Ruggero Deodato
Encyclopedia
Ruggero Deodato is an Italian
film director
and screen writer, best known for directing violent and gory horror film
s. Deodato is infamous for his 1980 film
Cannibal Holocaust
.
, Italy. He grew up in the neighborhood where Rome's major film studios are located. It was there that he learned how to direct under Roberto Rossellini
and Sergio Corbucci
; he helped to make Corbucci's The Son of Spartacus and Django
as an assistant director. Later on in the 1960s, he directed some comedy, musical, and thriller films, before leaving cinema to do TV commercials. In 1976 he returned to the big screen with his ultra-violent police flick Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
.
In 1977 he directed a jungle adventure called Ultimo mondo cannibale
or "The Last Cannibal World" (also known as Jungle Holocaust) starring British actress Me Me Lai
with which he 'rebooted' the cannibal film / mondo genre started years earlier by Italian director Umberto Lenzi.
Late in 1979 he returned to the cannibal subgenre with his ultra-gory Cannibal Holocaust
. The film was shot in the Amazon Rainforest
for a budget of about $100,000, and starred Robert Kerman
, Francesca Ciardi
, and Carl Gabriel Yorke
. The film is a mock-documentary about a group of filmmakers who go into the Amazon Rainforest and subsequently stage scenes of extreme brutality for a Mondo
-style documentary. During production, many cast and crew members protested the use of real animal killing in the film, including Kerman, who walked off the set.
Deodato created massive controversy in Italy
and the United Kingdom
following the release of Cannibal Holocaust, which was wrongly claimed by some to be a "snuff film" due to the overly realistic gore effects. Deodato was forced to reveal the secrets behind the film's special effects and to parade the lead actors before an Italian
court
in order to prove that they were still alive. Deodato also received condemnation, still ongoing, for the use of real animal torture in his films.
Deodato's film license was temporarily revoked and he would not get it back until three years later, which then allowed him to release his 1980 thriller La casa sperduta nel parco (House on the Edge of the Park), which was the most censored of the 'video nasties' in the United Kingdom
for its graphic violence. His Cut and Run is a jungle adventure thriller, containing nudity, extreme violence and the appearance of Michael Berryman
as a crazed, machete-wielding jungle man.
In the '80s he made some other slasher/horror films, including Phantom of Death, Dial Help and Body Count. In the 1990s he turned to TV movies and dramas with some success. Recently, he made a cameo appearance in Hostel: Part II as a cannibal feasting on his victim's leg.
Deodato has made about two dozen films and TV series, his films covering many different genres, including many action films, a western, a barbarian film and even a family film called Mom I Can Do It.
from 1971 to 1979. He has a son from the marriage. His current partner is Micaela Rocco.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screen writer, best known for directing violent and gory horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s. Deodato is infamous for his 1980 film
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
.
Biography
Deodato was born in PotenzaPotenza
-Transportation:Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from Salerno to Taranto, managed by FS Trenitalia; it has also a connection to Altamura, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company...
, Italy. He grew up in the neighborhood where Rome's major film studios are located. It was there that he learned how to direct under Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
and Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci
Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director. He is best known for his very violent yet intelligent spaghetti westerns...
; he helped to make Corbucci's The Son of Spartacus and Django
Django (film)
Django is a 1966 Italian spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in Britain until 1993, when it was...
as an assistant director. Later on in the 1960s, he directed some comedy, musical, and thriller films, before leaving cinema to do TV commercials. In 1976 he returned to the big screen with his ultra-violent police flick Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man
Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man is a 1976 Italian crime film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring Marc Porel.-Cast:* Marc Porel - Fred* Ray Lovelock - Tony* Adolfo Celi - The Boss* Franco Citti - Rudy Ruginski...
.
In 1977 he directed a jungle adventure called Ultimo mondo cannibale
Ultimo mondo cannibale
Ultimo mondo cannibale is a cannibal exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato, which stars Massimo Foschi, Me Me Lai and Ivan Rassimov...
or "The Last Cannibal World" (also known as Jungle Holocaust) starring British actress Me Me Lai
Me Me Lai
Me Me Lai, sometimes billed as Me Me Lay, is an ex-actress born in Burma in 1952, to a Burmese mother and an English father. She moved to England in her teens, where she soon started her acting career, at first in television series like Paul Temple and Jason King...
with which he 'rebooted' the cannibal film / mondo genre started years earlier by Italian director Umberto Lenzi.
