Cannibal Holocaust achieved notoriety because its graphic
violence aroused a great deal of controversy. After its premiere in
Italy, it was seized by a local magistrate, and Deodato was arrested on obscenity charges. He was charged with making a snuff film,
due to rumors that some actors were killed on camera. Although Deodato
was later cleared, the film was banned in Italy, the UK, Australia, and
several other countries due to its graphic depiction of violence, sexual
violence, and the actual slaughter of seven animals. Some nations have
since revoked the ban, but the film is still barred in several
countries. The critic David Carter suggests the film is a commentary
about civilized society.
Filmed in the Amazon, the film tells the story of the search for a documentary film crew who had gone to film indigenous tribes and been missing for two months. A second team, headed by the New York anthropologist Harold Monroe, recovers their lost cans of film and learns their fate. Much of the film is the portrayal of the recovered films' content; the sections of "documentary" film function similarly to a flashback and grows increasingly disturbing as the film progresses.
Filmed in the Amazon, the film tells the story of the search for a documentary film crew who had gone to film indigenous tribes and been missing for two months. A second team, headed by the New York anthropologist Harold Monroe, recovers their lost cans of film and learns their fate. Much of the film is the portrayal of the recovered films' content; the sections of "documentary" film function similarly to a flashback and grows increasingly disturbing as the film progresses.