Ruggero Deodato: The Cannibal Man

by Phillip Escott

Ruggero Deodato was born in Potenza, Italy, on May 7th 1939. As he grew, his love of movies grew with him; befriending Renzo Rossellini, the son of Art-house favorite Roberto Rossellini and brother of Isabella Rossellini. He was soon persuaded into the industry by Renzo to work on his fathers movies. By the age of eighteen he was helping with menial work on the sets of Rossellini’s movies.

By 1959, Deodato had worked his way up the ladder and was now Rossellini’s assistant director of choice on General della Rovere and his following picture Wait for the Dawn. Soon he was in demand by other acclaimed directors, such as Sergio Corbucci on The Monk of Monza in 1963.

1964 was a landmark year for Deodato, after assisting both Antonio Margheriti and Ricardo Freda, on Castle of Blood and Romeo & Juliet respectively, Deodato directed the majority of the sword and sandals (or peplum) flop Hercules, Prisoner of Evil, although credit eventually went to Antonio Margheriti, the intended director. After this Deodato continued to assist other directors, once again he aided Sergio Corbucci on 1966’s Savage Joe.

It wasn’t until 1968 that Deodato decided to take control of his own production, from beginning to end, with his full directorial debut Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen under the alias of Roger Rockefeller. He continued to direct ‘flavour of the month’ titles, later in the year he met his wife-to-be, actress Silvia Dionisio, on Holidays on the Costa Smeralda.

By 1971 Deodato was stuck working in television on a show called All’ultimo Minuto, which starred his wife and lasted until 1973. Due to his wife’s star attraction, he was given first pass on any film he wanted; as long as Silvia starred. Upset by this he left the film industry and made a living off commercials. Then in 1975 he made his come back with the popular Waves of Lust, a tense erotic-thriller that was clearly inspired by Charles Williams’s novel Dead Calm. It was co-scripted by Lamberto Bava and starred Deodato’s wife, alongside genre favorites Al Cliver and John Steiner. Ironically, Charles Williams killed himself around the same time as this films release.

Then in 1976 he created one of his most popular films, Live like a Cop, Die like a Man. Starring Ray Lovelock and Marc Porel as two brutal cops who go about killing anyone they please and bedding any woman that takes their fancy. Then we are introduced to the bad guys! It’s a tough-as-nails Poliziottesco that remains a firm favorite with genre enthusiasts and Deodato fans alike.

International fame/infamy came knocking in 1977 with the release of Last Cannibal World. A violent jungle adventure film that features a dedicated performance from Massimo Foschi, it courted infamy due to its depiction of real animal cruelty that Deodato claimed was added into the film by the producers, against his will. If this is the case, you have to wonder why he went on to include more graphic animal slaughter in Cannibal Holocaust.

His follow up pictures were tearjerker, Last Feelings, about a runaway who becomes a swimming champion who gets told he is terminally ill and tries to battle said illness, and an action flick, The Concorde Affair, starring exploitation regular Mimsy Farmer. Neither made much of a splash and Deodato returned to familiar waters in 1980 with the film that he’ll be forever remembered: Cannibal Holocaust.

Cannibal Holocaust is a film that requires no introduction, everyone and their granny knows of this movie. The scandal that was caused hit news-stands worldwide. Soon the police came after Deodato and arrested him on obscenity charges. Allegations against Deodato came flooding in; some even claimed that he killed his actors! Due to contractual reasons, all the actors agreed to stay out of public life for one year after the release, trying to track them down and prove his innocence was not easy. Luckily he got in touch with Luca Barbareschi who was in touch with the three leads and got them in the court room, resulting in all charges being dropped. The film remained banned for three years however.

The same year also saw the release of one of Britain’s most censored films The House on the Edge of the Park. A rough Last House on the Left style exploiter that also starred David Hess, the villain from the film that inspired this nasty little tale, notable for it’s over misogynistic approach and for an undeniably funky theme tune! It’s not hard to see why 11 minutes are still missing from the current British release. It leaves a nasty little after taste.

His following output, violent futuristic actioner The Atlantic Interceptors, Cannibal(ish) flick Cut and Run, action flick Lone Runner, his second feature with David Hess, Body Count and the sword and sorcery curio The Barbarian Brothers are a mixed bag of results. Only Cut and Run and Body Count are worth your time if you dig Deodato’s work.
By 1988 Deodato had two more theatrical releases before slipping into TV work again. They were the fun Giallo Phantom of Death and the laughable Dial: Help, both are worth watching for the sheer weirdness of their plots.

Times of been hard since, the Italian film industry wasn’t exactly blooming during this period, but Deodato seems to have been hit hard. TV work followed TV work, he eventually managed to get two theatrical releases out during the nineties Mom, I can do it in 1992 and The Washing Machine in 1993. These two films failed to set the box-office on fire and Deodato has remained doing TV since. Although he did get a cameo in Eli Roth’s Hostel II as, The Cannibal Man.

Rumors of a sequel to Cannibal Holocaust, something Deodato swore he wouldn’t make after the original, has been put into pre-production after he turned in a script. Word is, this flick isn't a sequel, per sa, but more of a 'new vision' for the Cannibal genre.

If that wasn’t a sign of a possible resurgence of his career, Cannibal Holocaust is being re-made. Yes. You read that right.

Synopsis: In 1980, Ruggero Deodato shocked the world with his gruesome horror masterpiece Cannibal Holocaust. Banned in more than 17 countries, the film was so disturbing and the effects so graphic, many believed that the film depicted real murders. For his involvement, Deodato was brought up on charges in Italy, eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing, and the film continued to make its mark on the international community with its incredibly horrific acts of violence and unsettling social commentary. In 2006, Cannibal Holocaust was listed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of the top 20 controversial films of all time. Until now… Ruggero Deodato, one of the most innovative horror directors of all time, is about to shock the world again with his newest vision… Cannibals. In this modern and extremely perturbing look at man's propensity for evil, a story that appears to be taking place in the jungle soon expands to unexpected and terrifying new locations. While it is comforting to believe that civilized society has progressed beyond barbaric acts of torture and cannibalism, such naïve thinking is far from the truth. Evil is within us and cannot be contained. Modern advancements in technology have created a world vulnerable to the spread of evil. And so it has… giving birth to increasingly horrific acts of depravity. Unspeakable savagery no longer exists only within the secretive rituals of uncivilized, uneducated tribes. Unspeakable savagery is everywhere. Almost three decades ago, Deodato changed history when four young documentarians disappeared in the Amazon. In 2009, he will do it again. There is no doubt. The unabashed examination of perversion in Cannibals will expose modern movie goers to images that will haunt them for years to come. - Imagination Worldwide LLC.

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