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Released by: Impulse Pictures
Released on: 6/30/09
Director: Alfredo Sternheim
Cast: Helena Ramos, Neide Ribeiro, Hercules Barbosa, Luiz Carlos Braga
Year: 1981
The Movie:
The second entry in Impulse Pictures' 'The Classic Latin Erotic Collection' - which follows their recent release of The Chick's Ability - is the delightfully trashy Violence And Flesh, a 'pornochanchada' from 1981 directed by Alfredo Sternheim.
When the film begins a trio of escaped convicts are on the run, a fourth member of their party having recently dropped dead from a heart attack. They come across a big bag of money and set a car on fire (which burns… and burns… and burns… and then burns some more - seriously, this car burning sequence might actually be longer than the infamous van ride from Rock N Roll Nightmare)! From there, we cut to a lovely seaside home where a trio of ladies, two of them lesbians, are preparing for their next movie while one of their actor pals, a gay guy in a white Speedo, is practicing his dance moves out on the beach. A few of their friends are on the way to the house to meet up with them, and wouldn't you know it, those three rascally escaped convicts stop the car, and force their way in, making the driver take them to the home where they intend to hold up for awhile until the boat they've arranged to take them out of the country shows up to whisk them off to freedom.
Once the three bad dudes realize that there are a lot of hot chicks in this house, however, things take a decidedly perverse turn. After performing part of their play for the thugs (which doesn't go over so well), one of the women, Jesse (Helena Ramos), is forced to do a striptease. Adding insult to injury, the poor gay dude with the white Speedo (who has put more clothes on by this point in the movie) gets stripped and ass-raped by the ugliest and burliest member of the gang, Paolo, a toothless, chubby and balding old man, while the incessantly horny Jorge harasses the ladies. Only the gang's leader, Tercio, has any sympathy for their captives. While Jorge and the toothless guy set about bothering the ladies, Tercio is showing his sensitive side and catching the attention of the wide-eyed Leticia who instantly falls in love with him. As Jorge and Paolo get crazier and crazier, Leticia thinks she can convince Tercio to run off with her while her friends all cower in fear - and then Jorge kills a slutty hippy chick he meets on the beach which begins a domino effect of missteps and mistakes…
Obviously influenced by Wes Craven's Last House On The Left but owing more to the better known Italian knock-off, Last House On The Beach, Violence And Flesh takes a little while to get moving but ultimately pays off quite handsomely. The plot is simple and familiar and the film certainly won't win any points for originality even if it does throw in a nifty twist or two towards the end, but it delivers exactly what you'd expect out of a picture like this - a sleazy atmosphere, a bit of violence, some nifty scenes of sexual degradation and nudity galore!
Despite the fact that the first half hour or so of the movie is little more than an extended scene of car burning and some welcome but rather padded sex, the film moves towards a much brisker pace once the initial set up has been established. You'll have no problem figuring out where it's all going but getting there is an entertaining enough trip thanks to some enjoyably over the top acting and a rather brazen sense of 'trash for trash's sake' filmmaking. This might not be a lost masterpiece by any stretch but it is rather well shot and makes great use of its exotic beachside locations. The score, which alternates between some rather pretty classical pieces and an odd but infectiously funky disco track or two adds to the nuttiness of it all. In short, this movie gives you pretty naked ladies, hissable crazed villains, rad music, and some nice scenery - for most of us, that's a winning combination.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The 1.33.1 fullframe transfer looks to present the film in its original aspect ratio and overall the image is pretty decent. There's some minor print damage and a bit flicker here and there but aside from that, little to complain about. The colors looks quite good, particularly the greens of the jungle early on in the film and the blues and whites of the scenes that take place on the beach. There are no obvious compression artifacts or edge enhancement problems and the image is flagged for progressive scan. Skin tones, of which there are plenty, look nice and lifelike and for an older, obscure skin flick, Violence And Flesh looks just fine.
The film is debuts on DVD with its original Portuguese 2.0 Mono mix intact, with optional subtitles provided in English. As far as older Mono mixes go, this one sounds just like you'd expect it to - range is limited and the audio is at times a little bit flat but there aren't any audible problems to complain about. Dialogue sounds clear, the levels are well balanced, and the score sounds nifty. The subs are easy to read and free of any noticeable typos.
The DVD itself is barebones save for a very basic menu and chapter selection option. Inside the keepcase is an insert booklet containing the same brief essay (no writing credit is provided) on the history of the 'Pornochanchada' films that were popular in Brazil from 76-84 that was included with Impulse's release of The Chick's Ability. Some more background on this film and others like it would have been very welcome, as would a trailer or even a featurette, but that's all we get. You've gotta love the Sororiety Babes In The Slime Bowl-O-Rama inspired artwork though - or did that movie, which came out eight years after this one, steal the artwork from Violence And Flesh?
The Final Word:
Despite a slow start, Violence And Flesh definitely delivers the sleazy goods in the film's last half even if the emphasis is more on flesh than it is on violence. Impulse's barebones DVD could have done with some extras but at least the audio and video quality are pretty decent - here's hoping the 'Classic Latin Erotica Collection' line continues and we see more of these oddities released domestically.