Mondo Bizarro (1966) - full transcript

(dramatic orchestral music)

(suspenseful orchestral music)

- [Narrator] To the worm in the cheese,

the cheese is the universe.

To the maggot in the cadaver,
the cadaver is infinity.

And to you, what is your world?

How do you know what is beyond the beyond?

Most of us don't even know
what is behind the beyond.

According to Michelangelo,
the most beautiful form

in nature is the human body.

This shop on Chicago's
East Side caters to those



who would make nature's most
beautiful form more beautiful.

Our camera is now positioned
behind a two-way mirror

in the dressing room of this shop.

The women you will see have no idea

they are being photographed.

The mirror does not have
the usual black backing

and from our side, which
remains in darkness,

the mirror functions as a window,

while to those in the dressing room

it appears to be a simple mirror.

(ominous orchestral music)

(soft rhythmic orchestral music)

So as not to offend these
ladies or their lovers

or husbands, and to satisfy the desires



of our own legal department,

we were forced to censor their faces.

(upbeat music)

(suspenseful music)

(soft orchestral music)

''I can give you everything I got''

''I can't expect to give what I have not''

''I can only give you lovin'
'til the sun goes down''

''And until the leaves of
summer turn to shades of brown''

''l try and l try''

''Ooh baby, you know that I
can only give ya everything''

(upbeat jazz music)

(soft traditional Asian music)

(upbeat jazz music)

(soft orchestral music)

(soft rock music)

(suspenseful orchestral music)

According to William Shakespeare,

the most divine aspiration
of the human body is love,

but in this bizarre world of
ours love takes many forms,

some of them very, well, bizarre.

This is Nassau, capital of the Bahamas,

a small clutter of
islands, 3,000 in number,

belonging in the British Commonwealth.

The principal industries
of Nassau are providing

tax free havens for United
States corporations who wish

to avoid paying their share
of the cost of government,

and providing vacationing Americans a way

of spending their money
quickly, easily, and comfortably.

There is also a small
basket weaving industry,

but we are not here to talk of industry.

These people are the
descendants of slaves.

Today they are civilized
members of the community,

educated and responsible, but for some

there is still a yearning
for the freedom of spirit

and abandon of the past.

Our quest has brought us to Nassau

because this is one of the last places

in the Western Hemisphere
where the ancient black arts

of voodoo are still practiced.

Our cameras were hidden in
the hills of New Providence,

only three and one-half miles from Nassau.

These people gather
religiously every Thursday

to indulge in a most frantic
and depraved form of worship.

(tribal drum music)

What you are seeing here is fortunately

a highly revised version of
the original terrifying ritual.

In the good old days for example,

a white baby would be
kidnapped for sacrifice.

At the peak of the
ceremony, the child's body

would be dismembered
by clever manipulations

of the machete, and arms and legs

would be thrown into the air in the hope

that the lord god
Damballa would be pleased

and smile upon them.

But we'll see none of that here tonight,

for after all, these people are civilized.

The ceremony begins with
the lighting of the sacred fire,

a symbol of Damballa's passion.

An important part of the
sacrament is rum and ganja,

the latter being none other
than simple marijuana.

Voodoo came to these
islands over 200 years ago.

The raids on the African
slave coast began about 1742

and thousands of these believers were sold

into the West Indies and, later,

further northwest to the Bahamas.

Rum and ganja hasten the
elevation of the mood

to spiritual heights.

At the proper moment when the participants

are in the required spiritual mood,

the voodoo king opens the ceremony.

The queen, or mama as
she is sometimes called,

officiates at the ceremony.

(worshipers whooping)
(speaking in foreign language)

(dramatic tribal drum music)

The ceremony gets underway with
the beheading of a chicken.

The white feathered bird
serves as a macabre substitute

for the white baby.

The blood is drained into a wooden bowl.

The shot you are now watching was taken

with a 1,000 millimeter telescopic lens

at a distance of almost one mile.

(dramatic tribal drum music)
(worshipers whooping)

The great serpent of evil, the zombie,

or in this case a small boa constrictor,

is next to be sacrificed.

