Think Fellini meets Burton meets Lynch meets Greenaway meets Pasolini meets any of a half dozen other film makers. A film of visual delights thats coupled with a very thought provoking narrative.The plot concerns a very happy go lucky "skips everywhere with wild abandon" young man who falls madly in love with a princess. When he is caught in an inappropriate situation with her, he's banned from the castle. Thus begins a quest to find his lady love and himself as he travels across a medieval landscape that becomes modern New York, Ireland and Israel. During the course of the journey he finds that all is not as happy and joyous as he once thought.I watched this in Italian with no subtitles and was completely enraptured. This is a visually wonderful film that makes you think and ponder about what life really is and who people are (his grand lady love is far from the chaste goddess he imagines). I can only imagine how much understanding the dialog will add to the experience. This is a film unlike anything they make now a days, and only did when one of the cinema's great minds was behind it. Its wild and wanton and has everything including, in all probability, a kitchen sink. Even 12 hours after viewing it I'm still playing out much of what I saw in my mind. Forgive the lack of discussion but this is a hard film to explain or discuss briefly.Many people don't like the work of the directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco E. Prosperi who made their name in the world of Mondo movies and think that all they wanted to do was cause a sensation. On some level I think they did want to do that but at the same time they did manage to turn out some very thought provoking films chiefly Africa Addio and Addio zio Tom. Here they prove that they could do more than real life sensationalism and have managed to turn out a fine little film.I really liked this movie a great deal and look forward to seeing it again with some form of English translation. I recommend it especially if you want to get away from conventional European cinema.

Starting off as some kind of a typical Italian, gross, sexy comedy of the seventies, I wasn't really expecting it could end up digging into me. Lousy gags everywhere, absurd, unacceptable, incoherent sights (I mean, naked female Israeli fighters, come on) and featuring Gianfranco D'Angelo as the baron. "Thrash" seemed the only viable label for that. But as the movie goes on, incoherence, harass and nonsense build up to such an amount (and even mix up with suggestive images) one must admit it really is *something*. Some good time to spend for those who loved "mondo cane," but I probably wouldn't mind enough to start a video shop hunt for it (in fact it was being aired overnight by Italian stations.)

This movie reminds me at the work of Fellini. It's perhaps even more cynical and extravagant. But "Mondo Candido" is a true, genuine, masterpiece, a rare gem coming from the colourful imagination of the Italian directors team Jacopetti & Prosperi who were responsible for the shockumentaries in the past. Behind this kaleidoscope of violence, black humour and pessimism you will find a series of metaphors and a lot of symbolism. We can only hope that this movie will become available in widescreen on DVD in the future... Highly recommended!

Candide is a nice, innocent young man who is raised in a castle of a noble family in Westphalia during the medieval age. Dr. Pangloss, a teacher of metaphysics and philosophy educates him and tells that he lives in the best of all possible worlds and that any apparent absurdity, misery and conflict are actually all parts of a greater good that mortals cannot perceive. The happy life of Candido changes drastically when he falls in love with the Baron's daughter Cunegonda and is caught with her. Candide is banned from the castle and starts traveling into a timeless world, searching for his lost love. Candide attempts to stay optimistic as unbelievable horrors unfold in a world full of brutality, war, slavery and sickness...The makers of this movie base the film on a cynical satire `Candide' from the French writer Voltaire. Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi are known for their documentaries in which they have already presented the horrors of the world: MONDO CANE (part 1 and 2), AFRICA ADDIO and the very revolting ADDIO ZIO TOM. In comparison with other shockumentaries, all these movies are very well directed, have a racy comment and contain unforgettable images. "Mondo Candido" is a masterpiece. It's sensational, sometimes shocking but you will see a series of unforgettable images, very beautifully filmed, even though they are cruel, nihilistic and pessimistic. The superb musical score from Riz Ortolani is available now, but it is very difficult to find this exceptional movie. Rating:10!