Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring Robert Kerman as an anthropologist who leads a rescue team into the amazon rainforest to locate a crew of filmmakers that have gone missing while filming a documentary on local cannibal tribes. Cannibal holocaust is a commentary on modern civilisation being just as savage as cannibal tribes. The film shows how journalism and media is used to exploit people and create a falsehood. The film demonstrates that society and people are no different form tribal savages and darkness lurks in everyone.
The film starts with a journalist saying that modern man questions everything whilst there are primitive people living in cannibal tribes showcasing how modern civilisation sees itself as being more civilised whist being just as primal. Four people have gone to make a documentary in the jungle believing they should learn about there planet before other, as the film relates this to Vietnam documentaries. Showcasing how journalism is used to manipulate people and how modern civilised society sees itself as so superior. The film indoctrinates a crew of young documentarians who are going into the amazon jungle to make a documentary about indigenous cannibal as the believe they are highly qualified for the job. This shows how modern people in society believe themselves to be superior to primitive man they are high being that can do anything. His film then transitions to anthropologist Harold Monroe from New York university who agrees to lead a rescue mission for the missing filmmakers as the film switches from TV to traditional film. This shows how media plays are large part of the film in how a seemingly real-life depiction of something allows the film to be more disturbing through realism.
The film then switches from a modern society to an Amazonian tribe as the film shows cannibals in the jungle eating a person. The soldiers then come in and shoot a tribal person dead as another tribesman gets him with a poison dart as the other machineguns him. This demonstrates how modern society is no different from primitive tribes and people can be just as brutal no matter where they come from. They then take a tribesman hostage to negotiate with the tribe, as Monroe files in and meets then with Chaco and Miguel as guides to get him into the jungle. This shows how the people see themselves as more advanced they can just do whatever they want. They are trying to locate the Yakumus a tribe in the amazon that conflict with the outside world as they are afraid of the people an uncontacted cannibal tribe. The other guides see the naïve guide as a savage but says he will outlive them all. This shows how people view others all lesser and how modern man sees itself as superior. The western guys are inexperienced in jungle trekking unlike the natives as the professor tries to help him, but the explorer tell not to and says they will kill him. This shows how people in modern civilisation and society see themselves as superior but tribal people are better suited to certain environments them modern man. they then find a Skellington of a person that that has been killed and eaten as the professor throws up as the guide recognises him as another guide. This shows the brutality of humanity within the jungle compared with modern society.
They have the tribesman on a leash like a dog and give him coke as they take coke themselves and feeds him muskrat stomach. As they secretly watch a native man kill a native woman for auditory in a ritualistic way. He kills her by sticking a pointed rock inside her vagina and shoving rocks and mud inside her. He then bashes her brains in with a rock killing. Her. This shows the brutality of civilisation, society, and people and how this darkness is in everyone. This death is shown in a ritualistically punishment and divine punishment as death brutality and darkness is a part of human nature. The professor wants to help the native, but the guide warns him not to, as they shoot their guns in the air to search for and follow him as the film shows how people ultimately want to dominate and control others. To lure the tribe out to get to the location as the guides fake a sicario with the tribesman to get the tribe to lead them to were they want to go. This shows how people in modern society believe themselves to be superior to primitive people and that they can control and manipulate people. The tribal people then appear and fire bows scaring him as a warning shot as he bashes the mud to show his good intentions. This shows how modern people and tribal people are completely different in certain aspects. They get the tribal person to run away so they can follow them to the village so they can follow him. When they get to the village, they see one of the missing film canisters being warn around a tribeswoman neck as Monroe goes to grab it, but Miguel intervenes saying he must pretend like he hasn’t seen anything. This shows how modern civilisation, society and people cannot try to comprehend one another as they are from different worlds.