(dramatic tribal drum music)
(worshipers whooping)

Its blood is drained into the
bowl with that of the chicken.

In this way the fluid of
life represented by the baby,

chicken, and the spirit of the devil,

represented by the snake, are mingled.

Their mystical powers are released.

This divine mixture will be
drunk by members of the group

who will then be exorcized of their sins.

They will fall to the
ground in what is said

to be a hypnotic catatonic state,

their eyes opened in a glazed stare.

In this state they can commit
no evil, commit no sins.

They can do no wrong.

(dramatic tribal drum music)
(worshipers whooping)

While the old laws of voodoo have changed,

the old hexes, gris-gris,
and dolls with pins

have fallen into disuse,
the primeval sensuality

and spirit of wanton abandonment remain.

Voodoo provides a release
from the restrictions

and inhibitions of civilization.

Many of the people here not
only do not believe in voodoo,

but do not observe any of the rules

concerning the ceremony itself.

They are here it seems for nothing more

than a weird social gathering.

(dramatic tribal drum music)
(worshipers whooping)

Discretion compels us to bid
adieu to Nassau at this point,

for while these people may be civilized,

most of us are not
civilized enough ourselves

to accept some of the
more engaging aspects

of their strange, mystical rites.

(dramatic tribal drum music)
(worshipers whooping)

(suspenseful music)

And now we journey to the distant Orient,

the inscrutable East,
Land of the Rising Sun.

The Japanese Empire has

and to service its 96 million people,

has 534 colleges and universities

and 7,220 massage parlors.

This is Kyoto.

This is one of the many
massage parlors in the city.

With permission of the management,

we have installed hidden cameras

in both this reception room
and one of the massage booths.

Our curiosity in Japan and
its numerous massage parlors

was prompted by a growing interest

in what is commonly referred
to as the special massage.

There were 14 massage booths,
each about 12 feet square.

A hole was cut through the thin wall

of an adjoining massage room
where our camera was placed.

A two-way mirror was hung over the hole.

It is now possible for our camera to see

through the mirror into the room.

Because of the low light
level in the room itself,

a high-speed black and white film

was used for this sequence.

This man does not know
he is being photographed.

He is one of many American businessmen

who expect to find a more
permissive atmosphere here

than in the massage parlors back home.

For the legend persists that here

one may obtain a special
massage of such rare delights

as to make one's visit to the
Orient joyously memorable.

It is quite apparent that this gentleman

is in no way interested
in the aggressive activity

that this young lady is providing.

It matters not to him that
she's been well-trained

from childhood in customary geisha fashion

in the art of massage and that she knows

every muscle of the body
and exactly what pressures

are required to relax the nerves

and stimulate the blood flow.

The stimulation this
gentleman is desirous of

is of quite a different nature,

but the young lady speaks no English

and the man obviously speaks no Japanese.

(massage machine buzzing)

Patience, especially in
the Orient, is a virtue.

(soft orchestral music)

(massage machine buzzing)

Finally, he makes his
point and he settles down

to thoughts of a more amorous nature.

He is hoping that his
first special massage

shall be something to
be forever treasured.

It is the answer to a silent prayer.

The special massage girl is
lovelier than he had hoped.

Now it's only a matter of time.

She prepares herself for the job

with the grace of a ballerina.

(raunchy rock music)

''I can give you everything I got''

''I can't expect to give what I have not''

''I can only give you lovin'
'til the sun goes down''

''And until the leaves of
summer turn to shades of brown''

- [Narrator] Finally, everything is ready

and he knows it is about to begin.

''I can't argue with you to understand''

'''Cause after all I am just a man''

''You are on my mind when stars
appear and shadows fall''

''And when every little flower
close and no birds call''

- [Narrator] Beyond doubt,
this special massage

will leave a lasting impression.

''Baby you know that I can
only give ya everything''

- [Narrator] In addition to culture,

Kyoto is also one of the
key manufacturing cities

in the Japanese Empire.

It is, for example, one
of the largest exporters

of women's undergarments in the world.

And this is one of the most successful

mail order operations in the United States

with headquarters in
Hollywood, California.

Founder and president of the
organization is Mr. Frederick,

a man whose unique design capabilities

have made him the most
successful underwear salesman

in the world.

