There is something gloriously hysterical about "Shocking Asia" with its odd narration, screeching Erwin Halletz score, inflammatory subject matter and mix of staged and spontaneous action. We're treated to a sex change that was graphic then, but can be caught on regular TV these days on one of those medical reality shows. The visit to a sex museum in Japan is downright amusing with its displays of Nazi-style S&M and lighthearted mannequin nudity. It's always good to see people off their faces skewering themselves with needles, and it's not a bad thing to visit a leper colony, either. Back when "Shocking Asia" and its questionable ilk were made, we didn't have reality TV. Now, films like this, its redundant sequel, "Mondo Cane" and even "Mondo New York", seem like remnants of a time that has passed. They were cinematic sideshows of exotic parts of the world that once seemed so inaccessible, but are now a mouse click or a cheap flight away.
Review of Shocking Asia
