catesa I know there are a lot of people who absolutely loathe this film (granted, the thought of someone "loving" it is disturbing), but I think that anger is a little mis-directed. Should we be shocked and grossed out by it? Of course. But I don't think the point of "Goodbye Uncle Tom" is merely to make people queasy, as so many of these reviews suggest. One could certainly claim that this is nothing more than a smut film, using slavery as an excuse to be as depraved as possible, however that's fairly reductionist considering how depraved American slavery actually was.And that is where I'm going with this - we Anglo-Americans (particularly if you grew up in the south like me) have typically been taught a hyper-sanitized version of our slave-holding, racist history. Perhaps we find it offensive because we don't want to believe that it's accurate. No matter how cruel and disgusting it is, there is nothing shown in this movie that white Americans didn't actually do to black Americans(rape, brandings, castrations, torture, auctions, pseudo-scientific studies, etc) over and over for generations. These exact atrocities occurred in America for centuries. And as implied by all the smiling, sadistic slave owners and the happy-clappy score, very few white people thought there was anything wrong with it. It was accepted and encouraged. Of course we should be outraged, but how about at our ancestors rather than the guys that actually had the 'nads to show it? My one real qualm with the film is that aside from the Nat Turner sequence at the end, there's very little representation of the resistance, resilience, and pride that so many African Americans maintained through these horrific years. The Kunta Kintes of the time are completely written out, although I recognize that including those stories might distract from the overall point of the film, which I assume is that the self-righteous, hypocritical "Land of The Free" was actually a twisted, obscene hell hole for most of its existence.I still recommend "Roots" for younger audiences, the squeamish, or if you're looking for the black side of the story. But if you can handle the on-screen degradation, the nudity, and the general nightmarish, hopeless state the film leaves you in, it is for my money the most accurate, most undiluted portrait of African-American slavery to ever have been made. But don't be mad at the film-makers. Be mad at the people whose acts inspired this movie.P.S. I recommend the Italian version "Addio Zio Tom" over the American. It includes more about the civil rights movement and makes a little more sense (if you don't mind subtitles).

opus2222 If it were possible to give this waste of film any less than a single star rating I would have done it. What a piece of drivel and a total waste of anyones time to even think about watching it. Historically it has zero value and hold absolutely no bases in fact. Allow me to break down all the elements of the film for you. The cinematography is so lousy it leads one to believe that they must have hired a drunkard to run the camera. The editing is choppy and impossible to follow. The actors in this film must have been hand picked by a fourth grade drama teacher. The sound score is completely ridicules, and I hope whoever wrote it didn't give up his day job at the car wash. If I were the director of this film, I would have either killed myself, or moved to Burma. Of course they're are some idiots who actually liked the film. These are the same people who laugh at children getting hacked to pieces. You can find them and their type hanging out at your local parks mens room.

cultfilmfan Goodbye Uncle Tom, is an Italian film in Italian, with English subtitles. The film is a documentary from the makers of Mondo Cane (a documentary that showed a variety of bizarre things compiled into one film). The film deals with slavery and deals with what life was like back in the South, for the slaves before the Civil War. The film re-enacts several scenes of what the slaves went through and things that had happened during those years. The film is well directed and put together and is a very good looking film as well. I have seen the other films by the Mondo Cane filmmakers (Mondo Cane, Mondo Cane 2, and Africa Blood And Guts), and I have seen all but Women Of The World, and I can easily say that this one is my favourite film of theirs. The film's re-enactments look so realistic you often think you are watching actual videos from that time period. And some of the things that are filmed are sometimes so shocking and realistic you wonder how they were even filmed. The film is a lot better scripted, made and put together than the other films by the same directors I mentioned above. Not to say that those were not good films but this one is a really good film. It is compelling, fascinating and powerful film-making. The version I saw of the film was the director's cut which is almost ten minutes longer than the theatrical version. The film features a lot of disturbing scenes that may turn some viewers off but for those who are not easily offended and love documentaries then this is the film for you. Even though the film is over thirty years old I think it is as good as any of the great documentaries we have now such as Crumb, Bowling For Columbine or Tarnation. A really good film and a masterpiece of it's kind.

julian kennedy Addio Zio Tom: 7/10: Well they don't make them like this anymore and lets face it they never really did. This is really three separate films brought together in a blender set on random. The first film is a highly effective expose on slave treatment and the slave trade in the old south (the slave ship scenes blows Hollywood fare like Armistad out of the water). Using a cast of thousands and exposing practices such as selective breeding that are politely not discussed on American shores (just ask Jimmy the Greek) it simply is one of the most realistic display's of 18th and 19th century slave life ever shown on film. Then there is a second film which is a dated, and looking back rather silly collection, of news footage from the late sixties and early seventies that documents race riots with all the participants speaking in Italian creating an almost Woody Allen feel to the dub (It gives What's up Tiger Lilly a run for its money complete with ragtime music cementing the silliness of what should be serious proceedings.) The last movie is a sexploitation film dealing largely with Mandingo fantasies and containing a copious amount of child porn. (I guess National Geographic rules apply when showing thirteen year old black children naked). Needless to say tasteful does not enter into the conversation. Political correctness is shattered so badly one must feel for those sensitive souls that can't laugh at ridiculousness of the manipulation.Making matters worse the three films are intertwined together seemingly at random with comic buffoonery breaking out during serious scenes (A slave auction is apt to turn into a Benny Hill episode for no apparent reason) and poorly done black revenge fantasies coming, narratively at least, out of nowhere. Anti-white, anti-black and for the sake of inclusion anti-Semitic they once again simply don't make them like this anymore. (It's highly illegal for one thing) Overlong by at least an hour and very poorly thought out in places Addio Zio Tom wears out its welcome but for a short while at least it exposes the truth and makes one think.