(soft orchestral music)

His mail order operation has grown

to be one of those remarkable
American success stories.

We asked Mr. Frederick to tell us

about his fantastic
organization in his own words.

- [Mr. Frederick] This is our catalog,

the lifeblood of our business.

This is two to three
years ahead of its time.

We're supplying our customers
with exactly what they want.

We were the first major
distributor of braziers

in America that had pushup pads in them.

In addition, we supplied padded braziers

for women in the larger bust sizes

who want to look younger not just bigger.

We felt the B cups
might wanna look like Cs

and the C cups like Ds, and we
found that we weren't wrong.

Also, our specialty items add a great deal

of interest in our catalog.

The girdle, for example,
with the open seat

was designed because I do not like a woman

in a pair of capris to have a
buttressed, cemented in look.

We give her the support
where she needs it,

in the tummy and hips, and we cut it out

where it appears undesirable.

We developed the hole in the
middle bra for the same reason.

We make periodic quality
checks using live models

with known sizes.

The Frederick's catalog is
sent to all of our customers

six times a year at a yearly postage cost

to us of $150,000.

90% of our customers are
women, 60% of whom are married,

and of that group, 50%
had two or more children.

Our mailing list consists
of over a million names

and we service people in
over 71 foreign countries.

Our mail order department
employs approximately 300 people.

All mail is opened on the day it arrives.

If it gets in early enough,
it's possible for the item

to be on its way to the
customer the next day.

- [Narrator] Frederick's
is an industrial symphony,

a medley of machinery,
letters, and underwear.

(dramatic orchestral music)

If the human spirit is
divine as Dante said,

then the temple of that
spirit is the human body.

We journey now to Sydney, Australia

to witness a demonstration
of the mysterious powers

of the mind and their
effect on the human body.

These members of the press
and the medical profession

are gathered here at
the University of Sydney

to investigate the claims
of Jack Schwarz, a Dutchman,

who has the amazing
ability to prevent disease

and infection in his body.

Mr. Schwarz makes no claims
to be a mystic or a fakir.

He is, he says, "Just an
ordinary person like you or me."

However, he has learned to control and use

the magic powers of his
subconscious mind through meditation

so that he only requires
two hours sleep per night.

He eats only three full meals per week,

yet he is just an
ordinary man as you or I.

Mr. Schwarz claims that he makes no use

of self-hypnosis in controlling his body,

but relies more on a positive
method of concentration

which might be referred to
as a mental local anesthetic.

The principal device for his experiments

is a bed of nails.

This bed of nails contains
only 17 very rusty nails.

The traditional bed of
nails of the Indian fakir

numbers between 40 and 80 nails.

The fewer the nails, the deeper
they penetrate the flesh.

In addition, these nails
are in no way sterilized.

(suspenseful music)

And for those who are
skeptical of the slow exertion

of 242 pounds on Mr. Schwarz's stomach,

we offered a 50 pound boulder

which will be struck with a Sledgehammer,

creating an instantaneous impact reaction

equal to 750 pounds.

(man grunts)
(Sledgehammer thuds)

A close examination by doctors confirms

that a complete penetration of
the flesh has been achieved,

yet no blood has been drawn
and the wounds themselves

will be totally healed within a half hour.

How does he do it?

By directing his mind, he 'says,'
"in a spirit of meditation

to the affirmative emotions of life."

However, for those of
you who remain skeptical,

Mr. Schwarz shall now run a carpet needle

into the side of his face.

Once again, sterilization of the implement

is not considered, even to the point

of rubbing it into the carpeting.

Those of you who have queasy stomachs

may wish to avert your
eyes at this moment.

Mr. Schwarz believes each of us is divine,

each of us is our own God.

By meditating on the beauty and love

of our own being, we cleanse ourselves

of the negative emotions that induce fear,

despair, and disease.

Finally, he prepares to
drive the second needle

through his forearm.

A member of the press is
invited to spit on it.

This is indeed an unsterilized instrument.

For those who would attempt this feat,

remember you must first
learn the art of meditation.

For only by mastering your own mind

can you hope to gain mastery of your body.

