MONDO BALORDO (1964)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 87 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)
Editors: Enzo Alfonzo & Fred Von Bernewitz
Narration: Boris Karloff
In the dusty trash bin of bizarre travelogues films from the 60's we find Mondo Balordo (1964), a mondo film with a bit of distinction, not so much in that it explores sights previously unseen from around the globe, but in that it's narrated by Boris Karloff (Frankenstein). Karloff gleefully narrates this journey into the strange as he guides us through the titillating world of knee-high prostitutes and tiny zoot-suited rock n' roll crooners, and as we witness to animals tearing at each others flesh and indigenous people launching spears into the staged carcass of an elephant. We also get a glimpse of Asian rope bondage, several incarnations of prostitution, gay bars, transgenders cabaret, spiritual exorcism and other topics that were taboo in the early 60's.
Truthfully there's not much here to crow about as mondo travelogues go, it's a somewhat random assortment of weird stuff from around the world assembled from cheap stock footage by not-so-savy editors, but this one's got a bit more punch since they slapped on a narration by Boris Karloff. If I had seen this as a kid it would have been a trip seeing anything with nude women being narrated by a voice that, at that point, I would have only associated with The Grinch Who Stole Christmas animated Christmas special. It's that narration, with Karloff clearly having a fun time delivering his wordy scripted pages, that what makes this a bit more fun than your average slapdash mondo travelogue.
Audio/Video: Mondo Balordo (1967) debuts on region-free Blu-ray from Severin Films framed in 1.66:1 widescreen in 1080p HD, sourced from a 4K scan from the inter-negative. The source is in great shape with a nice pattern of film grain, but as the footage is pulled from such a variety sources the quality fluctuates throughout. Some of it is marred by white speckling, frame damage and scratches, but overall it's quite pleasing for a travelogue film of this sort and vintage, I dig the grindhouse aesthetic of it. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles, and like the video the quality the audio is inconsistent, but Boris Karloff's narration sounds terrific, capturing him in fine form with the humor of it easily discernible in the delivery.
Extras include a scratchy looking 3-min trailer for the film plus a bonus travelogue films,the 92-min The Orientals (1960) that was scanned from a 35mm print sourced the Something Weird archives.
The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the cool-looking original movie poster, the same artwork is featured on the disc inside. It's got a colorful spine with pink lettering on a yellow background that stands out on the shelf.
Special Features:
- The Orientals - 1960 Italian Mondo, scanned from 35mm print from the Something Weird archives (92 min)
- Trailer
These mondo travelogue films are an acquired taste, I am not a huge fan of them myself, so I won't be giving this a high recommend, but if you're one of those cinema loonies with a craving for slapdash journeys into the strange, the bizarre and the forbidden, this offers plenty of it with the added bonus that it's narrated by Karloff.
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
