Showing posts with label Oswaldo de Oliveira. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oswaldo de Oliveira. Show all posts

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Amazon Jail (Oswaldo de Oliveira, 1980)

If you have a building on your property that acts as a makeshift shelter to house a shapely assortment of female sex slaves, and three of the young women you keep in there refuse to participate in your lucrative sex slavery ring, shouldn't you get rid them? Failing that, wouldn't it be prudent to at least quarantine them from the rest of the girls? I mean, even though a van chock-full of fresh "livestock" arrives at your secluded jungle compound at least once a week, the three troublemakers, especially the tall, sullen blonde, are infecting the other fledgeling sex slaves with their revolt-based rhetoric. And not only that, the aforementioned tall glass of gloomy lukewarm water has started to direct the actions of one of your employees. You're absolutely right, it would be insane for someone to jeopardize their cushy job for a woman he can't molest on a semi-regular basis (either the bars are too thick or your tongue is too small). However, the woman directing his actions is not just any woman, she's a Brazilian woman. And if I have to explain why that makes a difference, than I'm afraid there's not much hope for you. I don't why I'm giving free advice to the deviants who run the untoward operation featured in Amazon Jail (a.k.a. Ausbruch der Pantherkatzen), Oswaldo de Oliveira's logical follow up to the wonderfully abhorrent Bare Behind Bars, on how to better run their jungle sex slave workshop/milf appreciation emporium. But as I watched them slowly run their unseemly business into the ground, thanks to lax security, nepotism, corruption, sexual misconduct, and, of course, greed, I couldn't help but think about how much better things would have been had I been in charge. I'm not saying I would ever manage a sex slave farm, I'm just saying things would have gone down differently if I had been at the helm.

First things first, don't hire your smooth-talking nephew as a guard. The moment he spots an ample Brazilian booty that meets all his frightfully specific Brazilian booty needs, you can pretty much count him out when the obligatory shards of hypothetical fecal matter start to violently crash into the whirling blades of the fan that represents things when they spiral out of control, as his brain now answers to a higher booty, I mean, power, a higher power. And secondly, limit the amount of time your bi-curious ladyfriend spends with "the product." Like your smooth-talking nephew, she also has a tendency to become attached to the women living in your glorified corral.

It wouldn't kill you–yeah, you, the actual owner of this pathetic excuse for a slavery ring–to not be tempted to dip your pen in the company ink, as your amorous impulses are mucking things up as well. (Just to be clear, when I say, "pen," I mean, "penis," and when I say, "ink," I mean, "vagina.") You, like the majority of men in this squalid jungle hellhole, seem to prefer the brunette newcomer named Liz (Elys Cardoso), and there's nothing wrong with that (she is the most alluring woman currently in stock). Nevertheless, I did object with the manner in which you made her writhe naked on your dining room table. Sure, she seemed more than willing to writhe naked (judging by the way her bronze skin twinkled, she was born to writhe in the nude), but it was still totally unprofessional on your part. This isn't about gratifying your sick fantasies, or, in this case, gratifying your perfectly understandable fantasies (have I mentioned that Liz is beguiling as all get out?), this about satisfying the perverted whims and wants of your immoral clientele, and, of course, lining your pockets with copious amounts of their chromatic cash.

I do, however, have to give it up to the owner of this particular sex slave farm, whose name, by the way, is Edgar (Sérgio Hingst), for the way he lavished praise on his milf-tastic life partner, Helena (Elizabeth Hartmann), the not as sadistic as she could have been caretaker of Edgar's illicit harem for wayward Brazilian girls.

Arriving via airplane, a group of "buyers" are driven through the thick jungle until they reach a palatial villa. What have these so-called "buyers" come all this way for? Well, if you were to listen to Edgar describe his product out of context, you'd think he was talking about something as banal as fertilizer or toilet brushes. Boasting about quality of his "merchandise," you have to wonder, he can't really be talking about people, can he? Don't be so naive, of course he's talking about people. But I'll admit, for a second there, I thought he wasn't. The mystery surrounding the exact nature of what he sells is solved once and for all when we enter "the corral," the pen where Edgar and Helena keep their sex slaves locked up until they're ready to be sold.

