Cannibal Tours
Encyclopedia
Cannibal Tours is a 1988 documentary film
by Australian director and cinematographer
Dennis O'Rourke
. While it borrows heavily from ethnographic modes of representation, the film is a biting commentary on the nature of modernity.
The film follows a number of European
and American
ecotourists
as they travel from village to village throughout the Sepik River area in Papua New Guinea
, driving hard bargains for local handcrafted items, paying to view formerly sacred ceremonies and taking photographs of every aspect of "primitive" life. With some prodding, the tourists unwittingly reveal an unattractive and pervasive ethnocentrism
to O'Rourke's cameras. The tourists thus become somewhat dehumanized by the camera, even as the tourists themselves are busy exoticizing even the most mundane aspects of Sepik River life.
The title of the film can be read in at least a couple of ways. At one point early in the film, a German tourist, clearly titillated, describes the bygone practice of raiding and cannibalism
. Cannibalism, the viewer also learns, was highly symbolic and often involved taking and wearing the skins of the victims. The film closes on a group of tourists who have painted their faces in "native fashion" and ape fierce gestures at one another as they dance.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Australian director and cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Dennis O'Rourke
Dennis O'Rourke
Dennis O'Rourke is an Australian documentary filmmaker.- Biography :For most of his childhood, Dennis O'Rourke lived in a small country town, where his parents ran a failing business, until he was sent to a Catholic boarding school for his secondary education...
. While it borrows heavily from ethnographic modes of representation, the film is a biting commentary on the nature of modernity.
The film follows a number of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ecotourists
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
as they travel from village to village throughout the Sepik River area in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, driving hard bargains for local handcrafted items, paying to view formerly sacred ceremonies and taking photographs of every aspect of "primitive" life. With some prodding, the tourists unwittingly reveal an unattractive and pervasive ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to believe that one's ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. The ethnocentric individual will judge other groups relative to his or her own particular ethnic group or culture, especially with...
to O'Rourke's cameras. The tourists thus become somewhat dehumanized by the camera, even as the tourists themselves are busy exoticizing even the most mundane aspects of Sepik River life.
The title of the film can be read in at least a couple of ways. At one point early in the film, a German tourist, clearly titillated, describes the bygone practice of raiding and cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
. Cannibalism, the viewer also learns, was highly symbolic and often involved taking and wearing the skins of the victims. The film closes on a group of tourists who have painted their faces in "native fashion" and ape fierce gestures at one another as they dance.
External links
- Cannibal Tours at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Official Website for "Cannibal Tours"
- "On The Making of Cannibal Tours" by Dennis O'Rourke (PDF)