MovieChat Forums > Mondo Trasho (1969) Discussion > Inexcusable Animl Deaths at the start

Inexcusable Animl Deaths at the start


Ok, I'm a big John Waters fan and like any 'Waters fan, I managed to obtain one of his early films.

Even though slightly long and very boring at times, It has a JW signature written all over it and is a must for any of his fans.


Next point - My main problem with this movie -

The pointless animal deaths at the start...Several Chickens are beheaded by a masked man and is obviously to shock the audience by stating that this movie is gross and very 'Trash like'. I dont buy it, and I found this extremely offensive and cruel. And since I am a Vegetarian and completely against (and opposed to) animal cruelty in real life, I find it even more disturbing that someone would want to do it for their art...its completely inexcusable and literally boils my anger.

John Waters has gone right down in my estimation as I didnt think he would be like this...If the chicken decapitations were used from stock footage of a slaughterhouse than this would be slightly acceptable (I emphasize on the word 'slightly' as I am against any activity of such sort).

As soon as I watched the opening of 'Mondo Trasho', my complete admiration for 'JW and his anti-hollywood statements' had vansished because he can shock and gross out audiences without resorting to animal deaths/cruelty.

I cant seem to find an official site for JOHN WATERS but I would like to email him personaly and give him my thoughts on this matter.


So, if your aim is to shock and offend...then you have done it John...but at the cost of losing respect from your film fans.


And remember John, You are a filmmaker and an artist.... not a barbaric low-life who tortures animals for exploitation.


What has this world come to.....I sincerely do ask ?

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I totally agree with it.
Art and animal abuse can't exist in the same sentence...Or can they?

One of art galleries in California had an exhibition: a series of videos that capture the so-called artist killing various animals.....

After a massive campaign this piece of utter trash was removed but the damage was done.

In one of the latin-american countries another lunatic put a dog in his gallery and kept it without food and water until the animal died.

The stunt became such a big success that he had been asked to do it again as a part of another art expo.


I will never understand it. Nor will accept.



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Inexcusable. Loathesome and immoral at every level.

IF I saw this in real-life, I think the police would have to lock me up for what I could potentially do to these low-life scumbags !!!

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Yeah man, let's get pissd off over some dead chickens from 40 years ago...

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Waters was trying to send up 'Mondo' films: a cycle of Italian exploitative 'shockumentaries' which exposed bizarre cultural practices, and which included scenes of dogs being eaten in an East Asian restaurant (beginning with 'Mondo Cane' (literally meaning 'A Dog's Life' (1961). The opening scene of the slaughtered chickens was intended to reference such films - although it also reminds me of the eye-slitting opening to Bunuel's Un Chien Andalou (1929); in both cases a visual affront! Waters also included a chicken being slaughtered in Pink Flamingos, remember?

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Animals kill Animals...get over it!!

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Hold on, before we condemn this what's the background behind the shots. Was this shot on a farm were it would have happened anyway, similar to how Apocalypse Now was filmed. I feel Killing animals for the sole purpose of entertainment in films such Cannibal Holocaust is wrong but if there's some other reason behind it and the action was captured on film then it may be forgivable.

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You guys know that the chickens were going to get killed anyway right?

Living Beings die, it doesn't matter how or when they still die.
GET THE *beep* OVER IT.




Also Cannibal Holocaust is a master piece.

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Chickens die everyday...SUCK IT HIPPIE!!!!

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I've read that Waters didn't film the chickens himself, but bought the footage in a stock-footage package deal.

That said, the sequence still keeps me from ever watching the film again.

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I agree. I love Water's movies but I can't get with that. Even if the chickens were being killed for food anyway I don't think their deaths should be used for our entertainment. It disappointed me as well.

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