Then perhaps you, too, can
sleep only two hours a night,

eat only three full meals a week,

and stick pins in your cheeks.

(upbeat music)

(glass breaks)

(glass crunching)

(man belches)

(upbeat music)

(glass crunching)

(man gulps)

(glass crunching)

(man gulps)

(upbeat music)

(man belches)

(suspenseful music)

Where, in all this
marvelous, amazing world,

can we find life more bizarre
than in your own front yard?

60 years ago this was the
small, sleepy Western town

of El Pueblo de Nuestra
Senora de los Angeles.

Today it is the sprawling
megalopolis of Los Angeles,

the largest city in
the Western Hemisphere.

Nowhere in the world are
there more automobiles.

Nowhere has growth been more continuous,

has the urban sprawl been more persistent,

have the wide open spaces
been more completely devoured

by the unending influx of outsiders

migrating here for the good life.

50 years ago these houses would
be standing on vacant land,

interspersed with vast
groves of orange trees.

Today, the motorcar dominates
life in Southern California.

This is Sunset Boulevard,

legendary street of dreams and myths.

Young people from all over
the world are drawn here

by the glamour of the film
industry, for this is Hollywood,

now just a small section of Los Angeles.

Here are the fabled
clubs and watering places

of the celebrated.

Nearby are the apartment houses and homes

for those who work in Hollywood.

(dramatic orchestral music)

Ah, some of them at least find time

to take a bit of the sun,
when the smog will permit.

It is here in this great Los Angeles Basin

that we find the elusive
search for love and fulfillment

taking forms never dreamed
of by Michelangelo,

Shakespeare, or Dante.

This is Main Street, only
eight blocks from City Hall.

Our camera is concealed in a bakery truck.

We are watching two
homosexual male prostitutes

waiting for the first
contact of the evening.

(jaunty orchestral music)

Soliciting is against the law here.

One has to be cautious in selecting

a companion for the evening.

Enlargements of still
photographs taken at this time

indicate that the driver
of the car is a male.

(soft orchestral music)

Careful.

Make certain that you
aren't being watched.

Ah well, perhaps next time.

(soft orchestral music)

La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills

might well be considered
the Greenwich Village

of the West.

On this street one may find a
painting to suit every mood,

to fulfill all desires, and
to fit every pocketbook.

Sir Julian Huxley once said that the role

of the artist "is to provide
variety to our lives,

thus our lives are
enriched and ennobled."

Los Angeles has become the
cultural center of the West.

These paintings present
a traditional approach

to the artist's creative vision.

Prices for these paintings
range from $100 to about $1,000.

Almost directly across the
street we find the works

of modern artist Ellsworth Kelly.

This painting is priced at $5,000

and is cleverly entitled Red and Blue.

(singing in foreign language)

This work is priced at $6,000.

It is entitled Red, Green, and Blue.

The creative experience takes many forms.

This theater houses another collection

of the West's cultural heritage.

'Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah...

- [Narrator] Art reflects
life and life imitates art.

These paintings belong in the collection

of one very wealthy theater owner.

They represent his concept of
genuine creative expression.

(singing in foreign language)

But what of the artists
themselves, the creators of beauty,

the providers of variety?

What are they doing?

(upbeat rock music)

This 60-foot tower was created
by sculptor Mark di Suvero

of New York in protest
against America's involvement

in the unpleasantness in Vietnam.

A committee of artists contacted painters

all over the world to
participate in this protest.

Over one million dollars
worth of paintings

created by 200
internationally famous artists

adorn the exhibit and give
voice to their indignation.

Dedication ceremonies heard
veterans of the Vietnam War

add their voices to those of the artists.

(upbeat piano music)

''Protest''

''Whoa it's the thing to do''

''There must be somethin' buggin' you''

''Protest''

''We gonna start today''

''So get out your signs,
form the picket lines''

''And lead the way''

''We're gonna save the world''

''We're gonna save the world''

''Have you thought at all
about the bomb this week''

''Did you talk to the mountain''

''Did you smile at the queen''

''In Vietnam and all the
blood that's spilled there''

''Stay in school, babe''

''You might get killed there''

''And protest''

''Whoa it's the thing to do''

''There must be''

''Somethin' buggin' you''

''Protest''

''Use a big word or two''

''Contemplation, indignation,
and frustration, too''

''We're gonna save the world''

''We're gonna save the world, babe''

(twangy rock music)

- [Narrator] But there
were other voices, too.

