CELLULOID NIGHTMARES: GOODBYE UNCLE TOM (1981)

CELLULOID NIGHTMARES is a new feature here on the blog. This gives me the opportunity to look at some of the world's most shocking, divisive and controversial films ever released. This is where you find the likes of 'A Serbian Film' or 'The Killing of America' to name but a few. In this series I hope to shine a light of films that are labelled as explosition trash. I will attempt to argue their cases as important works and ones that should be reconsidered by film fanatics and scholars of the world. 

In this week's edition we take a look at what Roger Ebert described as "the most disgusting, contemptuous insult to decency ever to masquerade as a documentary", the film in question is 'Goodnight Uncle Tom'. 

Championed in recent years by Nicolas Winding Refn (Fear X, Bleeder) and Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel), 'Goodnight Uncle Tom' is a radical reworking of the Mondo genre. Mondo was a term used to describe movies that were made to shock and awe western audiences. These films consisted of a series of travellodge vignettes that would often highlight the strange and weird aspects of other cultures. 'Goodnight Uncle Tom' was a departure in many ways from the original format. It openly acknowledged that what we were seeing was a recreation of the subject it was depicting. Unlike it's predecessors, which didn't have a structured argument or real message behind the work, 'Goodnight Uncle Tom' is a Molotov Cocktail thrown at America. A film like this couldn't be made by an American. The sheer ugliness and arresting images sketched across it's 2 hour runtime is nothing short of exhausting. This should be pleasant viewing and so it shouldn't. 

The conceit of the film explores two Italian filmmakers photographing the lifestyle of slaves and their masters. The film plays out similarly to Pasolini's Salo (1975) in the sense that we have fictionized interviews with senior aristocrats sprouting some of the most infuriating racist remarks ever committed to celluoid. What's most shocking is the constant stream of abuse and degraduation of African Americans throughout the film. Men, woman and young children are abused in truly despicable ways. I am not going to describe them here. This is not because I wish to offend anyone but it's more that my words wouldn't give the images justice. Some of the images will stick with you long after watching it. 

In many ways 'Goodnight Uncle Tom' is a lot like the controversial exhibition 'Exhibit B' (Brett Bailey) must of been like to walk through. You really feel like you are there, observing these appalling acts of abuse. There is a running theme that African Americas are no different to animals. Not only is that last statement truly offensive, this film openly depicts rape, genocide and human trafficking in it's purest form. This is why many people naturally couldn't deal with the film. The original print of the film, which ran a full 12 minutes longer caused a riot in New York. The filmmakers then were forced to remove these in order to reduce the risk of further violence. Even as a  white causcian, watching this film makes you want to react in the same way. 

The film is designed in a way to evoke pure anger and hatred. It's this problem which both serves the film it's strength and it's weakness. The filmmakers capturing the film are rarely ever present in front of the camera, outside of a problematic scene where one of them has sex with a 13 year old virgin. There are a few moments where the filmmakers voice their disgust for the appalling acts they are witnessing, but are never truly under threat for saying a difference of opinion. This is where the film could of played with it's narrative a little more boldly. 

Having the filmmakers come under threat or end up partaking in an act of violence against the slaves might of given the film more of a wider context and purpose. As it stands the film merely presents 110 minutes of constant racist abuse and a debatable 10 minute revenge sequence to serve as a form of redemptive release. This doesn't solely work and if anything goes to further create further divide between the audience and America's fracture racial divide. I personally liked the decision to compare point these acts of racial abuse with an underlying hatred for White's in the present day. It went to depict how racism can be perperuated. The passage we hear of Nate Turner's confession would later go on to be made into 'The Birth of a Nation' (Nate Parker). Although I haven't seen the later, I doubt the true sense of racial violence isn't as appalling as in this matter of fact Mockumentary. 

I can't really recommend this film. There is no denying that it is a niche film. At the same time it is one of the most uncompromising depictions of racism I have ever seen. The true scale of the film is up there with some of Hollywood's historical epics. The fact these filmmakers got real people to reconstruct these authentic and awful acts of violence is a true testament to the performers. Whether the filmmakers are exploiting their subjects is debatable, one which essay's could be written on. It's a truly gut-wrenching work that is worth exploring, if you have the stomach for it.