One of the tribal people try to communicate with them but they don’t understand. One of the people shot one of the tribal leaders’ friends. Miguel impresses the villagers with a knife as they drink the villagers white slop food. This showcases how modern civilisation, society and people are not much different from primitive tribes that they can’t even hope to understand each other. They head deep into the jungle to locate two warring endocannibal tribes the Ya̧nomamö and the Shamatari. They find four of them in a hunt as the warning tribes are trying to kill each other by smoking them out with fire. This shows how people are always brutal regardless of civilisation and society. One of the other tribe’s people falls to his death as they are cutting the arm of other tribe members arm off as others are raping people which shows the darkens that lives in every person. The team members save a small group of Ya̧nomamö from death by the Shamatari showcasing how brutal humanity can be. The Ya̧nomamö then invite them back as a result as a gesture of gratitude but are still suspicious of them, showcasing how people can still be good. They then invite them back as a result as gesture of gratitude, but they are still suspicious of them. This again shows how people are seemingly also different from each other and cannot comprehend each other. They then observe their traditions of death in the tribe as the chief talks in a tribal language. This shows how people from different civilisations and societies are no different they can’t understand each other. The chief then shows them a watch has it shows that they are traditional people that were mistreated. This shows how different people are mistreated by others in society they are symbolically at war with each other in their ideologies.
Monroe strips himself of everything bathing himself naked in the river with a group of tribal women to gain their trust. The women then lead Monroe form the river to a shrine where the skeletons of the filmmakers are and their film reels. This shows how people in tribal, so societies are not different to Monroe as everyone in a way is primitive. The tribe do not allow the corpuses to be buried as they are hung to drive away evil spirits as the tribe has rules of conduct as modern people are just as brutal as people in modern society. Monroe plays a recording to get their attention as the tribe appears and shows them a dead skinned man they eat and gives them a tape player. Showcasing how modern people in society and civilisation feel as if they can control lesser people. The tribe leader eats a bit of flesh and then Monroe eats some as a sign of trust and as a result they give them a tape recorder for the film reels. This showcases the bond between different people seeming being the same despite differences in societies. Monreo then talks about this on the news as the tribe believed there recording devices were like a spell as they believed the film canisters contained the filmmakers’ souls and kept them. This showcases the differences between people in society and how modern civilisation cannot understand primitive tribes. Executives want to show the footage on TV with Monroe as a host, however Monroe demands to see the footage showcases how the media and journalism don’t care and just want sensationalism.
Monroe is shown the films previous documentary showing people being killed in a political uprising, as it is revealed that they faked their footage with actors to make a documentary. This shows how thorough the journalism and the media people fake reality for sensationalism for the form of entertainment. The crew made the films more tragic with staged scenes to win over an audience showcasing how fake media and journalism can be used to manipulate people and make people into stars. As they talk about the filmmakers, they watch them messing around naked showing they are just young dumb people who don’t care. The filmmakers were professional to some extent, but they are into theatrics. A person is interviewed talking about Allen saying he was a professional, but he couldn’t work with him as he pushed people to their limit and was ruthless, as well as this the dad is interviewed and doesn’t know what happened. This shows and journalism and media are controlled and manipulated by unsavoury acts with sensationalism. The film shows that all Gwen is interested in is fame she used a fake name and was described as energetic, hardworking, ambitious, and never at peace, as her mum talks bout her not liking her ex-husband as was not a smart person and was easily influenced. Which shows the manipulation of journalism and media and how people can be easily manipulated and how people can easily manipulate others. They talk to one of the people’s dads who doesn’t care about his son. He calls him lazy and a no-good son of a bitch who is dead and he doesn’t care again showcasing how through the media they are seen as tragic hero’s but, they are scum. They then watch the footage of them in the jungle. What they are watching is a rough cut with no audio at first with them talking over it as they are watching it as they are filming everything. This demonstrates how media can be used to showcase things in a certain way to crate a world you want.
A guy collects butterflies and puts them on a frame as they all have fun, but Fay is the more professional of the group. Showcasing how people in modern civilisation and society are just as brutal as tribal people. They then kill a turtle and eats its meat, as some footage doesn’t have sound, so they stick some stock music on it. There guide Felipe is then bitten by a venomous snake as they kill the snake and then amputate the leg, burn the wound and leave him there. This demonstrates how people in modern day society and civilisation become just as primitive as tribe and a brutality lies in everyone. They insincerely act for the cameras expressing their concern for Felipe as they continue this shows journalism and media is used to fake and manipulate people with flake sincerity which is ultimately shown as they talk about them being famous and rich with houses and girls showcasing how people use the media and journalism for their own ends. They are filming the girl urinating and playing around as they get naked and have sex even though they are in danger showcasing how journalism and media manipulates people and situation and how society and people are both vastly different but very similar. The crew then see the tribe eating and killing the monkey, as they shoot one of the tribesmen to slow him down so he can lead them to the village showcasing how burial people in modern civilized society are. The professor watches the footage and understands why they are so hostile as the crew stage a scene showcasing how people in more modern society are savages and how they use the media to manipulate things for entertainment.