Opening the door to their bamboo prison, Helena, sporting a pair of high-waisted tan trousers (the shot of her leaving the corral reveals that she also wearing beige knee-high boots), instructs the women to bathe, because tonight's the night they're being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Wearing an annoyed expression on her face, Betty (Sandra Graffi), standing between her equally annoyed-looking friends Angel (Lígia de Paula) and a young woman with short dark hair, tells Helena that they're not merchandise to be bought and sold. Good for her, I say. If only more people had the sense to reject a life of unending servitude. I guess the reason the other women in the cell are so enthusiastic about going up to the villa to be objectified is that they're still under the impression that they have high paying jobs waiting for them in Europe. Whereas, Betty and friends know that is not the case. Anyway, as the rest of the girls put on garland thongs and shake their authentic Brazilian booty's to the sound of equally authentic Brazilian bongo music for the benefit of a bunch of balding buyers, Betty is asking Edgar's nephew to help her escape this hellish existence.

As Edgar and Helena watch their shapely wares jiggle the mashed up stuffing out of the contents of their overly aforementioned Brazilian booties for the amusement of the buyers, you get the impression that they both love what they do. I don't know, there was just something about the grin lurking underneath Edgar's comically hairy mustache and the manner in which Helena ate watermelon in a salmon-coloured muumuu that made me feel that way. Selling sexy people to decrepit people for a living obviously fills their hearts with joy. It's too bad they have no idea their undoing is being sown down at the corral right this minute, as Edgar's nephew desperately tries to lick Betty's nipple through the space in the bamboo bars. It's true, no matter how they tried, the surface of his tongue failed to make contact with her tit. But what makes you think he's gonna let a little thing like that stop him from trying to lick it again?

You could totally tell that Edgar knows there's something fishy going between his nephew and one of the defiant girls living in the corral. The only problem is, he's so blinded by family loyalty, that his punishment (a mild verbal scolding) falls woefully short of curbing his nephew's extracurricular activities. The forthright Helena is right to be worried that this so-called "family loyalty" is putting their business in serious jeopardy.

If you think Helena is the only one who is not tempted by the girly bouquet on display down at the corral, think again. When a fresh shipment of first-rate girl patty arrives, the fortyish slice of milfy perfection can barely contain her giddiness, as the smell of the new meat tickles her nostrils in a manner that causes her mouth to water. Sizing up the group while standing in the doorway, Helena can't help but notice that Mary (Shirley Benny), a deceptively innocent cooze in a yellow dress, is touching her breasts in an erotic manner. Has Helena finally come across someone whose love for lesbianism is as strong as her own? Only time will tell. In meantime, the new girls are told to shower often, maintain a healthy diet, and, of course, remain active, as it keeps your muscles toned (the buyers don't want girls who are sickly and out of shape).

Wait a minute. Showers? Healthy diet? Remain active? What kind of prison is this? Well, it's not really a prison. Sure, the girls are confined to a room with bars, but it's more like a poorly run health spa for prospective sex slaves.

Finding her milf-friendly frame standing, yet again, in the doorway of the corral, Helena, who, this time around, is wearing an orange tank-top, has been instructed to pick a girl so that Edgar may "inspect" the quality of the new merchandise. Since she's already called dibs on Mary, it's rather obvious, well, at least it was to me, who Helena was going to choose. Pointing at the woman fanning herself while sitting in one of the corral's many hammocks, Helena tells Liz, a golden goddess with shimmering skin, to get her blemish-free body up to the villa at once.

Barely able to function in her presence, Edgar tells Liz to writhe about on his dinning table for his amusement. As Edgar begins to perform indecisive cunnilingus on Liz (the contents of his mouth stabbed at her lower extremities with a dithering brand of ineptitude), we can't help but notice that Helena has grabbed herself a little underage midnight snack from the corral as well (think of the corral as a fully-stocked refrigerator for muff diving enthusiasts). Massaging Mary's pert body with a passion rarely seen outside the competitive rub and tug circuit, it's clear that Helena relishes the opportunity to explore the mysterious nooks and crannies of the female form.

