4. Gaultiero Jacopetti (1919 - 2011) and Franco Prosperi (1926-?)
The godfathers of the Mondo movie - by virtue of their feature film Mondo Cane which shows us bizarre goings on from around the world sarcastically contrasted with Western society's actions - Jacopetti and Prosperi were a formidable team in Italian exploitation cinema in the 1960s. Not much is known about Franco Prosperi but Gaultiero Jacopetti was certainly a colourful figure. During the Second World War he helped Allied troops in their invasion of Italy. He worked as an editor (in the world of journalism) and helped start up Italian magazine L'Espresso before moving on to making the documentaries we know and love so well. Jacopetti was also an infamous bounder. He once seduced an underage Gypsy girl and another time spent 3 months in a Hong Kong jail after trying to abduct two underage Chinese girls. In terms of movies, Jacopetti and Prosperi delighted the world with a smoking chicken in Mondo Cane (literally translates as - it's a dog's life) and started the whole Mondo 'shockumentary' fad. Russ Meyer would film Mondo Topless and John Waters - Mondo Trasho. Inevitably Mondo Cane 2 appeared from Jacopetti and Prosperi followed by Women of the World in 1963. In 1966, Africa Addio was released. This jaw dropping film chronicles the end of colonial rule in Africa. I cannot make my mind up as to whether is a brilliant film, or loitering around a toilet. Jacopetti and Prosperi were accused of staging executions in front of the camera, but were not charged. They were nearly killed by mercenaries during the course of the film and they took many risks to film the explosive action of post-colonial Africa. However the racial bias of the film is firmly in favour of the colonials and the resultant product is an inflammatory piece of rhetoric that is downright insulting in its treatment of Africans. The duo gave us one last shockumentary in 1971 - Addio Zio Tom (Farewell Uncle Tom). Presumably stung by accusations of racism from Africa Addio viewers, Jacopetti and Prosperi filmed Addio Zio Tom as a retrospective staged pseudo-documentary about the American treatment of African Americans before slavery was abolished. I think it is trying to be sympathetic to black Americans but it is so over the top, it becomes downright insulting. The film was made in Haiti and in the end credits Jacopetti and Prosperi thanked Haitian dictator Papa Doc for his cooperation (thank you for lots of underpaid actors) Whatever their political and racial biases, we wouldn't have the Mondo film without Jacopetti and Prosperi. They truly invented a classic, if salubrious, subgenre.