Violence and Flesh (1981)Buy Violence and Flesh on DVD on Amazon.com
Pornochanchada, anyone ever heard of it? And no, it is not a new foreign dance move a la the "macarena". Still don't know? Well dear reader, Pornochanchada was a film genre in Brazil between 1976-1984. Erotic films were made in Brazil during a time of political dictatorship that gave filmmakers complete freedom and void of any censorship as long as political issues were not mentioned. Hundreds of these erotic features were made with support from the government and became big box office successes, how bizarre is that! Pornochanchada films are filled to the brim with excessive nudity and way over the top sexuality. Pornochanchada attracted mainstream Brazilian actresses and directors, certainly a factor in the films success. Imagine seeing a Pornochanchada film today directed by Steven Spielberg with a nude Scarlet Johansson performing sleazy acts throughout the duration of the film. That would never happen but you can see why the movies were box office gold. All good things come to an end, such was the fate for the Pornochanchada genre. VHS blasted onto the market in the mid 80's, thus making hardcore pornography readily available. With that boom and the end of the Brazilian dictatorship, Pornochanchada films heavily decreased in popularity. The genre died, but thanks to Synapse/Impulse Pictures they're back!