Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Goodbye Uncle Tom 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 13, 2024

Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi's "Goodbye Uncle Tom" (1971) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the release include archival documentaries; archival interviews with the filmmakers; recent program with professor Matthew J. Smith; various archival promotional and publicity materials; and a lot more. In English or Italian, with optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles. Reigon-Free.

Why does a film like Goodbye Uncle Tom exist? Well, I can easily name two dozen reasons why it should not. It is pretty easy. All I have to do is pretend that I am outraged and then proceed to describe it as a grand abomination that was crafted under false pretexts. From this description, I can then pull out the two dozen reasons. If you look around, you can quickly dig up various reviews from prominent critics that do precisely that. In fact, the folks at Blue Underground proudly quote a few of them on the covers of their upcoming 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases of Goodbye Uncle Tom. But let’s go back to the original question. Why does a film like Goodbye Uncle Tom exist?

I will give you two reasons. However, do not interpret them as a veiled endorsement of Goodbye Uncle Tom. Years ago, when I first viewed it, I barely reached its final credits because it bored me to tears. This time, it took me several days to go through both versions of it, and the entire experience felt like a punishment for what I am about to state below.

The first reason is that many people enjoy films like Goodbye Uncle Tom. No, it is not hard to believe. The entire mondo genre, which Goodbye Uncle Tom is considered to be a masterpiece of, flourished precisely because these people demanded films like it. However, not all mondo films are the same. The ones that focus on the bizarre in different cultures around the world are quite interesting, or perhaps it is safer to describe them as amusing, and I own a few. I do not enjoy them, but they are so different from all other films, I think that they are worth exploring and a few even owning. Goodbye Uncle Tom is different too, but it mixes its bizarre content with politics, which makes it an awful button-pusher.

The second reason is reflective of my conviction that to fully appreciate the best films, you must see at least some of the worst films. It is an educational experience that can place a lot of things in a proper context, including the system mainstream critics are a part of that dictates to the masses what is a good and bad film. I think that Goodbye Uncle Tom is one of those worst films whose existence is quite beneficial.

Blue Underground presents new 4K restorations of two versions of Goodbye Uncle Tom -- a shorter English version, which has a running time of approximately 123 minutes, and a longer Italian version, which has a running time of approximately 136 minutes. They are quite different, but not because one is simply longer than the other. They are narrated and edited differently. Still, both versions are horrendous films. I would recommend seeing the English version first and then, if still curious, spend a night with the Italian version, but do not expect a different outcome. Both versions are variations of the same awful, politically tainted button-pusher.

Goodbye Uncle Tom was conceived and completed by Italian filmmakers Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi in 1971. It is an ambitious project, or at least as far as Italian genre projects from the same period are concerned, that pretends to be interested in American history and produces an avalanche of toxic visuals depicting human depravity. It is supposed to be set in the American South, most of it sometime before the Civil War, but it is essentially a staged cinematic nightmare whose characters are utterly irrelevant. While it lasts, the nightmare unloads some of the sickest visuals ever captured on film that are supposed to convey something meaningful about the slave trade. But there is absolutely nothing of value there, so the entire viewing experience quickly evolves into an endurance test.

Goodbye Uncle Tom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue Underground's release of Goodbye Uncle Tom is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. However, it has two 4K Blu-ray discs with the two versions of the film -- one for the shorter English version, and one for the longer Italian version -- and a Blu-ray disc with bonus features. So, if you need a 1080p presentation of Goodbye Uncle Tom, you will need to acquire the Blu-ray release that streets on the same date.

Please note that all screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray discs, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-20 are from the English version.
Screencaptures #23-32 are from the Italian version.

Both versions of Goodbye Uncle Tom have been exclusively restored in 4K and can be viewed with HDR and Dolby Vision grades. I viewed the English version with HDR and then spent time with the Italian version.

I have only one previous experience with the English language version of Goodbye Uncle Tom, which took place several decades ago, and I recall it looking rather rough. The new 4K makeover that was prepared for it is quite incredible. To be honest, even though I am not a fan of the film, now it looks like a much more impressive production. For example, quite a few of the mass sequences have a rich appearance that is beautifully reproduced in native 4K. Despite the many blending of plenty of contrasting material, delineation, clarity, and depth are always enormously impressive as well. Color balance is convincing. The HDR grade handles brighter and darker primaries very well, while the supporting nuances are properly set. I thought that a few areas could have had slightly more prominent blues, but I did not encounter any anomalies. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. The entire film is spotless, too. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Goodbye Uncle Tom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The English version is presented with English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track and optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles. The Italian version is presented with Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track and optional English and English SDH subtitles.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track is excellent. While there are some small inherited fluctuations, clarity and sharpness are always very good. Dynamic intensity is good, too. However, despite the impressive mass, you should not expect to hear a great variety of nuanced dynamics. I did not encounter any encoding imperfections to report in our review.