Counter pickets stage a
protest against the protest.

The Young Americans For
Freedom vigorously support

the government's position in Vietnam.

The signs they carry represent
no artistic endeavors,

and at present market prices
are totally valueless,

but the messages they
contain are most assuredly

definite statements of their beliefs.

(fly buzzing)

''Grab that fly''

(hand smacking)

- [Narrator] This in turn
inspires a counter protest

against their protest
of the artists' protest.

(fly buzzing)
- Right there.

- [Narrator] If this seems
confusing, try to bear with us,

for after all this is part of the variety

that the artist contributes to our lives.

(fly buzzing)

- [Man] Wait, sir.

(fly buzzing)
(men muttering)

(fly buzzing)

- [Man] Wait, sir.

(fly buzzing)
(men muttering)

Oh, I give up.

- [Narrator] An old Oriental proverb says

the more life changes the
more it remains the same.

The tower is gone.

The arguments have been
hot and impassioned.

On this day in Vietnam 37
Americans lost their lives

while here only a small echo
of protest could be heard.

''Protest''

''Oh it's the thing to do''

''There must be somethin' buggin' you''

''Protest''

''We're gonna start today''

''So get out the signs,
form the picket lines''

''And lead the way''

''We're gonna save the world''

''We're gonna save the world''

(soft rock music)

- [Narrator] Art in Los
Angeles is by no means

restricted to the professional.

This art class is at this moment

attended solely by housewives,

most of whom are aged over 40.

It is not however a prerequisite
that you be a housewife

to enjoy the advantages
of this particular class,

or for that matter that
you be over the age of 40.

It is only necessary
that you apply yourself

to the full development of
individual artistic expression.

(sultry jazz music)

This is Vito, a sculptor,
painter, poet, dancer,

and photographer, truly a Renaissance man.

His approach to the arts
is joyously creative

and spontaneous.
(camera clicks)

(camera clicks)

(camera clicks)

- [Vito] My name is
Vito and I'm a sculptor

and the figure that you see
here is a glass construction

entitled Bending Dancer.

I cut out photographs
of girls and paste them

on pieces of glass, then
I glue the pieces together

onto the figure, which
is two-thirds life size.

(upbeat music)

I also do more conventional
kinds of sculpture.

This is my protest against prejudice

and intolerance in the world.

I believe that we should love
one another rather than hate.

I believe in peace rather than war.

I try to put that into my work.

Now, I'd consider myself
as a deviant from the norm.

The word deviant is
considered an unhealthy word

in our culture, but without
the so called deviant, man

long would have perished,
because the deviant

is the one who brings
an element of beauty,

an element of aesthetics into the world,

and without beauty it's
pointless for man to exist.

I'm interested in adding some

(camera clicks)

Element of design to my
general attitude in life.

Otherwise it's a bore and mundane

and I'm not particularly interested in it.

Many people think that
I'm some kind of a nut,

but I don't care just as long
as they buy my sculpture.

(soft orchestral music)

- [Narrator] The sprawling
megalopolis of Los Angeles

offers a variety of hedonistic experience.

This is Balboa, a
playground for millionaires

and just everyday folks like you and me.

Once a year a strange
mating right takes place

on these seemingly innocent shores.

For just as the seals return annually

to the Bering Straits
and the swallows return

to Capistrano, so do tens of
thousands of young teenagers

converge on Balboa at Easter time

to indulge their youthful energies

in drinking, dancing, flirting, and well,

just about everything else.

Here beyond the watchful eyes of parents

and school authorities they
learn the facts of life

in their first awkward
gropings towards maturity.

The small police force is
reinforced to many times

its normal compliment.

State Highway troopers and
officers from communities

all over California
help to at least control,

if not subdue, the youthful
vigor of the teenagers.

