Antonio Margheriti's Cannibal Apocalypse' (1980), starring B movie staple John Saxon and the appropriately cast Giovanni Lombardo Radice (`John Morghen'), is a unique entry in a subgenre known for its grade Z brand of filmmaking. A rabid POW bites Hopper (Saxon), a U.S. Army captain in Vietnam. Years later, back in America, Hopper dreams about the incident and begins to crave raw meat. As it turns out, his POW buddies have passed along a communicable disease cannibalism! Margheriti's extreme metaphor is an original, astute comment on the lasting effects of the Vietnam War.
The gore highlight in Apocalypse' occurs in the sewer when Bukowski (Radice) is shot through the stomach. Raw ground beef falls out of his midsection, creating a gaping hole through which the viewer can see more action. An extreme, sick but effective and impressive special effect. The image appeared on the poster ads at the time of the film's release, and the same image fills the cover of the dvd packaging. The hyped scene certainly lives up to the hype and has always been the film's main draw.
Also known by no less than ten other titles, Apocalypse' has been fully restored to its original, gut-munching length on the Image/Studio Canal dvd. The disc includes a one-hour documentary, which features excellent, revealing interviews with Radice, Saxon and Margheriti. Radice speaks of his regrets making Lenzi's sick Cannibal Ferox'; Saxon claims that he's never seen Cannibal Apocalypse'; and Margheriti mentions that, among his own films, Cannibal' is Quentin Tarantino's favorite.
Radice, a Shakespearean/stage actor, comes across as rather appealing. It's interesting to note that he began his film career (circa 1980) making these low budget Italian gore films and, more than twenty years later, scored a wee part in Scorsese's Gangs of New York'. Radice also graces the screen with his grim, sometimes bewildering presence in Fulci's Gates of Hell' and in many of Michele Soavi's films. --- david ross smith
The gore highlight in Apocalypse' occurs in the sewer when Bukowski (Radice) is shot through the stomach. Raw ground beef falls out of his midsection, creating a gaping hole through which the viewer can see more action. An extreme, sick but effective and impressive special effect. The image appeared on the poster ads at the time of the film's release, and the same image fills the cover of the dvd packaging. The hyped scene certainly lives up to the hype and has always been the film's main draw.
Also known by no less than ten other titles, Apocalypse' has been fully restored to its original, gut-munching length on the Image/Studio Canal dvd. The disc includes a one-hour documentary, which features excellent, revealing interviews with Radice, Saxon and Margheriti. Radice speaks of his regrets making Lenzi's sick Cannibal Ferox'; Saxon claims that he's never seen Cannibal Apocalypse'; and Margheriti mentions that, among his own films, Cannibal' is Quentin Tarantino's favorite.
Radice, a Shakespearean/stage actor, comes across as rather appealing. It's interesting to note that he began his film career (circa 1980) making these low budget Italian gore films and, more than twenty years later, scored a wee part in Scorsese's Gangs of New York'. Radice also graces the screen with his grim, sometimes bewildering presence in Fulci's Gates of Hell' and in many of Michele Soavi's films. --- david ross smith