Goodbye Uncle Tom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC ONE - ENGLISH VERSION

• Trailer - fully restored original English language trailer for Goodbye Uncle Tom. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

4K BLU-RAY DISC TWO - ITALIAN VERSION

• Trailer - fully restored original Italian language trailer for Goodbye Uncle Tom. In Italian, with English subtitles. (5 min).

BLU-RAY DISC - BONUS FEATURES

• The Importance of Shocking: Gualtiero Jacopetti - this archival documentary examines the life, career, and creative philosophy of Gualtiero Jacopetti. Included in it are clips from interviews with Ursula Andress, composer Riz Ortolani, journalist/screenwriter Claudio Quarantotto, director/actor Jean Douchet, and documentarian Folco Quiilici, among others. The documentary was produced by Andrea Bettinetti in 2009. In Italian, English, and French, with English subtitles. (94 min).

• The Godfathers of Mondo - this archival documentary focuses on the emergence and success of the mondo documentary and the directors that did the most to popularize it. A good section of it is dedicated to Goodbye Uncle Tom. The documentary was produced by David Gregory in 2003. In English and Italian, with English subtitles. (90 min).

• Goodbye Cruel Mondo - this program gathers archival interviews with writers/directors Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi and composer Riz Ortolani. The interviews reveal that initially Goodbye Uncle Tom was supposed to be a cinematic adaption of Kyle Onstott's novel Mandingo, but after several setbacks a different concept for it emerged. Their comments also address the production, controversial visuals, themes, and soundtrack of Goodbye Uncle Tom. In Italian, with English subtitled. The program was produced by David Gregory. In Italian, with English subtitles. (20 min).

• Behind the Scenes 8mm Footage - presented here is behind the scenes 8mm footage from the filming of Goodbye Uncle Tom, which can be viewed with an audio commentary by production manager Giampaolo Lomi. In English, not subtitled. (50 min).

• Mondo Mercenaries - in this program, author and academic Marc Goodall discusses Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi's professional relationship and explains how their films created the mondo genre. Some of the comments address Goodbye Uncle Tom as well as the notorious Mondo Cane documentary. The program was produced by High Rising Productions in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Abjection Under Authoritarianism - in this program, professor Matthew J. Smith discusses Goodbye Uncle Tom. The program was produced by High Rising Productions in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Posters - presented here is a large collection of original posters for Goodbye Uncle Tom from around the world. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Advertising Materials - presented here is a collection of original advertising materials -- printed material, documents, etc. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Japanese Souvenir Program - presented here is a collection of original Japanese promotional materials. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Lobby Cards - presented here original lobby cards for Goodbye Uncle Tom from around the world. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Stills - presented here original are original black-and-white production stills. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Video & Soundtrack - presented here is a large collection of covers for various domestic and international home video releases of Goodbye Uncle Tom, as well as soundtrack jackets. The collection was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Giampaolo Lomi's Photographs - presented here is a collection of behind the scenes photographs from the personal collection of assistant director/production manager Giampaolo Lomi. These photographs capture the cast and crew during the filming of Goodbye Uncle Tom.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Soundtrack - a separate CD disc with Riz Ortolani's original soundtrack for Goodbye Uncle Tom. 23 tracks. Total running time: 53.10 min.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring Dan Madigan's essay "A Case for Goodbye Uncle Tom" and film and soundtrack credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with original Italian poster art for Goodbye Uncle Tom.

Goodbye Uncle Tom 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Goodbye Uncle Tom is the biggest and most ambitious of all mondo films. However, it is arguably the most manipulative among them as well. It pretends to be interested in American history and produces an avalanche of toxic visuals depicting human depravity that can easily make one feel sick for weeks. Unsurprisingly, Goodbye Uncle Tom comes from the 1970s, which is the decade that supplied the boldest, most controversial and most interesting films that we have today. Blue Underground's combo pack introduces a fabulous exclusive new 4K restoration of Goodbye Uncle Tom with an outstanding selection of bonus features, some of which should be required viewing for folks that wish to understand why the mondo films emerged and what made them successful. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED only to the fans.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that this combo pack does not have a standard Blu-ray disc with a 1080p presentation of the new 4K restoration of Goodbye Uncle Tom. If you want one, you need to pick up the standard Blu-ray release that streets on the same date with it.