(upbeat music)

Every vehicle is pressed into
the service of the police,

including even the dog Catcher's truck.

Road blocks are set up at major approaches

and suspicious looking
vehicles are searched

for alcohol or drugs.

Hundreds are arrested, the charges ranging

from drunkenness to indecent exposure.

In order to better understand
this modern mating ritual

we interviewed some of the participants.

- Where'd you come from?

- [Teenager] Las Vegas, Nevada.

- Did you drive down in your own car?

- [Teenager] Yes, I did.

- [Interviewer] Where are
you living while you're here?

- [Teenager] We have a room, motel room.

- How many of you share the room?

[Teenager] 14.

- 14!

- Have you had any parties
since you've been here?

- [Teenager] Every night.

- [Interviewer] When are you going home?

- [Teenager] When the money runs out.

- [Interviewer] How much do
you pay for this hotel room?

- [Teenager] About 70 cents
apiece, 85 cents apiece.

- [Interviewer] How old are you?

- [Teenager] How old am I? 18.

- [Interviewer] Has anybody
been down here the whole week?

- Oh, I have.
(crowd chattering)

I'm down here every day every year.

- [Girl] I have.

- [Interviewer] Say the
cops haven't gotten you yet?

- [Girl] Not yet, no not yet.

- [Interviewer] Do you expect the cops?

- [Girl] Yes, I do. (chuckles)

- She's been picked at before.
- Why?

- [Girl] Because I always
expect them to get me.

- [Girl] I got a ticket the other day.

- [Interviewer] What for?

- [Girl] For riding in the back of a Jeep,

hanging out the end.
- Yeah, we had

to pay for this guy's ticket.

- [Interviewer] Do the police

give you much trouble, generally?

- [Girl] Yes, I hate 'em.

- [Interviewer] What do
they give you trouble about?

- [Girl] They yell at you
for walkin' down the street

the wrong way. (chuckles)

- [Girl] I know, I hate 'em.

They're no good.
- Like, you're doin'

anything and you get in trouble.

- [Teenager] Here are my knobbies.

- [Interviewer] Where, let me see.

- [Teenager] All right,
wanna see my knobbies?

Calcium deposits, you see.

I'm not going in the Army for them.

- [Interviewer] Why, because
you can't wear boots, right?

- [Teenager] Better than bein'
a conscientious objector.

- [Interviewer] Now, what
are you doing for a living?

- [Teenager] I don't do anything.

- [Interviewer] Well how do you exist?

- [Teenager] Oh, we go
down to the beach there

and clam dig Saturdays and just
take it over to the market,

they give ya steaks for it.

- [Interviewer] And what
about a place to live?

How do you exist?

- [Teenager] Well,
there's a number of guys

go together on one place and
it doesn't cost that much.

- [Girl] Can you?

- [Interviewer] What does it cost you?

- [Teenager] About $4 a week.

- [Interviewer] Do ya
stay down here any nights?

- [Girl] Yeah.

- [Interviewer] Where do
ya stay when ya stay here?

- [Girl] The beach.

- [Interviewer] You sleep on the beach?

- [Girl] Yeah.

(boy muttering)
- That sounds great.

- [Girl] Yeah, it's fun.

- [Interviewer] Do the
police give you any trouble?

- [Girl] No, they don't bother
me 'cause I don't let 'em.

- [Interviewer] Well
how do you not let them?

- [Girl] Because if they talk to me

I just plug my ears and
say, "Don't talk to me."

- [Interviewer] And then
they just leave you alone

from that point, is that right?

- [Girl] Yeah, because
they think I'm nice.

- [Boy] Last night, the cops
are always buggin' guys.

- [Interviewer] Why is that?

- [Boy] I don't know why, man.

They don't respect the guys.

All the kids respect
the cops, but the cops

don't respect the kids down there.

There's two cops here and two cops there

and all over, man.

- [Interviewer] What do
you wanna do for a living?

- [Boy] I don't know.

- [Interviewer] How old are ya?

- [Boy] 18.

- [Interviewer] What do
you do for excitement?

- [Boy] (chuckles) Surf,
usually sit down here

and play my guitar.

- [Interviewer] Where do you go to school?

