Overview: The film considered too shocking for the world! Written, edited, produced and directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi of MONDO CANE fame, this epic recreation of the American slave trade atrocities was both condemned as depraved exploitation and acclaimed as an unprecedented cry of Black anguish and rage.

The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film. Legendary film critic Pauline Kael called it the most specific and rabid incitement of the race war. It became one of the most reviled and misunderstood films of its time.

Five decades cannot diminish GOODBYE UNCLE TOM’s impact or quiet its controversy as it has become even more relevant TODAY!

In 1971, distributors forced the filmmakers to completely re-cut the film and radically re-write its extreme narration, removing more than 13 minute of race-war politics and inserting alternate scenes - creating what would become an entirely different film - before it could be released.

Now more than 50 years later, both versions of GOODBYE UNCLE TOM can finally be seen in brand-new restorations, scanned in 4K 16-bit from their original negatives, with Dolby Vision HDR & newly restored DTS-HD Master Audio, and packed with over 5 hours of Extras!

Blu-ray Verdict: I’ve seen a lot of offensive films in my time, from Cannibal Holocaust to A Siberian Film, but this one is easily the most tasteless, offensive, unpleasant films I have ever seen. Yet somehow it is also riveting, like watching a car crash unfold in slow motion. Several times I was on the verge of turning it off in sheer disgust, but found myself holding off, just to see how much more depraved it could get.

The plot, such as it is, concerns a pair of time-traveling reporters from Italy going back to the south of the USA during the heyday of slavery, to conduct an inquest into slavery. Presenting itself as a condemnation of slavery, it instead revels in the unpleasantness, delivering atrocity upon atrocity with a smirk on it’s face. The horror inflicted on the slaves in Django Unchained pales in comparison to the never-ending parade of unpleasantness served up here.

I suppose it does present a view of what slaves went through at the time, but it’s hard to feel that they are condemning the acts when all the slaves are presented as little more than dumb animals.

Amongst the dubious delights on offer are rape, castration, pedophilia and the truly horrible scene where the poor reporter is seduced by a 13 year old black prostitute. It’s made so much worse as everything is presented as though we are seeing it through their eyes.

It’s certainly all unforgettable, and if you’re not easily offended or squeamish, it’s worth watching once, even if it’s just to see how low Italian exploitation cinema managed to stoop. You might need a good shower afterwards, however, but all that said, at its core, Goodbye Uncle Tom is an enigma. It will open your mind by horrifying you whilst at the same time leaving you questioning your taste in film and your sense of values.

Limited Edition Special Features:
Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) Widescreen 2.40:1 feature presentations
Audio: 1.0 DTS-HD MA (English); 1.0 DTS-HD MA (Italian)
English Version (123 Mins.) with Option
al English SDH and Espanol Subtitles + English Trailer Italian Version (136 Mins.) with Optional English and English SDH Subtitles + Italian Trailer
THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOCKING: GUALTIERO JACOPETTI – A feature-length documentary by Director Andrea Bettinetti (94 Mins.)
THE GODFATHERS OF MONDO – A feature-length documentary by Director David Gregory (89 Mins.)
Goodbye Cruel Mondo - Interviews with Writers/Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi, and Composer Riz Ortolani (20 Mins.)
Behind-the-Scenes 8mm Footage with Audio Commentary by Production Manager Giampaolo Lomi (50 Mins.)
Mondo Mercenaries - Interview with Author & Academic Mark Goodall (27 Mins.)
Abjection Under Authoritarianism - Interview with Professor Matthew J. Smith (20 Mins.)
Extensive Still Galleries, including Giampaolo Lomi’s Behind-the-Scenes Photos
BONUS! GOODBYE UNCLE TOM Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by Riz Ortolani
BONUS! Collectible Booklet with new essay by Dan Madigan

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