Mondo Cane (1962, Italy)

This is perhaps the original "shockumentary", a film made in documentary style purporting to explain some of the curiosities of the world, but portraying things that are lurid and sensational. As the first "Mondo" film, it also gave us that description of this type of film.

There are a series of descriptions of strange happenings around the world, people eating dogs or snakes, decapitating bulls, and, er, getting very drunk.

There is a sequence on the Gurkhas, the fierce Nepalese fighting men. We see them repeatedly bayoneting a poor defenceless sandbag in training. Then it gets more interesting.

The commentator informs us, "After his daily six hours of practice with the white man's weapons, Sergeant Ruanar Rikhly lets himself be dressed as a woman. It's certainly a most embarrassing situation for a fierce Gurkhas warrior, who only a few years ago, in the war against the Malaysian communists, cut off the heads of 36 partisans. But today is a national holiday, and tradition prescribes that it be celebrated in a woman's costume."

We see eight or more of them doing a sort of swaying dance with chanting and a drumbeat in the background.

The village people are watching as spectators, but not everyone finds it very interesting, and this woman (left) manages a big yawn.

The narrator continues, "The Gurkhas are fierce mountain people of Nepal; for a century and a half, they have been soldiers of the British army in India. All the officers of the regiment, including their commander, must assist in the celebration as prescribed by an ancient tradition. Seeing them like this, dressed like women, it is difficult to imagine them as the most fierce and loyal soldiers in the world. And yet, during the last World War when they were captured by the Japanese, 300 Gurkhas let themselves be decapitated, lest they become traitors to his British Majesty, their King. Today is the anniversary of that memorable day. The Gurkhas celebrate it with great solemnity."

English narrations appear on alternative titles of the film,

A Dog's Life,
Mondo Cane No. 1, and
Tales of the Bizarre: Rites, Rituals and Superstitions.

HF May 2009

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