Late in 1979 he returned to the cannibal subgenre with his ultra-gory Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
. The film was shot in the Amazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
for a budget of about $100,000, and starred Robert Kerman
Robert Kerman
Robert Charles Kerman , also known as R. Bolla, or Richard Bolla, is an American actor. As R. Bolla, he appeared in well over 100 pornographic films, most famously Debbie Does Dallas...
, Francesca Ciardi
Francesca Ciardi
Francesca Ciardi is an Italian film actress.She was one of four actors whom the Italian police believed had been murdered in the making of the 1980 horror film Cannibal Holocaust. So realistic was the film that shortly after it was released its director Ruggero Deodato was arrested for murder...
, and Carl Gabriel Yorke
Carl Gabriel Yorke
Carl Gabriel Yorke is an American actor.He was one of four actors who the Italian police believed had been murdered in the making of the 1980 horror film Cannibal Holocaust. So realistic was the film that shortly after it was released its director Ruggero Deodato was arrested for murder...
. The film is a mock-documentary about a group of filmmakers who go into the Amazon Rainforest and subsequently stage scenes of extreme brutality for a Mondo
Mondo
Mondo , may also refer to:-Currency:* Mondo , the possible name of a worldwide established currency-Culture and entertainment:Fictional characters* Mondo , a comic book character...
-style documentary. During production, many cast and crew members protested the use of real animal killing in the film, including Kerman, who walked off the set.
Deodato created massive controversy in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
following the release of Cannibal Holocaust, which was wrongly claimed by some to be a "snuff film" due to the overly realistic gore effects. Deodato was forced to reveal the secrets behind the film's special effects and to parade the lead actors before an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
in order to prove that they were still alive. Deodato also received condemnation, still ongoing, for the use of real animal torture in his films.
Deodato's film license was temporarily revoked and he would not get it back until three years later, which then allowed him to release his 1980 thriller La casa sperduta nel parco (House on the Edge of the Park), which was the most censored of the 'video nasties' in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for its graphic violence. His Cut and Run is a jungle adventure thriller, containing nudity, extreme violence and the appearance of Michael Berryman
Michael Berryman
Michael John Berryman is an American actor. He has appeared in several horror movies and other B movies. Berryman is famous for having a distinctive physical appearance as a result of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition which prevents him from developing hair, sweat glands...
as a crazed, machete-wielding jungle man.
In the '80s he made some other slasher/horror films, including Phantom of Death, Dial Help and Body Count. In the 1990s he turned to TV movies and dramas with some success. Recently, he made a cameo appearance in Hostel: Part II as a cannibal feasting on his victim's leg.
Deodato has made about two dozen films and TV series, his films covering many different genres, including many action films, a western, a barbarian film and even a family film called Mom I Can Do It.
Personal Life
Deodato was married to actress Silvia DionisioSilvia Dionisio
Silvia Dionisio is an Italian actress who appeared in several movies in the 1970s, including Amici miei and Ondata di piacere....
from 1971 to 1979. He has a son from the marriage. His current partner is Micaela Rocco.
Director
- "Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen" (1969)
- Waves of Lust (1975)
- Live Like a Cop, Die Like a ManLive Like a Cop, Die Like a ManLive Like a Cop, Die Like a Man is a 1976 Italian crime film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring Marc Porel.-Cast:* Marc Porel - Fred* Ray Lovelock - Tony* Adolfo Celi - The Boss* Franco Citti - Rudy Ruginski...
(1976) - Jungle Holocaust (1977, also known as Ultimo mondo cannibale or The Last Cannibal World)
- The Concorde Affaire '79 (1979)
- Cannibal HolocaustCannibal HolocaustCannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
(1979) - The House on the Edge of the ParkThe House on the Edge of the ParkThe House on the Edge of the Park is a 1980 crime/horror/thriller film from the Italian director Ruggero Deodato. It stars David Hess from Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left , and Giovanni Lombardo Radice....
(1980, also known as La casa sperduta nel parco) - Raiders of Atlantis (1983)
- Cut And Run (1985; also known as Amazonia, The White Jungle, Inferno in diretta and Hell...Live!)
- Body Count (1987; also known as Camping del terroreCamping del terroreCamping del Terrore is a 1987 slasher/horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato and filmed in Italy....
/ Camping Terror) - The Barbarians and Company (1987)
- Phantom of DeathPhantom of DeathPhantom of Death , also known as Off Balance, is a 1988 giallo film directed by Ruggero Deodato.-Plot:...
(1988; also known as Un delitto poco comune of Off Balance) - Dial Help (1988; also known as Ragno gelido or Minaccia d'amore)
- The Washing Machine (1993)
Actor
- Hostel: Part II (2007) as a cannibalistic client
- Red Warlock - Awakening (2010) as a client