This relish becomes somewhat sour later on when Helena learns that Mary is merely humouring her. Don't get me wrong, the cooing sounds she made during the her vigorous massage were sincere, it's just that there's been a bit of a shift in loyalty since her noteworthy rubdown took place. You see, while Liz, Mary, and the other new girls have no problem being treated like cattle, Betty and her friends are vehemently opposed. In fact, Betty is so opposed to human trafficking, that she engages in a raucous shower fight (it's the film's only shower, so savour it, perverts) with Liz over it. However, attitudes change when word gets out that Angel was shot and killed while trying to escape. As outrage spreads through the corral, Team Betty, even though it lost a key figure in Angel, finds itself stronger than ever.

It's a good thing Liz has hopped aboard Team Betty, as I was starting to grow tired of Betty's flavourless, Gisele Bündchen-esque pout. While Betty is a self-absorbed brat–the kind of woman who marries a professional athlete and surprised that he rapes her every night after couscous and McMillan & Wife–Liz literally oozes sex appeal from every inch of her brownish frame. It's no wonder all the Brazilian hillbillies who worked at that remote gold mine run by an effete pedophile wanted to fornicate with her, Liz, on top of dripping sex appeal, also exudes a certain indefinable charm. Obviously professional dancer when she's not appearing in dreck, I mean, films like, Amazon Jail, Elys Cardoso utilizes her natural ability as a dancer at least five times over the course of the film. Hell, her character even gets a flashback sequence (a nightclub scene that shows Liz during her days as an exotic dancer). At any rate, doing her best work while covered in body paint, Elys deftly captures the playful essence of what it means to be Brazilian.

Understandably exhausted after finishing his sleazy masterpiece, Bare Behind Bars, writer-director Oswaldo de Oliveira, while still promoting his anti-lesbian agenda, has decided to go beyond the prison bars and explore the dangerous allure of the jungle. Lacking the over-the-top violence of his previous WiP film, Oswaldo seems more interested in exploring the ups and downs of a morally bankrupt couple who have an open relationship, than he is shocking the audience with tawdry thrills. While a sex slave farm in the middle of the Amazon is the last place you would expect to find a blossoming romance, but that's exactly what transpires in Amazon Jail.

Now, you'd think the relationship I'm referring to would be the one that forms between Betty and Edgar's nephew, but I'm actually talking about the kooky bond that Edgar and Helena share. Acutely aware that I've already alluded to it, I was blown away by Edgar's obsession with Helena's forty-plus body. Granted, a large portion of my stupefaction stems from the fact that Edgar repeatedly slithers back into the experienced folds of Helena's pulpy flesh, even though he has a bevy of young torsos and limbs at his disposal twenty-four seven. Nonetheless, I was in absolute awe of his devotion to her. It's too bad the film couldn't have been more about them (the movie becomes a jungle survival film during its final third), as their misguided affinity for one another was the film's most interesting aspect.


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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bare Behind Bars (Oswaldo de Oliveira, 1980)

Underwear. What purpose does it serve, and why do we wear it? These questions, and a whole lot more will no doubt be scurrying through your polluted little brains while you watch Bare Behind Bars, a nasty, filthy, totally abhorrent piece of anti-lesbian, anti-underwear propaganda from República Federativa do Brasil. What can I say? They scurried through mine, and my brain is not even close to being polluted. In fact, it's as clean as Rupaul's justifiably revered taint on laundry day. I'm intrigued. How underwear averse was this film? I mean, it couldn't have been more scant in the pantie department than any of the other films that populate this specific genre, or could it? (Don't worry, I'll get to the film's stance on lesbianism in a minute.) Taking underwear aversion to the far reaches of ungovernable insanity, writer-director Oswaldo de Oliveira (Amazon Jail), a man who should be ashamed of himself, has created a world where everything from a stiff breeze to a roving hand has been given free reign to caress your hardworking genitals. Anyone who desires to grope the crumpled patch of paradise languishing between the legs of, oh, let's say, prisoner #371, need not worry about the prospect of there being any material impasses standing in their way. The lack of a substantial fabric barrier in the vicinity of my crotch does not necessarily give you carte blanche to feel up my junk. After all, we live in a society that has laws, and one of those laws clearly states: No matter what the level of coverage, whether it be a thick swath of Bangladeshi cotton, a thin stripe of nylon, or nothing at all, a person has the right not to have his or her privates subjected to unsolicited touching or groping. It's true, unrestricted fondling is not allowed in so-called "normal society." But since when has a dingy women's prison, one with an overcrowded clandestine cemetery located somewhere out back and an insatiable lesbian/slave trader/sadist as its warden, ever been considered "normal society"? Let me jump in and tell you when it has: Never.

