Mark Goodall’s SWEET & SAVAGE: THE WORLD THROUGH THE SHOCKUMENTARY FILM LENS enters that realm of outré film guides, like SLEAZOID EXPRESS or KILLING FOR CULTURE, that I consider completely indispensable and extremely seminal. There are few books that singularly cover the mondo genre, and after SWEET & SAVAGE, there’s no need for any others.
Defining the differences of plain documentaries from the mondo film, author Goodall has done his research, whether it be tracking down the mondo originators Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, watching every film to be released from the genre – including such hard-to-find (and that I’m dying to watch) films like ANGELI BIANCHI ANGELI NERI (WITCHCRAFT ‘70), MONDO CANDIDO and the Michael O’Donoghue-directed MR. MIKE’S MONDO VIDEO – to a complete guide to every composer who did music for these films, all your questions about this unique, never-to-be-duplicated series of films will be answered here.
The films are divided by subjects, including the voyeurism of the films, the explorations of the world of magic in the films and, most interestingly, the use of animal mistreatment and abuse in these films. Shocking, deviant and eye-opening – just like the films it explores – SWEET & SAVAGE is a cult film fan’s dream. –Louis Fowler
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