01:20:28,519
and so evidently,
something wasn't quite right there.
920
01:20:28,590 --> 01:20:32,424
The film aroused curiosity at first,
921
01:20:32,494 --> 01:20:35,930
then came the censors
and it was banned.
922
01:20:37,399 --> 01:20:41,927
At the trial, it was discharged in full.
923
01:20:42,003 --> 01:20:44,563
Anyway, two months later
the film is released again.
924
01:20:44,639 --> 01:20:47,335
It was not the success
it should have been.
925
01:20:47,409 --> 01:20:53,075
Once a film has been removed,
the public is rightly distrustful.
926
01:20:57,352 --> 01:21:00,753
It was a beautiful film
in its intentions,
927
01:21:00,822 --> 01:21:04,019
but it came out wrong.
928
01:21:04,092 --> 01:21:08,256
After thirty years,
I would redo the film.
929
01:21:08,330 --> 01:21:12,699
Redoing it, giving it
a more documentary and scientific slant.
930
01:21:12,767 --> 01:21:19,036
I would explain situations,
give dates, and data
931
01:21:19,107 --> 01:21:23,806
about the whole phenomenon
of slavery in America,
932
01:21:23,879 --> 01:21:27,280
and how it all happened.
933
01:21:27,349 --> 01:21:30,944
Revisiting the film today, honestly,
I would change a lot of things.
934
01:21:33,688 --> 01:21:36,748
I don't justify myself at all costs.
935
01:21:38,460 --> 01:21:41,896
I'm not after a moraljustification.
936
01:21:42,564 --> 01:21:48,560
In my opinion, if you state a moral,
937
01:21:48,637 --> 01:21:50,730
you corneryourself.
938
01:21:50,805 --> 01:21:53,774
Finding morals is the critics'job.
939
01:23:12,554 --> 01:23:18,550
WithJacopetti and Prosperi
there was precise research.
940
01:23:21,563 --> 01:23:27,365
Even if there was violence
it had style and intelligence.
941
01:23:27,435 --> 01:23:30,199
It's not about art.
942
01:23:30,271 --> 01:23:33,832
There is no true art. Today
it's all about shocking the public.
943
01:23:33,908 --> 01:23:42,816
There is no love
of the movie-making culture.
944
01:23:42,884 --> 01:23:48,015
Everything that was done afterwards
served no purpose.
945
01:23:48,089 --> 01:23:56,656
They were the true creators
of this genre.
946
01:24:13,048 --> 01:24:18,247
The collaboration ofJacopetti
& Prosperi lasted four, five years
947
01:24:18,319 --> 01:24:20,219
in perfect harmony.
948
01:24:20,288 --> 01:24:23,257
Extreme mutual politeness,
extreme respect.
949
01:24:23,324 --> 01:24:27,818
We were still getting along great
while filming GOODBYE UNCLETOM.
950
01:24:27,896 --> 01:24:33,027
Our relationship cooled down a little
while shooting MONDO CANDIDO
951
01:24:33,101 --> 01:24:43,602
from Voltaire's ''Candide'' for reasons
that are pointless to explain now.
952
01:24:43,678 --> 01:24:47,478
It was his lack ofloyalty
953
01:24:48,783 --> 01:24:54,619
in terms ofhis partnership with me,
from an economic standpoint.
954
01:24:54,689 --> 01:24:58,750
In the end, and I don't want to
go into the reasons again,
955
01:24:58,827 --> 01:25:03,662
we had a final crisis and we parted.
956
01:25:03,731 --> 01:25:08,634
A decision kept to this day.
957
01:25:40,768 --> 01:25:45,205
This separation
saddened me immensely.
958
01:25:45,273 --> 01:25:49,266
I understand that
they had some argument
959
01:25:49,344 --> 01:25:55,340
and because
of their strong personalities,
960
01:25:55,416 --> 01:26:00,820
they couldn't reach out to each other.
961
01:26:00,889 --> 01:26:03,653
They just stopped working together.
962
01:26:03,725 --> 01:26:09,095
It was a loss
for the entire movie world.
963
01:26:09,164 --> 01:26:16,036
They had such great potential
and capacity
964
01:26:16,104 --> 01:26:19,267
to create important and great films.
965
01:26:27,448 --> 01:26:31,214
I am sorry
because you can't simply forget...
966
01:26:31,286 --> 01:26:35,882
but no resentment, nothing.
967
01:26:35,957 --> 01:26:39,654
It was always discussed
in a civilized manner.
968
01:26:56,978 --> 01:26:59,139
We really went too far.
969
01:26:59,214 --> 01:27:02,479
The dangers, illnesses, accidents,
970
01:27:02,550 --> 01:27:06,850
but we never felt
we were heroes or martyrs.
971
01:27:06,921 --> 01:27:08,411
It was always a pleasure for us.
972
01:27:10,892 --> 01:27:17,559
To this day I still have nightmares.
973
01:27:17,632 --> 01:27:23,195
I no longer have nightmares
about graduating, about examinations,
974
01:27:23,271 --> 01:27:27,298
but I have nightmares
about someone calling me
975
01:27:27,375 --> 01:27:30,469
and telling me to go organize
and film something somewhere.
976
01:27:34,415 --> 01:27:36,975
This genre is attracting
a lot of attention.
977
01:27:37,051 --> 01:27:41,579
I've received proposals.
I can't accept them now.
978
01:27:41,656 --> 01:27:47,856
It's not my time anymore.
979
01:27:48,696 --> 01:27:51,756
At another time
I'd surely like to take the plunge
980
01:27:51,833 --> 01:27:55,269
and do something contemporary.
981
01:27:55,336 --> 01:27:57,031
There's still so much to be told.
982
01:27:57,105 --> 01:27:59,403
It's not true that
everything has been done already.
79380
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