I'll admit, lumping lesbianism alongside something as heinous and morally repugnant as the slave trade makes my heart hurt; if anything, lesbianism is the epitome of normal. This film, however, does not view things this way. They see lesbianism as the leading cause of violence and degradation within the society I just got finished deeming normal. Nevertheless, just because I found their take on lesbianism to be totally offensive, doesn't mean I'm going to hold it against them. You have to admire the ill-conceived gusto in which it tries to besmirch lesbianism, as it is so misguided, it comes off as desperate and sad. It's almost like watching an after school special at times. Except this particular "special" has pineapple dildos and dogs eating penises at its core.

If they [society] would just treat lesbianism as just another facet of human sexuality, people like, Sylvia (Maria Stella Splendore), wouldn't have to get jobs as cruel prison wardens in order to get dates. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens in Bare Behind Bars (a.k.a. A Prisão), a no holds barred women in prison flick that will surely satisfy even the most jaded proponents of the genre. Sitting in her office that overlooks the exercise yard, the sound of the women playing outside is causing Sylvia to feel a dull pain in her loins. Longing to rub her face against anything with a pulse (just as long as they have succulent breasts and a mossy beaver), Sylvia sits and stares at the i.d. card of an inmate named Cynthia (Danielle Ferrite), prisoner #341, and thinks to herself: I wonder what her pussy tastes like?

As they're playing handball in the yard, which was like watching five year old's play soccer (i.e. disorganized chaos), one of the girls is stabbed with a shank. In an effort to calm the situation, the guards move in with the hose. Spraying them with gallons of water (kudos to the butch guard with red hair for her top-notch nozzle work), the girls are reduced to a flailing mound of wet noodles. Determined to find out who the culprit was, Sylvia employs various means of torture to get the girls to talk. When that doesn't work, she invites #341 to her office, so that may chat in private. Who is she trying to kid? She's not interested in having a frank discussion about who killed #170, or whatever her number was, she wants to feel #341's soft, immature flesh pressed firmly against the weatherbeaten fullness of what's left of her no-nonsense femininity. It's true, she does make a somewhat feeble attempt to offer #341 a kind of package deal for her cooperation (a nicer cell, better meals), but it's rather obvious that her mind is mainly focused on attaining sexual satisfaction.

Still ticked off about the stabbing incident, Sylvia decides to punish the inmates by taking away some of their privileges. All meals from now on will be served in the prisoner's cells and exercise in the yard has been suspended. Oh, and the reason #341 is washing her coño with the water dripping from the leaky faucet in her cell is because bathing has been curtailed as well. The biggest shake up, however, occurs when she launches a prison wide inspection. Uncovering a plethora of illegal weapons, the exhaustive search for contraband, while managing to unnerve Sylvia's delicate psyche, does introduce us to the film's greatest asset, and that is, of course, Nurse Barbara (Marta Anderson), the Mamie Van Doren-esque ether-sniffer who loves, no, wait, scratch that, who adores raspberry pudding. While inspecting a prisoner's many crevices, Nurse Barbara declares that she that is in love with #241 (Marliane Gomes), and will do anything to make her happy. Okay, maybe she doesn't exactly declare that. But you could totally tell that the on the cusp of being buxom healthcare provider liked the structurally sound brunette that lay before her in the prison's infirmary. Promising to give her a massage and a bath, Nurse Barbara treats #241 like a brand new puppy.