- [Girl] Phoenix, Arizona.

- [Interviewer] Did you come out here

just for the Easter week?

- [Girl] Yes.

Can be kind of a drag.

I'm glad I'm goin' home. (laughs)

- [Interviewer] Phoenix is better.

- [Girl] Well, no. (laughs)

Think I'm goin' to New York
next time I go on a vacation.

- [Narrator] Watch out,
New York, you may be next.

(dramatic orchestral music)

Man's endless search for
fulfillment takes many forms,

but nowhere is it more
bizarre than in Europe's

most highly industrialized
nation, Germany.

Here in the busy seaport city of Hamburg

citizens gather to watch a
play about the sick world

of the days of Hitler
entitled Heil Deutschland.

(woman humming)

This actress portrays a Jewish girl

who has apparently been hiding
in this attic for months.

Baby

Baby

(door clicks)
(girl gasps)

(suspenseful orchestral music)

(audience applauds)

(dramatic orchestral music)

Written by a former Nazi playwright,

Karl Hofstede, this play has been running

for 14 years to capacity audiences.

Under the guise of exposing
the evils of the Nazi era,

this blatantly anti-Semitic drama

even offers recordings of Hitler's voice

and songs of the dreaded
Nazi SS stormtroopers

during the performance.

(suspenseful orchestral music)

What forbidden emotions lurk in the hearts

of this audience as they
relive the sick days of Hitler?

What dark forces lie brooding within,

waiting for the opportunity to once again

burst forth on the world?

Perhaps this play will give us a hint.

(suspenseful drum roll music)

(suspenseful orchestral music)

(hand slapping)
(girl crying out)

(speaking in foreign language)

(crowd cheers)
(whip thwacks)

(girl cries out)

(speaking in foreign language)
(crowd cheering)

(Whip thwacking)
(girl crying out)

(singing in foreign language)

(Whip thwacking)
(girl crying out)

(singing in foreign language)

(Whip thwacking)
(girl crying out)

(singing in foreign language)

(speaking in foreign language)
(crowd cheering)

(suspenseful music)

But lest we become too involved
in horrors of the past,

let us now appraise the
bizarre of the here and now.

Our quest next takes us to distant Lebanon,

bordering on the blue Mediterranean.

Let us hear from Mr. George Fillmore,

a member of the Arabian expedition team

via transatlantic telephone.

- [George] We picked up this
Arab who was to guide us

to the slave trading
area and drove all night,

about 119 kilometers out of Beirut.

It's wild country, no roads to speak of,

no maps or telephones, nothing,

and we only had this Arab's word to go by.

We were a little strung
up about the situation

because Muslim law is very strict.

They shoot slave traders on the spot,

and of course they consider us infidels.

This Arab, his name was
Fuad, he showed us the place

to set up our cameras.

It's way up in the side of the mountain,

very steep, and he also pointed out to us

the spot that the slave auction

was supposed to take place in.

He showed us where to unload our equipment

and of course we had little
choice but to follow him.

We unloaded the equipment very fast.

The sooner we got it out of the van,

the safer it was for us.

There was an awful lot of
it, not just camera gear,

but sound recording stuff, cables.

Well, we had a lot of hauling to do

and there was a few heavy
things like the big pulley rope

to get it up the mountain.

After that we drove the
empty van out of there

and around the other side of the ridge

where it would be out
of sight but still handy

just in case we had to
scamper over the ridge

to get out of there.

Now that I think of it, it
wouldn't have been much use.

It would've probably
been a rotten carve up.

Fuad helped us lash up the
equipment securely to the sled.

We had brought the bare minimum,

but it still seemed like a ton.

We tied on a few extra ropes just in case,

and in the meantime the
van was being hidden

just over the other side of the ridge.

We needed a volunteer
to go up the mountain

and I was the lucky one who was selected.

It was fairly easy at the beginning

but I soon found out that
we were gonna have a problem

because it was all loose gravel up there.

And you know you take two
steps up and one step back.

It was actually easier
going up on all fours.

It was very frustrating
and I seemed to be making

no progress at all.

However, I knew the clock was ticking

and we just had to get on with it.

