NOT "Shocking Africa" - read on, and don't get ripped off
Michael Callaghan | Jersey City, NJ United States | 07/11/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I took this video at face value, namely that it was "Shocking Africa" (Africa dolce e selvaggia), a 1982 mondo which is widely considered one of the most difficult shockumentaries to watch. Part of this was based on the medium-high price, part was based on it being called "Shocking Africa" (the same name - sort of like buying a DVD called "Star Wars" expecting to get Star Wars).
Well, guess what? It isn't. It's a total sham. This video company will never get another dollar from me (Substance Video). They're obviously willfully engaging in profound misinformation to get people like me to mistakenly buy this DVD, which is unreturnable when opened.
Scene one is from "Mondo Cane 2". Scene 2 is from "Mondo Cane". Scenes three and four are from "Slavery In the World Today". Ae you starting to see what they did here? They cobbled together tepid footage from previously released mondos and gave it the same title as a notorious Times Square film which I was looking to add to my collection. It even says "More shocking than Shocking Asia" on the cover, which further implies this is the original film titled 'Shocking Africa'.
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE ORIGINAL SCENE ON THIS DVD. EVERYTHING... and I mean EVERYTHING... is taken from another film and poorly chopped together, with even the narrator changing between scenes. It's playing behind me right now and... hey! A scene from Mondo Cane! And the worst part - these cobbled scenes ARE NOT SHOCKING! The cult of the cargo plane from Mondo Cane is shocking? The tribe that eats alligator meat - shocking, anyone?
Absolute, total ripoff. I urge you to stay far, far away (that is, if you're looking for the notorious 'Shocking Africa').
The original Shocking Africa includes primitive dental surgery, gonzo fertility rites, snake handlers getting bitten... and so on. I can't even describe some the scenes here. Look it up on imdb if you're curious. And after reading that description, save yourself some money because this DVD is NOT THAT MOVIE!!!"