If you're like me, you're probably also wondering how Sylvia manages keep her hair looking so silky smooth on a prison warden's salary. Well, it turns out that Sylvia has quite the money-making venture on the side. On top of being a sadist and a lonely lesbian, Sylvia sells prisoners to her fellow lonely lesbians for a hefty price. And today is the day when a lonely lesbian dressed head-to-toe in yellow has arrived to pick up #514, a.k.a. Betty (Nadia Destro), a prisoner Sylvia has been "grooming" for the past several weeks. Happy with what she sees through the peephole (Sylvia keeps all potential lesbian life partners in a private room), the lonely lesbian pays Sylvia a large amount of money for the right to take Betty home with her.

While the majority of the action transpires within the walls of the prison itself, we're periodically given updates regarding the status of the lonely lesbian and Betty's relationship throughout the film. In addition to keeping us filled in as to the development of their imposed courtship (Betty is essentially a sex slave), this subplot, which usually takes place on a yacht or at the beach, gives the audience a much needed break from the drudgery of prison life. However, I wouldn't call what #241 endures "drudgery." Sure, she's picked on from time to time by the other inmates, but the pampering she receives at the hands of Nurse Barbara was overindulgence run amok. Lying naked on her examination table, her hair adorned with daisies, Nurse Barbara has a present for #241: a strap-on ready dildo. I know what you're thinking. A dildo? Big Deal. It's true, a single dildo might not seem like much in today's booming dildo economy. But back then, the dildo was a symbol of power and strength. There's a reason, "She who controls the dildo, controls the universe," was West Germany's on and off motto for most of 1974.

Accepting her gift, #241 shares the dildo with the rest of the prison population. If you look closely, you'll occasionally catch a glimpse of the dildo being transported from one cell to another via a crude clothesline-based dildo delivery system. The women have obviously devised a schedule that determines when a certain cellblock can use the much sought after sex toy, or else it would been anarchy. My favourite instance of this glorified dildo outreach program comes during the scene where a guard and a prisoner in solitary confinement give one another handjobs through a small hole in the cell door. The way the dildo cable car sneaks into frame as the guard and the isolated prisoner are vigorously rubbing the consecrated viscosity out of their swollen pussies was strangely beautiful.

Since the lonely lesbian in yellow is off cavorting with Betty, that means there's a vacancy in Sylvia's private lesbian life partner grooming room. Who's gonna be a next lucky girl to be the indentured girlfriend of a rich lesbian? A new prisoner named Annette (Sonia Regina) might just be what Sylvia's been looking for. While things get off to a rocky start (Sylvia slaps Annette when she refuses to be called #578), they gradually improve once Nurse Barbara examines her. With her muscular calves rest in her trusty stirrups, Barbara, after testing the dampness of her sex, declares #578's box to be so clean, that you could literally eat off it.

As Nurse Barbara is sitting on the corner of her desk extolling the virtues of raspberry pudding, Sylvia is getting ready to implement her plan to transform #578 into the ultimate lesbian sex slave. Meanwhile, out in the yard (exercise and bathing privileges have been reinstated), #578 is way ahead of Sylvia, and has started do calisthenics, along with #241, #341, and #218, in the nude. The idea is get Sylvia's attention, and you know what? The plan works like a charm, as #578 is quickly summoned to Sylvia office. Staring at her with a fiery intensity, Sylvia tells #578 to take off her gown. The "gown" is basically a sea green coat with the prisoner's number written on the front and back in black. Anyway, Sylvia's stare grows even more intense after #578 does a little spin for her (making sure the warden gets a look at every nook and cranny her exciting body has to offer).

Even though she doesn't communicate it with words, the expression on Sylvia's face as #578 spun for her sums up how she felt at that particular moment. Screw those the other lonely lesbians, she probably thought to herself, this lonely lesbian has found a slice of womanly perfection, and has no intention of sharing her with anyone else. Yeah, that's right. Her name is #578, and her ass belongs to me. After she's finished inspecting "the goods," Sylvia takes #578 for a test drive by grinding her body against hers in a highly erotic manner. And judging from the cunnilingual bruises that dot her inner thighs the following day, there's no way Sylvia's letting some dried up hosebeat intertwine her scabby legs with the robust stems that jut from #578's taut torso.