I think we were all getting nervous now

because we still hadn't got
the stuff up the hill yet.

I fastened the rope around the tree

and I started back down.

It was very loose and
slippery on that hill

and that's when I lost my balance.

(frenetic jazz drum music)

I thought me number's
up, but as it turned out

I'd just winded me self and I got

a bit of a scrape on the leg.

A few moments later I was back at it,

pulling on the rope to get
that equipment up the hill.

Time was against us.

We set up the camouflage net first.

We had a definite plan to
follow and we more or less

followed that right to the letter.

We had three cameras, one was a spare,

and we used that just
to photograph ourselves

settin' up the equipment.

One camera had a 1,000 millimeter lens

that was so powerful
you could almost pick up

the hairs on a flea's back legs
at about a mile and a half.

We got it set up while Fuad stood watch

and kept his eyes skinned.

We'd also gotten hold

of a Morrison Senior
teledynamic microphone.

We got it from the military.

It's got a tremendous range.

You can focus it into an area

up to two and a half kilometers away.

It'll pick up the sounds
and bring 'em back.

It's really unbelievable.

After quite a lot of
work we got all set up

and ready to go, and then it was my job

to cross the ridge, find
me self a look over there

and act as lookout.

The country is rough, very, very barren

and dry actually, very dry,

and it's just crazy to be out there.

(suspenseful traditional stringed music)

I was in a position to see 'em coming

and as soon as I saw the first truck

at about 1:30 in the afternoon,

I waved and then I ducked
down and I kept outta sight.

(engines rumbling)

- [Narrator] Due to
atmospheric conditions,

we were unable to pick up all the sounds

with the teledynamic microphone.

The great distance from the source

caused the sound to be somewhat delayed.

(speaking in foreign language)

(dramatic traditional music)

(speaking in foreign language)

This limousine suggests that this will be

no ordinary slave auction,
for this is royalty.

However, discretion
compels that we obscure

the license plate lest we
offend a friendly country

and precipitate an international incident.

Slave trading in this area is one of those

great open secrets that
no one talks about.

It has been estimated that more

than three million Lebanese
pounds are spent annually

for the purchase of human flesh.

That is about one
million American dollars.

Unlike the slave trade
in America in the 18003,

these slaves are not
intended for manual labor.

Rather, they will probably find their way

into the brothels of the Middle East

where they will provide the
physical incarnation of love.

It is true that the human body is,

in Michelangelo's words, the form divine.

However, such is the atmosphere
of prudity and repression

in our country that we can not reveal

this scene as our cameras saw it.

Many hours of painfully slow
labor have been expended

to obscure the offensive parts

from the view of the prurient minded.

(speaking in foreign language)

(soft traditional Middle Eastern music)

(speaking in foreign language)

This poor creature was
sold for 4,000 pounds,

about 1,750 American dollars,

or for less than a good used car.

(speaking in foreign language)

(suspenseful drum music)

(speaking in foreign language)
(soft traditional music)

It is not lust or desire
that inspires the enthusiasm

of these eager buyers.

The motive is greed, for
in these parts of the world

a blonde is one of the
most secure investments.

These traders pool their
resources into a buying syndicate

in order to compete with
the wealthier traders.

(speaking in foreign language)

This pathetic creature will probably

become the centerpiece of some brothel,

the star attraction so to speak.

(speaking in foreign language)

Even the guard was moved to leave his post

in order to capture a
closer glimpse of the blond.

We shall run that again as photographed

with the 1,000 millimeter lens in order

to recapture the drama of the moment.

(speaking in foreign language)

Lest there be those who will be offended,

let it not be forgotten that in this area

many things are regarded as normal

that you and I might
think of as perversions.

This handsome youth may
well end up in a palace,

enjoying all the privileges
and perquisites of royalty,

for as long as he remains
youthful and willing.

(speaking in foreign language)
(soft traditional music)

(upbeat music)

(suspenseful music)

To the worm in the cheese,
the cheese is the universe.

And to you, dear friend,
what of your universe?

Is your own world not just as bizarre

as these we have been visiting?

Do you now know what is behind the beyond?

For that matter,

do you even know what is behind

the behind?