During the ’70s, movies sought to be a bit more sleezy and graphic in order to get people to leave the safe confines of their living room and TV set. Goodbye Uncle Tom was one of those films that disturbed film critics and lured viewers to the rundown downtown theaters. The movie was a collision of a documentary about slavery in America and an exploitation film. Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi had previously scored a hit with the shockumentary Mondo Cane. That film scored an Oscar nomination for the song “More.” Goodbye Uncle Tom would not make it to any envelope at the Academy. Even though the American distributor edited the film down, the reviews were horrific. Gene Siskel called it the second sickest film of 1972 behind Last House on the Left. Roger Ebert declared, “the most disgusting, contemptuous insult to decency ever to masquerade as a documentary.” Blue Underground is upgrading Goodbye Uncle Tom to 4K UHD in April. The boxset includes both the uncut Italian version and the American cut that so repulsed Siskel and Ebert. This is a limited release. Here’s the press release from Blue Underground with all the details:

Blue Underground Presents the Cult Classic

GOODBYE UNCLE TOM

on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray   

[4K UHD]

[Blu-ray/CD]

4/23/24

On April 23rd, Blue Underground releases Goodbye Uncle Tom, one of the most graphic and notorious films ever made, on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray.  

Originally released in 1971, Goodbye Uncle Tom is an Italian mondo-docudrama based on true events about the rise and revolt of slavery in America.  

Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi (Mondo Cane) used period documentation and historical accounts to recreate the antebellum south and the horrors of the slave trade. The film was so shocking in its detailed look at the atrocities of slavery that distributors in the US forced Jacopetti and Prosperi to cut it and radically re-edit the film before release.  

Even in its truncated form, Goodbye Uncle Tom created a stir amongst critics. Roger Ebert called it, “… the most disgusting, contemptuous insult to decency ever to masquerade as a documentary.” while Pauline Kael said, “the most specific and rabid incitement to race war,” and The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as “a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film.”  

Goodbye Uncle Tom can now be seen more than five decades after its initial release in both its original uncut Italian version, alongside its drastically different English version, both fully restored in 4K from their original camera negatives. Includes a bonus Blu-ray disc with a wealth of supplemental features that give context to the staggering and violent look back at this horrific chapter of American history.  

The 4K UHD and Blu-ray Extras special features include feature-length documentaries; never-before-seen interviews with writers/directors Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi, composer Riz Ortolani and others; rare behind-the-scene footage; English and Italian trailers; still galleries, including Giampaolo Lomi’s behind-the-scenes photos; a bonus CD of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Riz Ortolani; and a collectible booklet. 

Goodbye Uncle Tom (4-Disc Limited Edition) [4K UHD]

The first motion picture, based on historical facts, about the rise and revolt of slavery in America.

EVERY SCENE LOOKS YOU STRAIGHT IN THE EYE… AND SPITS!

The film considered too shocking for the world! Written, edited, produced and directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi of MONDO CANE fame, this epic recreation of the American slave trade atrocities was both condemned as depraved exploitation and acclaimed as an unprecedented cry of Black anguish and rage. The Detroit Chronicle hailed it as “a graphic, moving, nerve-paralyzing film.” Legendary film critic Pauline Kael called it “the most specific and rabid incitement of the race war.” It became one of the most reviled and misunderstood films of its time. Five decades cannot diminish GOODBYE UNCLE TOM’s impact or quiet its controversy as it has become even more relevant TODAY!

In 1971, distributors forced the filmmakers to completely re-cut the film and radically re-write its extreme narration, removing more than 13 minute of race-war politics and inserting alternate scenes – creating what would become an entirely different film – before it could be released. Now more than 50 years later, both versions of GOODBYE UNCLE TOM can finally be seen in brand-new restorations, scanned in 4K 16-bit from their original negatives, with Dolby Vision HDR & newly restored DTS-HD Master Audio, and packed with over 5 hours of Extras!

Media

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Bonus Materials

• Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) Widescreen 2.40:1 feature presentations
• Audio: 1.0 DTS-HD MA (English); 1.0 DTS-HD MA (Italian)
• English Version (123 Mins.) with Optional English SDH and Espanol Subtitles + English Trailer
• Italian Version (136 Mins.) with Optional English and English SDH Subtitles + Italian Trailer
• THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOCKING: GUALTIERO JACOPETTI – A feature-length documentary by Director Andrea Bettinetti (94 Mins.)
• THE GODFATHERS OF MONDO – A feature-length documentary by Director David Gregory (89 Mins.)
• Goodbye Cruel Mondo – Interviews with Writers/Directors Gualtiero Jacopetti & Franco Prosperi, and Composer Riz Ortolani (20 Mins.)
• Behind-the-Scenes 8mm Footage with Audio Commentary by Production Manager Giampaolo Lomi (50 Mins.)
• Mondo Mercenaries – Interview with Author & Academic Mark Goodall (27 Mins.)
• Abjection Under Authoritarianism – Interview with Professor Matthew J. Smith (20 Mins.)
• Extensive Still Galleries, including Giampaolo Lomi’s Behind-the-Scenes Photos
• BONUS! GOODBYE UNCLE TOM Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD by Riz Ortolani
• BONUS! Collectible Booklet with new essay by Dan Madigan