Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971, Review) Blue Underground
aka Addio zio Tom
aka White Devil: Black Hell
Director(s): Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
Cast: Thousands of Haitians
Blue Underground / NTSC Region 1 / Unrated / Widescreen 2.35:1 (Anamorphic) / Dolby Digital Mono / 123 minutes / PURCHASE FROM TLACULT
DVD Extras: Theatrical Trailer / Behind-the-Scenes 8mm Footage with Audio Commentary by Giampaolo Lomi / Giampaolo Lomi’s Behind-the-Scenes Still Gallery / Poster & Still Gallery
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Sometimes the line between documentary and the filmmaker’s personal agenda blur, just ask Michael Moore. Even in the case of a fake doc can the intentions of the director(s) be a little confusing. Italian filmmakers Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, who are famous for starting the whole “mondo” movie or “shockumentary” with the classic Mondo Cane in 1962, made possibly the most infamous film of all time with Addio zio Tom aka Goodbye Uncle Tom. The fake documentary would raise questions about the duo’s racial feelings concerning black people. After watching the “English” uncut version of the film I don’t think there is any doubt that they are raving racists with strong negative feelings towards our “African” brethren. And trust me, I am no bleeding heart Liberal who pussy-foots around thinking everything is racist and trying to quell my White Man’s Guilt. This movie is a disgusting look into a ugly subject through even uglier eyes.
The film is set in the 1800′s during the heyday of slavery where two Italian filmmakers (Jacopetti and Prosperi) are shooting a documentary on slavery. They follow the slaves as they are smuggled to America in the hulls of huge ship hundreds, if not thousands, at a time. The cameras capture every disgusting and graphic detail of their mistreatment from being chained up and fed gruel, to having their ass literally corked if they shit themselves. The slaves are shown as they are bought, sold and traded for different purposes like physical labor, house maids, breeders, studs and unwilling sex slaves. They go through terrible delousing, shaving and “bathing” before they are sold. Slaves are also given to a “doctor” who experiments on and studies the “savages” because they are not seen as human. When they are sold as sex slaves, they are categorized by gender, age and cock size. Pedophilia was apparently okay back then, who knew? There really is no end or closure to the piece other than a flash-forward to the “present” where a black militant reads William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner on the beach and fantasizes about killing the whiteys he sees frolicking in the surf.
Jaco and Pros (that’s what I call them because it sounds urban) enlisted a cast of thousands of Haitians for this horrendously racist yet somehow interesting look at the slavery atrocities. It’s interesting strictly from an exploitation point of view. It’s the lowest, most base form of exploiting an entire race. They aren’t holding them up as badass, cool as fuck action heroes like the blaxploitation films of the ’70s did. The slaves, as well as the actual Haitians who played them, are treated as mongrel dogs. You have to actually see the movie to know what I mean. You can tell throughout that the extras were not handled with kid gloves. There is a small chance that they made the movie to be so horrific to show what actually happened and supposedly some of it was taken from actual documents, but I don’t believe it for a second. “This film is a documentary. The events depicted and the characters represented are historically true”. Har, har, har… my ass.
An “educated” slave explaining why slavery is good and “niggers” were made for it just exemplifies the apparent attitude of the filmmakers. Having angry black dudes chopping up pleasant looking white people with hatchets at the end doesn’t excuse the first 90 minutes of the movie nor does it make some social point that you –Jaco and Pros– believe the black man’s plight is justified. Having a beautiful, rich little blonde girl pull around a young naked slave boy on a leash and showing a thirteen year old slave girl seducing you (and succeeding!) kind of negates that feeble attempt. Dont’cha think? As I said though, I believe any exploitation fan worth their salt should see Goodbye Uncle Tom if only to say that you’ve seen the most offensive movie ever made. And that’s not just some poster or DVD cover spouting some ridiculous promotional tripe. That’s coming from a seasoned fan and seeker of offensive cinema. Pick up the English cut from Blue Underground as it is the complete version.
