I always think Quentin Tarantino a little too far in exploiting sadism and violence as a mass entertainment through his films. But after watching the controversial film by Ruggero Deodato, Cannibal Holocaust (1980), Tarantino movies is now seen like merely softcores.
Violence and sadism in Cannibal Holocaust is not spices, but the main course. The portrayal of gore, human body impalement, animals killing, and sexual violence scenes are presented graphically, so Deodato must face a lawsuit for allegedly making a snuff film.
Deodato seem to use Cannibal Holocaust as his media to criticize hypocrisy of modern civilization in the spirit of anti-imperialism. In the film, he shows how "more civilized" people (group of documentary filmmakers from New York) treat the lower civilization (primitive Yanomamo tribe in the interior of the Amazon) arbitrarily. As a result, they receive a punishment that is slaughtered and eaten by members of the cannibal tribe. This is more obvious when the film was asking a rhetorical question "what is it to be civilized"?
But on the other hand, Deodato was also criticized. His interpretation of the essence of civilization in the film is just a cover and a poor justification for a film that gaining controversy because of many disturbing and gore materials presented.
However, as a cinematographic work, Cannibal Holocaust is considered innovative because it uses the concept of "found footage" as a plot structure - which later used by some other directors. The plot structure allows Deodato to make the film look as a true story of the people who lost in the Amazon jungle, leaving the videotape footage of the last moments of their lives. Seen very realistic, so that Deodato was taken to court to prove that he hasn't slain real people for his motion picture ..
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