They go into a tribe village disturbing it shoving cameras in their face as they intimidate the tribe showcasing how the media and journalism destroys lesser societies and people. They then shot a child’s pig killing it, as they talk to the camera expressionless about this being natural and survival of the fittest. As it shows how through the media people make up stories for entertainment. They then shot into the airt scaring the natives. They heard the natives into a hut and burn it down killing them staging a massacre for their film as a fake slaughter of the Makuno’s by the Yanomamo’s as they film it. This shows how modern civilisation, society and people are no better than tribal people the world is brutal. This also shows how journalism and the media stages things for the purposes of personal gain. Two of them have sex with the Yanomamo’s watching in the background showcasing how people are used as prevented and violent as each other. Monroe worries about the crew terrorising the tribe, but people want sensationalism to rape their senses as modern man are the savages destroying the people’s homes. Showing how modern civilization, society and people are just as brutal as cannibal tribes. The film crew continue filming and exploiting tribes for footage making themselves more professional. The film the tribe performing an abortion on a woman by trying her up and burring her foetus and bashing her to death with a rock. This shows how brutal people are regardless of the civilisation and society. The crew again sensationalise everything as they want to be famous and talk about the tribe in a fake way trying to sound profound showcasing how journalism and the media can be manipulated.
Monroe doesn’t want them to air the documentary disgusted by it, but the executives want to, Monroe is disgusted but the executives don’t care and handwave there actions away. This shows how journalism, and the media want sensationalism as exploitation sells at any cost. They end up watching the documentary as the guy gang rapes a Ya̧nomamö girl as Faye protests and they all fight in the mud. This shows the brutality of humanity and how that brutality is exploited by the media under the gaze of journalism. They then find the same girl dead by the same riverbank impaled on a wooden pole. They are excited about this film it, as one of the guys tells Alan to stop smiling and Alan instantly switches looking disgusted and saying this is horrible and cruel. This shows how journalism and media manipulates people in go believes a false part of reality. Shortly afterwards they are attacked by the Yanomamo tribe out of revenge as Jack is hit by a spear and Alan shoots him in a mercy killing. This shows media and journalism manipulation in that how people fake and themselves for the proses of fame and power. They continue filming as they attack them shooting and killing them showcasing the brutality of people and how that is manipulated by the media. They then castrate Jack with a large machete, mutilate his corpse and eat him. Alan exhausted states they have gotten lost trying to escape and try to scare them away with a fair gun and sets fires to the jungle. This shows the brutality of civilisation, society, and people. Faye is captured by the Ya̧nomamö, as Alen insists on rescuing her, but Mark says they need to keep filming as the most important thig nis to get the film back home. As Faye is gang-raped, beaten to death and beheaded. This shows how the journalism, and the media showcases the brutally of civilisation, society, and people. The Ya̧nomamö then attack and kill the last two members as the footage ends with the camera falling to the ground showing one the crews dead bloody face. Showcases how people are ultimately brutal regardless of society and highlights the danger of exploitative media and journalism. The disturbed executives then order all the footage to be burned showcasing how journalism and the media controls what people know. The film ends with Monroe walking out and saying “I wonder who the real cannibals are” as the film pans to the twin towers and the film ends. As at the end of the film it says “projectionist John K. Kirov was given a two-month suspended jail sentence and fined $10,000 for illegal appropriation of film material. We know that he received $250,000 for that same footage.” This shows that modern civilisation is just as brutal as cannibal tribes and how through journalism we fake ourselves to be better. This shows how the media manipulates people hiding how savage society and people can be.
Cannibal Holocaust is a commentary on modern civilisation and how brutal its can be as shown by the brutality of cannibal tribes. The film shows how journalism can be manipulated by people with agender for their own betterment. The film shows how media manipulation is used to control people onto believing in certain narratives. The film ultimately shows the brutality of modern society is like Amazonian tribes and the hidden darkness that exists in every human being.