La donna nel mondo
| Women of the World | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by |
Gualtiero Jacopetti Paolo Cavara Franco Prosperi |
| Produced by | Gualtiero Jacopetti Paolo Cavara Franco Prosperi |
| Written by | Gualtiero Jacopetti Paolo Cavara Franco Prosperi |
| Narrated by | Stefano Sibaldi Peter Ustinov (English-language version) |
| Music by |
Nino Oliviero Riz Ortolani orchestrated and conducted by Riz Ortolani |
| Cinematography | Antonio Climati Benito Frattari |
| Edited by | Gualtiero Jacopetti |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Embassy Pictures |
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Release date
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Italy: January 30, 1963 United States: July 2, 1963 |
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Language | Italian |
Women of the World (original title La donna nel mondo) is a 1963 Italian mondo film, also described as a "shockumentary", written and directed by filmmakers Gualtiero Jacopetti, Paolo Cavara and Franco Prosperi. It was rushed into release on 30 January, following the international box-office success achieved by its predecessor, the initial mondo film, Mondo Cane, which premiered in Italy ten months earlier, 30 March 1962.
Following the pattern set by the original concept and consisting mostly of leftover footage from the first film, Women of the World is, again, a series of travelogue vignettes which provide glimpses into the lives of its title subjects, with the intention of shocking or surprising Western film audiences. However, unlike the previous film which had no specific central subject matter, but rather presented a kaleidoscopic display of shocking content, the second film was marketed as directly promising a titillating display of feminine flesh and intriguing as well as exotic sexual practices. As with the first film, despite its claims of being a genuine documentary, a number of the depicted scenes are either staged or creatively manipulated.
At the start, feminine ability to distract men is emphasized by the roving eyes of servicemen who, wearing their dress uniforms during a festive march down city streets, cannot avert their eyes from the legs, bosoms and faces of the beautiful girls lining the streets. Staying with the military theme, Israeli women soldiers, serving alongside their male counterparts, are shown enjoying nude bathing and then, thousands of kilometers in another direction, Roger Hopkins, a retired Scotsman who once held the rank of colonel, is visited on tropical Iwa Island, 200 km [130 miles] from mainland New Guinea, where he lives with his 84 "wives", who are aged from about 13 to 18, and their 52 children. On another warm island, off the coast of Australia, the absence of women causes some, many, or most members of the island's male population to act out the roles of seductive mermaids.
Turning the focus on Europe, French summer behavior is also shown to elevate the temperature, as July celebrations of Bastille Day in Paris include passionate public kissing among strangers in the streets. Then, to Italy where, in the city of Ravenna, the military statue of 15th century condottiero Guidarello Guidarelli is the object of endless kisses from visiting women who stand in line for the privilege. In a brief look at women's subservient roles in religion, Sweden's sole female minister is shown conducting mass, and then the focus is back in Paris to observe cabarets welcoming homosexuals and lesbians. Returning to the faraway jungles of Papua New Guinea, homosexual tribesman preen while decorating themselves, while the tribeswomen are shown doing endless chores. Back in France, on the nudist Île du Levant, bodies are fully on display, while in China, women, afraid of sun rays injuring their skin, take outdoor baths while wearing light gowns.
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Wikipedia