Today we present an interesting written analysis sent to us by Liam, from Australia. Check it out!
Cannibal Holocaust has gained many fans and many detractors since its release, both sides have participated in lengthy discussions about the merits of the film. One subject that comes up when fans defend the movie is the messages the movie presents. Today I am going to explore those messages a bit closer.
The most prominent message one will take from a first viewing is the commentary of Western Society’s treatment of Native and Indigenous communities. Deodato’s previous Cannibal film Jungle Holocaust explored these topics as well, as our “hero” in that film starts to lose his Western society as they natives rip his clothes to shreds and destroy his possessions and he is forced to act like them to survive.
The characters of Professor Monroe and Alan Yates are polar opposites who represent both sides of the Western Society meeting the Native and Indigenous in the Amazon.
Monroe is a very polite and respectful man who goes out of his way to be respectful and friendly to the tribe, even doing things such as stripping himself down so the tribe can see he is similar to them and not a threat and even though he is repulsed at the food they offer him for their dinner ceremony, he decides to go along with it to further show he has respect for them and because of this, I find Monroe to be a likable character and Robert Kerman’s performance is a strong plus for the film.
Alan Yates however is a total monster who has no regard for the traditions of the Ya̧nomamö, in fact Alan is worse in that he has no regards for their safety or lives. He also no concern for being truthful or honest, as one executive during says when the Professor is reviewing the footage that Yates had been filming for his documentary, Alan paid some soldiers during production of his documentary “Last Road to Hell” to act more threatening for the cameras, this goes into Cannibal Holocaust’s next item of criticism..the media and news journalism.
Yates’ and his crew are seen attempting to stage several violent encounters with the natives which eventually backfires on them. This is most definitely a stab at the way certain news sources have twisted stories out of context or misrepresented them, sometimes the way audiences respond to these news stories. Sometimes when you look at the comment section on news articles about morbid and serious topics, you will see comments that ignore certain aspects vital to story and only focus one aspect of the story.
When Monroe is voicing his disgust and objection to the footage being aired, none of the executives he speaks with seems to care about the cruelty towards the natives but once they witness the crew being killed, they want the footage buried and forgotten.
Cannibal Holocaust is a confronting film, but it is a film with a lot of good ideas and smart things to say. It’s part of the reason why it has a strong dedicated fanbase that still watch and discuss the film to this very day.
Get ready for a cannibalistic summer 💀
Borneo: A Jungle Nightmare. Coming Summer 2021 on Steam
Wishlist now 👇
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1286420/Deodatos_Cannibal/