User reviews

Mondo Cane 2 is on the same league as its predecessor. A lot of gory, shocking scenes and also some lighter and comic ones just to even things out. The commenting remains smart but some scenes start to seem rehearsed or directed. I think it's not so spontaneous and unprompted any more. Nevertheless there are some memorable moments, especially the maimed and crippled kids by their exploiters. Definitely for tough stomachs. I don't think it should be in Mondo Cane anyway, because this is not a ritual or something similar, it's just a criminal action.

*A guaranteed laugh or more, some may feel like shedding a tear, but all-in-all I thought Mondo Cane 2 was great for a claimed, 'shockumentary'. Far better than the shockumentaries: Faces of Death(which were for the most part fake), and Traces of Death(which was more shocking, but composed of death, accidents, and etc caught on tape accompanied by crappy metal music). The Mondo Cane movies are an Italian version of a National Geographic documentary slapped with sarcasm and exploitation--some of which was amazing footage of the cold hard truth we should all be exposed to. The English dubbing made it easier to watch, yet in some areas they would have done better with subs. The score, like the first's, was appropriate and fun. Overall, it met my expectations after watching the first, and I plan to continue with the series.

Second in the popular shockumentary series is less violent and disturbing than its predecessor, but still has its moments, and packs a punch for squeamish viewers. More bizarre human practices include bug-eating, African slave trade, war, and a dying tribe of primitives in Africa. This last sequence is fairly sad, but most of the other footage is just exploitation for the sake of making another bizarre chronicle of oddities around the world. These films are somewhat educational, but their highly exploitative nature takes away from the credibility. Still, if you liked the first one...

"Mondo Cane 2" is little more than a quick cash-in on the first film's popularity. The giveaway is the fact that, although the film runs shorter than the original, it somehow contains less interesting footage. Some powerful sequences do exist (the tortured kids, the baby flamingos that die because their waters have been contaminated by a nearby factory), but on the whole the film is much inferior to the original, and the narration is often cheeky, hokey and annoying. (**)

Perhaps I wasn't in the mood when I watched this film but "Mondo Cane 2" seemed a diluted version of the original. Despite the witty, cynical observations of the narrator, most of the sequences are unsatisfying and brief. The film has moments which are genuinely moving, particularly the sequence involving maimed children, but the overall experience was less memorable than the first "Mondo Cane". It just seemed to take elements of the original movie and then replace them with similar sequences, i.e. substituting turtles for baby flamingos. Like the original, it is well edited and the sequences flow well as the viewer is taken on a trip around the world.

Worth a viewing but not a patch on the original shockumentary.

5 out of 10.

MONDO CANE was an educational documentary featuring shocking scenes of human life and animal life. MONDO CANE 2 is just as educational and interesting, unlike the many imitators that erupted on video (i.e, FACES OF DEATH, etc.).

I can't really write a full-fledged review of the film, as it is just sequence after sequence. It's all interesting and you really learn things from the way it's presented. Some of my favorite scenes: the Parisian transvestite bar; a daring Mexican police shooting range; the Mexican Festival of the Dead (with skulls filled with cream, marzipan corpses, and live parasite tortillas); bugs turned into jewelry; Hawaiian tourists bathing in radioactive mud to freshen their skin; numerous religious fanatical acts in Italy and Portugal; rituals of pain in India; modeling sessions for gory pulp fiction book covers; smuggled footage of illegal slave trading in Africa; Sudanese tribes collecting dewdrops from plants because of a limited water supply; dancers wearing toilet paper being squirted with seltzer water; the Festival of Hard Heads in Italy (must be seen to be believed!); the artist Achille's paint-spitting party; a musical symphony enacted by slapping faces; Asian monks committing self-immolation; a heartbreaking sequence of pollution causing baby flamingos to mutate and die; and an African tribe becomes sterile because of their crocodile meat diet.

Amazing stuff throughout and never too boring, MONDO CANE 2 is lots of fun and will please those looking for something odd, intelligent, and something you can learn from.

