DVD Review: Violence And Flesh

Released under Synapse Film’s Impulse Pictures label, Violence And Flesh (Violência na Carne) is the second feature in The Classic Latin Erotica Collection, following the release of The Chick’s Ability earlier this year (both films being part of Brazil’s legendary “Pornochanchada” genre).

Let me give you a little back story here: when I was younger, there was a local video store that kept all of their rentals in black clamshell boxes behind the counter. Some of those titles were the alluring-yet-forbidden “adult” films. Now, had I have been the type of kid that would have reached over and stolen one of those rental tapes (and I could have done so several times, easily — but theft was not my scene), it would have been just my luck (or “instant karma” if you will) to snatch Violence And Flesh off of the shelf.

Resembling something like a Brazilian rip-off of Last House On The Beach (an Italian rip-off of Last House On The Left,, which was an American rip-off of the Swedish masterpiece The Virgin Spring), 1981’s Violence And Flesh is about as bottom of the barrel as you can go without watching a Turkish film from the same period.

Plot? Well, if you must know, there isn’t one. But here’s a close approximation: three escaped convicts retrieve a bag full of money that their recently deceased comrade (who is already dead and gone by the time the film starts) buried away. After killing their driver and setting his car ablaze (we are actually treated to a montage of the burning car for nearly three minutes of screen time — I kid you not), the trio make way to a beach house where a lesbian couple and their gay friend live.

From there on in, it’s rape, pillage, rape, pillage, repeat. Even the bootiful talents of Helena Ramos and co-star Neide Ribeiro don’t help any. Honestly, this movie is terrible. Absolutely, positively inane. The writing. Direction. Editing. Sound. Music. Acting. It’s all god-awful no matter what level you‘re on. Unless you’re on the Brazilian level, of course — one of the actors in this mess actually took home a trophy for Best Supporting Actor during the 1982 Brazilian APCA awards!

On DVD, Synapse/Impulse present a new digital transfer of Violence And Flesh in its intended 1.33:1 open matte ratio. Shot on stock in the early '80s, the film has its share of debris (the colors look good, though) but I really don’t think that’s the point here. The original Portuguese mono stereo soundtrack is present here, accompanied by newly-translated removable English subtitles. No special features are to be found here save for an insert about “Pornochanchada” films.

Yes, it’s bad. Very bad. And yet, it’s the film’s complete and utter lack of talent that is sure to have bad movie lovers everywhere crawling out of the woodwork to see it. I know I did.