Are you a middle-aged lesbian who likes to fornicate with girls who are more than half your age? Of course you are. Don't you just hate it when their enthusiasm for eating out your expensive pussy causes your crotch to become parched, sluggish and barely recognizable to the microscopic lickspittles that live on the outskirts your infrequently manicured bush? Well, the next time your fanny region is itching like an underpaid motherfucker, just fill your bathtub with lukewarm water, add a tablespoon of radioactive oregano, keep the affected area submerged for at least five to six hours, and voilà, watch those pesky blemishes go the way of the daguerreotype.

As the bubbles and the radioactive oregano are soothing Sylvia's aching minge, a vision of loveliness sporting a volumizing scrunchie is busy laying the groundwork for her inevitable downfall. Wait. Did you just say, "volumizing scrunchie"? You bet I did. Okay, just checking. The prison's assistant warden, Sandra (Neide Ribeiro), disapproves of Sylvia's methods (she thinks she's a sadist who's letting her thirst for underage cooter cloud her correctional conviction), and wants to put an end to her reign of sapphic terror.

If it seems like #241 and #578 are enjoying their time as lesbian playthings, think again. Tired of playing horsy (Nurse Barbara likes it when #241 rides her bareback while eating watermelon) and performing all-night oral stimulation, #241 and #578 decide it's time start planning their escape from this hellhole. Along with prisoners #341 and #218, the girls hope to use their connections with Sylvia and Nurse Barbara to help speed up the process. Of course, while Sylvia is completely in the dark as to what #578 is up to, Nurse Barbara has no qualms about aiding the unruly foursome.

In terms of exposing skin, all the principal players do their part to titillate the unwashed rabble sitting in the audience. Even the gorgeous Neide Ribeiro gets with the program near the end of the film, as she appears naked while getting dressed in her bedroom. Despite the shortage of fastened buttons on her prison issue blouse, Sandra has been a model of modesty for most the film. All that changes on the day mass is scheduled to be performed in the prison's chapel, when we see her brushing her hair sans clothing in front of a mirror. Numbed by the sheer amount of bare bums, butts, and asses that are barefacedly exposed to throughout this talking picture, I thought to myself: Yawn. Not another unclothed behind. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the oomph of Neide's well-oiled backside when it finally decides to badonk its way onscreen. It not only boasted a pleasing shape, but it also had a certain twinkle about it.

Flashing the contents of your bodacious Brazilian booty is nothing compared to what #241 and #341 get up during the film's final third. Just a second, I'm trying to figure who made the bigger sacrifice. Okay, I'm gonna say #241 took the greater risk. You see, while #341 performs authentic sexual intercourse (squalid slum sex), shot a couple of people, and participates in the gang rape of a minor, #341 cuts off two penises (the first was a flaccid penis that she fed to a noisy dog, while the second was a fully erect penis that she fed to the man who used to be attached to the fully erect penis), participates in the gang rape of a minor, walks around with a razor in her vagina, and is forced to lick a pineapple dildo. So, it's rather obvious who the "winner" is when it comes to championing debasement.

My biggest complaint in relation to watching films like Bare Behind Bars has nothing to do with the torture or the degradation, it's the implausible tan lines. This particular film, like others in the genre, seem to make a concerted effort to point out that the prisoners are wearing no undergarments whatsoever. Yet when it comes time to film the obligatory shower scene, all I see are tan lines in the shape of bikini bottoms and tops These women are supposedly living in an underwear scarce universe, and have been for years, but you wouldn't know it judging by lines of pale skin that cover the bodies of some of the inmates. I know, it's difficult to find women who hate going to the beach, especially in a country as beach-friendly as Brazil, to appear in borderline pornographic women in prison flicks on such short notice. But can't we find away to persuade the actresses not to go to the beach before principal photography begins? I don't ask for much.

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