A 1965 faux-mondo exposé peeling back the so-called depravity for curious eyes.
IT'S A SICK, SICK, SICK WORLD
Faux-mondo movie featuring sex, drugs, violence and the familiar dulcet tones of Joel Holt.
From the days when moral outrage was just another marketing strategy.
Why let the facts get in the way of a little titillation? Antonio Scarpati’s so-called documentary borrows the 'mondo' template, serving up staged depravity and moralizing narration from Joel Holt. Expect exploitative shocks, not legitimate reportage.
— SassyFlix Programmer
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World is a 1965 US documentary directed by Antonio Scarpati that presents a faux-mondo view of sex, drugs, and violence, narrated by Joel Holt.
- Director
- Antonio Scarpati
- Release
- 1965
- Runtime
- 1h 10m
- Genres
- Documentary
Synopsis
In 1965, this was not possible. You couldn't even (yet) see hardcore pornography in a movie theater, never mind in your own home. What little glimpses you could get had to be dressed up in the costume of documentarianism, as the camera's unblinking eye showed you the "truth" about how depraved certain parts of the world were. There, yet hidden from polite society. And it all had to be cloaked in a tone of moral disapproval.
Just one thing: it wasn't true at all. These are the original mockumentaries. This is (mostly) not news footage or documentary footage in any way, shape, or form. It's staged for the cameras, and manipulated for maximum titillation.
IASSSW contains all the usual hits of the mondo genre: condescending narrator, ostensible tone of moral disapproval cloaking titillation, shot without sound, use of random library production music. But this sucker goes much further than Mondo Cane, or any of the other more "mainstream" entries. There are actual nude strippers, gay guys making out on a roof, and a hooker and a guy shooting up heroin in a public bathroom. New footage shot on location in New York, with stock footage from other parts of the world (Europe mostly, some actual footage of German hookers in public) to give the piece the feel of the usual Mondo Movie. I'm sure this never got play anywhere outside of urban grindhouses or the most adventurous drive-ins.
Plenty of sleazy flavor here, circa 1965 Manhattan. While Don Draper was in his Greenwich village apartment swilling scotch, gay guys were up on the roof having fun.
I would check it out if you already enjoy the Mondo genre and have seen a bunch of the more obvious titles. This one is rather obscure.
Why Cult
This faux-mondo romp parodies the genre's self-serious attempts at exposing vice and weirdness.
Packed with the era's requisite nudity and taboo-breaking content, it pushes at the boundaries of 1965 decorum.
Joel Holt’s familiar tones guide viewers through the orchestrated mayhem, adding an extra layer of sleaze.
Trailer
Scene Gallery
Questions from the Vault
What is It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World about? +
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World is a 1965 documentary directed by Antonio Scarpati that assembles staged scenes of sex, drugs, and violence under the guise of exposé, with narration from Joel Holt.
When was It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World released? +
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World was released in 1965.
Who directed It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World? +
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World was directed by Antonio Scarpati.
How long is It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World? +
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World runs for 70 minutes.
What genre is It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World? +
It's a Sick, Sick, Sick World is a documentary, specifically in the mondo and sexploitation subgenres.
