Mondo Bizarro / Mondo Freudo (Something Weird)

FAKE....BUT FUN!!!!
Back in the 60's and 70's MONDO released many of these Shock-U-mentaries...to show us just how different the rest of the world is.

MONDO BIZARRO & MONDO FREUDO were both follow ups to the original "MONDO CANE" which first came to theaters in 1964 & 1965.

While Mondo did a great job at completely turning the viewer's stomache and shocking them with scenes of bizarre cult rituals and un-known indian tribes....please be aware that ALL of these great MONDO movies...were 80 percent- FAKE-U-MENTARIES! That's right, most of these documentaries were put out to simply screw with people's heads and make a lot of money. It worked- because most people who went to see Mondo Movies back in the day, believed it was all real! Heck, if Alice Cooper can pull it off on stage....MONDO can pull it off on film.

But, these staged scenes are all part of the fun! It's hilarious to see what they tried to convince audiences back then. Mondo films are not for everyone, but are...

GREAT LOOK BACK!!!
Not very "BIZZARE" by today's standards but it's a great look back at the free-wheeling culture that was the 60s and 70s. A generation that was just starting to come out of the shadow of it's parents wholesome 50's idealizms.

Flawed Commentary
I usually enjoy the input from Johnny Legend but he makes some serious mistakes throughout the commentary tracks, particularly "Mondo Freudo". He chose to watch the film without sound and obviously knew little about what was going on except trying to identify locales. One segment he continues to think is taking place in England and it clearly states it San Fran on the narration. I think it would be wise to at least watch the film prior to doing a commentary and not rely on personal experience and name-dropping. The films are not bad, a little boring in spots but the production credits make them essential cult material. I would have liked to known a bit more about the film segments (what's actually staged and what's real) but the commentators chose to do rambling monologues on personal experiences and neither individuals had anything to do with the films. It's still an interesting package though. Mike Vraney should have listened to the commentary before releasing.

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