Cannibal: The Musical (Trey Parker, 1996): USA
Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed on DVD.
These days musicals are a rarity, seldom popping up outside of animated form. So when we do get a live action musical, it better have something to catch our attention. How about a musical based on a famous cannibal? That’s what South Park creator Trey Parker decided to do for his writing/directing feature debut Cannibal: The Musical. While it is a bit spotty, this is a combination that just can’t be all bad, and the film does prove to have its moments.
The film is based on the true story of Alferd Packer (played by Trey Parker) who acted as guide to a group small group of miners trekking from Provo, Utah to Breckinridge, Colorado in search of gold; however, there are many liberties taken. We get Packer’s story from his jail cell as he tells it to newspaper journalist, Polly Prye, while he is awaiting the verdict of his trial.
Alferd gets roped into becoming a guide for the five miners when their original guide, Lucky Larry, gets burnt to a crisp in an accident. Though reluctant, Alferd agrees, and the miners soon find that he is a bit less qualified than the guide they thought they were getting. When his horse, Liane, gets stolen by some mean spirited trappers, Alferd is more intent on finding his horse than he is getting the miners to Breckinridge.
The film was made when Parker was still a student at the University of Colorado, and it reveals its low production value at times, so much of the glitz and glamour of musicals is not here. What is here, however, is an early example of the Trey Parker style of comedy, much of which surfaces in the catchy and often ridiculous songs (penned by Parker and Rich Sanders) that are sung in earnest by the cast. A personal favorite is the trapper’s song, and the argument that takes place after as the characters fight over what key they were singing in.
There is much here that points to the great, if sometimes sporadic, comedy we would later get from Trey Parker and it is fun to see it in his early work. South Park co-creator Matt Stone is also along for the ride as Humphrey, one of the miners who is a habitual liar. There is only a shadow of the true story of Alferd Packer here, but the film is obviously done in good fun and expects you to have fun with it. Plus, it is hard to pass up a musical about a cannibal, as many cult fans of the film have already proven.
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