Sweet and Savage
Italian mondo film juxtaposing sweet and savage imagery.
Sweet and Savage (Italian: *Dolce e selvaggio*) is a 1983 Italian mondo film directed by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra. Its name highlights the contrast between gentle, pleasant scenes and brutal, violent ones. The narration comes from Franco Prosperi, while the film was produced by Antonio Climati and Mario Morra.
This movie is the third and last part of Climati and Morra’s Savage Trilogy, and it also marks their final collaboration. Some footage was taken from their earlier films, *Ultime grida dalla savana* and *Savana violenta*. After this, Morra made one more mondo film, *The Savage Zone*, while Climati later directed the 1988 cannibal film *Natura contro*.
The film is infamous for including several real human deaths. One scene—where a man has his arm torn off by two trucks—is staged. The genuine deaths shown are: a corpse in Tibet being cut apart by monks and fed to vultures, and the accidental falls of tightrope walker Karl Wallenda and stuntman A. J. Bakunas.
**Release history** *Sweet and Savage* first came out in Italy on 2 September 1983, with an international release the following year. In Japan, it was titled *Caramba!* (カランバ), and its ads focused on the staged death scene. In Australia, it played uncut in theaters in 1984, but a cut video version submitted to censors was banned for excessive violence. Despite receiving M and R18+ ratings in three separate 1986 submissions, it was only released once on video, by Roadshow’s Premiere label, in 1987.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Antonio Climati / Mario Morra
- Producer
- Franco Prosperi
- Music
- Daniele Patucchi
- Cinematography
- Antonio Climati
- Editing
- Mario Morra
- Distributor
- Titanus
- Released
- 2 September 1983
- Runtime
- 93 minutes
- Country
- Italy
- Language
- Italian
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sweet and Savage is the third and final entry in Climati and Morra's Savage Trilogy and the last collaborative feature between the two directors. Footage was supplemented by scenes from their previous two films, Ultime grida dalla savana and Savana violenta. Morra later directed one final mondo film, The Savage Zone, while Climati made the cannibal film Natura contro in 1988.
Reader's Guide
The film has gained notoriety for including several scenes of human death. One scene, in which a man is tied to two trucks that tear off his arm, is staged. Other genuine scenes include a corpse in Tibet hacked apart by monks and fed to vultures, and the accidental deaths of tightrope walker Karl Wallenda and stuntman A. J. Bakunas. Released in Italy on 2 September 1983, it was released internationally the following year. In Japan it was released as Caramba! (カランバ), with advertisements focusing on the staged death scene. In Australia, the film was released uncut theatrically in 1984, but an edited video submission was banned for excessive violence. Although rated M and R18+ for three submissions in 1986, it was only released once on video by Roadshow's Premiere video label in 1987.
Did You Know?
- One death scene, showing a man's arm torn off by two trucks, is staged.
- In Japan, the film was released as Caramba! (カランバ) and advertised with the staged death scene.
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