After a dramatic opening sequence on the beach, we arrive in Milan: In the grey morning light we see deserted streets and squares, covered with corpses. The corpses are rebels, executed and left on sidewalks and in gutters, and it is forbidden to move them. Upper-class girl Antigone, played by Britt Ekland, refuses to accept the authorities' ban on burying the young people's bodies. She receives help from a mysterious, prophet-like figure who speaks an unknown language. Cavani was inspired by the Greek tragedy Antigone when she created this allegorical and dystopian fable about resistance and civil disobedience. The film was made during a time marked by student uprisings and social unrest, and the stylized images and symbolism create an intense, mysterious and thought-provoking film. The music is by Ennio Morricone. The Cannibals was shown in Cannes in 1970.
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