9. The Castiglioni Brothers (1937-)
It is very hard to gain information about Alfredo and Angelo Castiglioni. They seem to be currently embroiled in archaeological projects concerning parts of Africa and they look like experts in what they do - having published over 15 books on African archaeology. All very respectable, but back in the day the Castiglioni brothers produced some of the most extreme content ever committed to celluloid. This was in the shape of five Mondo movies concerning Africa - Africa Segreta (Secret Africa), Africa Ama (Uncensored Africa), Magia Nuda (Mondo Magic), Addio Ultimo Uomo (The Last Savage) and Africa Dolce e Selvaggia (Shocking Africa). The latter two films are notable for their extreme content. Addio Ultimo Uomo is widely considered to be one of the hardest films to sit through as we watch the 'savage' Africans play out tribal rituals, fight each other, prepare their dead for burial, carry out castrations (both male and female), kill and eat animals along with a host of other things. It is vile but engrossing in a weird sort of 'What kind of horror is going to pop up next?' kind of way. Shocking Africa really takes the biscuit for being a virtually unwatchable parade of horrors that makes Faces of Death look like Coronation Street. You can feast your eyes upon: Female circumcisions done to very young girls with a rusty razor blade, little boys being circumcised as well, a woman having a snake shoved in her vagina to increase her fertility, the castration of a camel, atrocities committed against animals, fearless fooling around with scorpions and deadly snakes, extreme body scarification, the beating of a mentally ill man by village elders. These two films are among the most extreme ever filmed. For me, the only film that trumped them was Prosperi and Jacopettis' Africa Addio. Given their subsequent interest in African archaeology, perhaps the Castiglioni brothers were only showing us the truth about aspects of African tribal life that as unpalatable as they may be, do exist. There is not much simulated footage in their films which makes them even harder to watch and renders a movie like Brutes and Savages or Savage Man, Savage Beast, comedic in the face of real horrors.