People often give me a strange look when I tell them that Mondo Cane 2 is one of my favorite films of all time. You mean that dated trash? That film full of scenes that were staged or at least severely misrepresented? That film with shots of dying flamingos? That film which invites its viewers to gawk and guffaw at people from different cultures? Well yes, I guess that would be the film I'm talking about.

Yet if you are similarly confused by what anyone could possibly see in Mondo Cane 2, may I humbly suggest that the problem lies not in the film itself but in the viewer. For, taken as a documentary - or even for basic laughs - Mondo Cane 2 is truly not a good film. If you think otherwise, I am deeply concerned about your mental wellbeing. However, viewed from the correct angle, Mondo Cane 2 verges on sublime.

For the true joy of Mondo Cane 2 is not in laughing at people from different cultures, but in watching the film present people from different cultures for laughs. This is meta humor at it's finest. It's hard to believe the filmmakers were not in on this joke too, for some of the scenes are just a little too over the top, the narration just a little too ridiculous, to be taken seriously (even in Mondo movie terms). I mean, was there ever really a room in which frustrated drivers could vent their road rage by throwing tomatoes at a projected driving scene? Probably not. But does that scene not excellently parody the very glimpse of "reality" a Mondo film would offer to its viewers? Undoubtably, especially if you throw in a cheeky English narrator.

And even if we accept that the filmmakers were perhaps not engaging in a meta filmmaking exercise that still feels fresh even 60 years on, it must be admitted that they certainly did know a thing or two about working a camera. While most films from the early 60s have fairly boring static shots, Mondo Cane takes the camera into the scene. You feel like you are part of the action. The film is full of interesting composition and really excellent shots.

Some of the editing is also noteworthy. One of my favorite sections is the photoshoot for the detective novels. The music is silly, but the long pan and mix of fast motion/stills is like something Kubrick would have created. I am not kidding. It's a shame that so many people over the years have dismissed Mondo Cane 2 just because it's one of those "mondo" film. No, Mondo Cane 2 is art. It may not have been created as such, but that's how I choose to view it today.

In my humble opinion, Mondo Cane II is even superior to its predecessor. The British narrator is amazing (make sure to find the cut with him), the scenes are more varied and interesting (if less "shocking"), and the camera work is excellent. Most later mondo film have none of these charms. They are poorly filmed and rely too much on shocks that no longer have much capacity to shock (hello Faces of Death!).

This ride may not be for everyone, but for a certain type of viewer Mondo Cane 2 is difficult to top.

Another go round of stock footage of random cultural practices, some interesting, some so obviously fake.

Wig makers, Polynesian rituals, hunters, marksmen using cigarettes in peoples mouths as target practice (and mostly hitting them) segues hard into Mexican bug eating. I was eating shrimp fried rice, too, as this scene began. There goes my appetite for that now.

Like its predecessor, there is so little to say about this film, other than to just simply list the events depicted, or reenacted, (which should also be obvious, judging by the brevity of the earlier reviews of it) as the film, while competently made, really doesn't have much of a point to make, and occasionally offers an odd choice of flute music.

The finale, an elegant and classy looking pianist sits down in front of an audience to play, in concert hall, becomes a slapping symphony, with another who slaps a line of men's faces, in accompaniment to the music being performed. So obviously fake, with multiple camera angles, and every slap on every man's face sounds at exactly the same pitch, and volume. The sound of one single slap, repeated throughout the duration.

