The Film:
Another World Entertainment are a relatively new company to enter the highly competitive DVD market, and they are one that are going for the 'cult company' approach ala Blue Underground and NoShame. This is the first disc I have I had a chance to see from them and is film three of their 'Cannibal Series' range. Mountain Of The Cannibal God is a film with a very controversial past, released in several different edits on DVD so far. I am happy to say that this is the longest version available and includes all the graphic violence and nudity, as well as the horrific castration scene and infamous 'pig scene' that has so far only been available on the Anchor Bay US and Dutch EC re-release. These are scenes that pretty much define the genre and the film, and due to the animal cruelty in some of these films, will never be seen uncut in the UK (currently cut by 126seconds for animal cruelty).
Directed by Sergio Martino (2019: After the Fall of New York, Mannaja: A Man Called Blade), Mountain Of The Cannibal God stars Ursula Andress as Susan Stevenson, a lady who has gone to New Guinea to search for her husband who goes missing in the jungle whilst on an expedition. She is joined by her brother, a guide and some local villagers so that she can go through the dangerous jungle in an attempt to locate him. Things soon start to make a turn for the worst however when they are attacked by a group of masked men, and when they get to a village their guide knows for safety, they are soon told that the guide once escaped these people, thought to be an extinct Cannibal tribe, just a few years previously. Whether they find her husband, or get killed, I'll leave to you to find out!
Mountain Of The Cannibal God is certainly a film of acquired taste, but if you have that (very wrong) taste like me, then this will be one of your genre favourites right up there with the more well known Cannibal Ferox and Cannibal Holocaust. The film is surprisingly well acted, and the script, despite not being great, has a good enough story to follow. I have to warn you though, if you have never seen a film similar to this, that it does contain animal cruelty, some nudity and some right disturbing scenes that could leave you with nightmares. If this is something that doesn't really bother you then this film comes recommended.
The DVD:
Video:
Another World have presented this film in it's original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 which has been given a wonderful anamorphic treatment. Previous to this, I only owned the R0 Diamond release and the picture was awful, but Another World have really stamped their feet down onto DVD hard with what is almost a flawless transfer. The only sign of print damage was occasional grain and a vertical scratch lasting for four seconds at 20:22, when they are crossing the water. Other than that, I must say I am in awe at the difference in quality between this and the Diamond release.
Audio:
Another World have included just one trac on the disc, and it's an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. There are no problems with it other than some minor hiss in the background, but this is certainly a film that would benefit from a DTS track, a DD 5.1 track or even just a 2.0 Surround track, just to make the viewer feel even more uneasy and to add to the atmosphere. Good, but underwhelming. Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish subtitles have also been included.
Extras:
We have been given a few extras here, all of which aren't particularly substantial but nice to have. We start with a text interview with director Sergio Martino who answers the standard questions on how the film came about and the making of the film. I would've preffered an actual proper interview with the director as I find information comes across so much better in this format. The interview is available in both English and Danish.
Next up are a couple of minor extras, the first being a filmography for director Sergio Martino. We then have several slideshows showing lobby cards from a few countries as well as poster art. A more detailed breakdown is shown:
- French Lobbycards (1:15)
- German Lobbycards (2:10)
- Italian Lobbycards (0:30)
- Spanish Lobbycards (0:55)
- Posters and Artwork (1:55)
We finish up the extras with the theatrical trailer which last 3:45 and a selection of bonus trailers for other films from Another World Entertainment:
- "Puzzle" (3:12)
- "City of the Living Dead" (2:53)
- "Cannibal Ferox" (4:17)
- "Cannibal Holocaust" (2:57)
- "Eaten Alive" (3:03)
- "The Beyond" (3:21)