For those who enjoyed the original ‘Mondo Cane', this is a less violent, more entertaining collection of sequences from around the world. Less focused on animals, we are treated to a birds' eye view of the crazy customs practiced on and by people. For those who haven't ever seen a ‘Mondo' film, please start with ‘Mondo Cane' and then come back and read this. ‘Mondo Cane 2' has some very shocking images; the most intense I felt was when we watched a Buddhist monk light himself on fire. Overall, however, the focus is on customs that to a foreign eye seem silly or ridiculous, not so much on these violent acts or situations. Filmmakers Jacopetti and Prosperi are masters at reporting truth much the same way a muckraker reports ‘truth', and simply by editing sequences together construct a convincing story that we humans are obsessed with pain and death. A great watch if you get the chance, and if you're really interested in these films there was a great box set released recently containing almost all of Jacopetti's work. It will probably be hard to find to rent, but keep an eye out if you're interested in documentaries as this is one of the best. Rating: 33/40

"Mondo cane n. 2" (1963), directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, is a sequel that delves deeper into the world of sensational and exotic oddities. Much like its predecessor, this film straddles the line between documentary and exploitation, presenting a series of vignettes from around the globe intended to shock and provoke. Unfortunately, it achieves this with mixed results.

The film attempts to showcase the bizarre and macabre aspects of human behavior and cultural practices, often crossing the line into exploitation. While some segments offer genuine insight into the diversity of human customs, many others seem to exploit their subjects for shock value rather than fostering understanding or empathy. This approach often feels gratuitous and undermines the film's potential as a serious documentary.

Visually, "Mondo cane n. 2" is a feast, capturing striking and sometimes beautiful images of far-flung locales. The cinematography is, at times, breathtaking, juxtaposing the bizarre with the mundane in a manner that can be both fascinating and disturbing. However, the film's narrative cohesion suffers due to its episodic structure, making it feel disjointed and lacking a clear thematic focus.

The film's narration, delivered with a tone of mock-seriousness, often comes across as condescending, further detracting from its credibility. Instead of providing context and depth, the commentary frequently opts for sensationalism, which diminishes the documentary's educational value.

Moreover, the ethical implications of the filmmakers' approach cannot be overlooked. The subjects, often depicted without their consent or understanding, are presented in ways that can be perceived as disrespectful and dehumanizing. This raises significant concerns about the morality of the production.

In conclusion, while "Mondo cane n. 2" offers moments of visual intrigue and cultural curiosity, its exploitative nature and lack of narrative coherence prevent it from being a worthwhile documentary. The film's propensity for shock value over substance makes it a problematic watch, relegating it to a lower tier in the realm of ethnographic cinema.

Mondo Cane 2, is a second film in the popular Mondo Cane documentary series. The film is Italian although it is dubbed into English. Like, Mondo Cane this film doesn't just focus on one subject for it's documentary but several rather. Such scenes include Mexican children eating candy in the shape of body parts, a Buddhist who sets himself on fire and a concert where man are slapped to the tune of the music being played. I enjoyed Mondo Cane 2, just like I enjoyed the original Mondo Cane. It is beautifully filmed and all of the scenes right until the very end are fascinating and intriguing. The narrator also gives us some neat facts and during the movie you will once again wonder how some of this footage was filmed. The directors behind Mondo Cane and Mondo Cane 2, would later go on to do more films in the series including Africa: Blood And Guts and Goodbye Uncle Tom. Mondo Cane 2 is another entertaining and fascinating film and I look forward to seeing other films in this very intriguing and entertaining series.

Continuing where they left off, the filmakers begin at a dog shelter stating that the first "MONDO CANE" was banned in the UK because of its depiction of dogs. The joking opening aside this sequel had more interesting segments in it than the first, and there was probably a tad more violence in this one. I had an extremely difficult time obtaining this 2nd "MONDO", (I've seen the 1st at almost every video store *except Blockbuster), so if you run across it make sure you pick it up.

I recently picked up the "Mondo Cane collection" from Blue Underground. The third of the official Mondo films is the sequel to Mondo cane. Some of the segments are interesting, some are boring, some are heart-breaking & some seem like filler. On a whole this is not as good of a documentary as the first Mondo film was. Still worth watching at least once, i guess.

My Grade:C

Dvd Extras: 2 theatrical trailers (USA & international); radio spot; & poster and stills gallery