1982 American film
Cafe Flesh
is a 1982
post-apocalyptic
cult
pornographic
science fiction film
designed and directed by
Stephen Sayadian
(under the pseudonym "Rinse Dream") and co-written by Sayadian and
Jerry Stahl
(credited as "Herbert W. Day"). Music was composed and produced by noted music producer
Mitchell Froom
(and later appeared in his album,
Key of Cool
).
[1]
Two sequels,
Cafe Flesh 2
and
Cafe Flesh 3
, were released in 1997
[2]
and 2003, without the participation of the original creators. The sequels were written and directed by Antonio Passolini and did not have the same degree of popularity and cult appeal as the first film.
Plot
[
edit
]
In the aftermath of nuclear apocalypse, 99% of the survivors are sex Negatives ? they become violently ill if they attempt to have sex. The minority sex Positives are forced to engage in carnal theater for the entertainment of the Negatives at Cafe Flesh. Everyone is excited about the arrival at the club of the famous Positive Johnny Rico, and one Negative woman is beginning to question her negativeness as she and her boyfriend grow more distant from each other.
History
[
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]
By the early 1970s, the
pornographic film
industry had gained popularity, through the success of films such as
Behind the Green Door
and
Deep Throat
. During this period, there were many attempts to create artistic pornography, including
The Devil in Miss Jones
. There were also non-pornographic films with hardcore sex, such as
I Am Curious (Yellow)
and
In the Realm of the Senses
. By the early 1980s,
home video
technology shifted the porn industry, and pornography theaters were becoming less successful.
[3]
In 1982,
Cafe Flesh
, which mixed sex, satire, and
avant-garde
theater, was released. The film was created and co-written by
Stephen Sayadian
, under the name "Rinse Dream",
[4]
and journalist
Jerry Stahl
, under the name "Herbert W. Day".
[5]
Sayadin and Stahl made the film in two separate parts, using the non-pornographic elements of the film to attract financiers.
[3]
Two actors involved in this film went on to notable work in mainstream productions. Lead actress
Michelle Bauer
, using the name Pia Snow in this film, became a prolific
B-movie
actress.
[6]
[7]
[8]
Richard Belzer
, a noted comedian at the time who later became known for his role as
John Munch
in
Homicide: Life on the Street
and
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, appears as an audience member, but does not appear in any of the sexual scenes.
[9]
Criticism
[
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]
Scholar Bradford K. Mudge has said of
Cafe Flesh
, that it, "Like all great satire...stands in parodic opposition to the very generic forms out of which it evolved. Its brilliance results from a bifurcated vision: it dramatizes at once the death of pornography and its disturbing resurrection as culture itself. In so doing, the film marks a juncture?historically arbitrary to be sure?when 'pornography' is finally capable of critical self-reflection, capable of seeing its own 'imagination' as distinct from but integral to both its aesthetic predecessors and its larger cultural environment."
[10]
Awards
[
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]
Cafe Flesh
won the 1984
AVN Award
for Best
Art Direction
- Film and has been inducted into the
XRCO Hall of Fame
.
[11]
[12]
Cafe Flesh 2
won the 1998
XRCO Award
for Best Video and the
1999 AVN Award
for Best Video Feature and Best Special Effects.
[11]
[13]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Succinct Bits of Melody in Search of a Film Score"
, by Jon Pareles, December 17, 2005, Retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^
Cafe Flesh 2
, retrieved
2019-02-22
- ^
a
b
Peary, Danny (1988).
Cult Movies 3
. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc. pp. 52?56.
ISBN
0-671-64810-1
.
- ^
"The Next Best Thing To Being There"
, by Robert Rossney,
Wired
3.05, May 1995. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- ^
"Alfspotting"
Archived
2007-08-13 at the
Wayback Machine
, by Kim Morgan,
Willamette Week
, 1998-09-30. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- ^
Cafe Flesh
(1982) film review by Alan Jones
Archived
2011-07-09 at the
Wayback Machine
,
BBC
Radio Times
, Retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^
Michelle Bauer IMDb listing
, accessed June 24, 2007
- ^
Michelle Bauer Atomic Cinema profile
Archived
2007-09-29 at the
Wayback Machine
, accessed June 24, 2007
- ^
Peary,
Cult Movies 3
, plus
Philadelphia Weekly
repertory film review
Archived
2007-09-30 at the
Wayback Machine
, accessed June 24, 2007
- ^
"
How to Do the History of Pornography: Romantic Sexuality and its Field of Vision
" by Bradford K. Mudge.
Romantic Circles
. 2004. Accessed October 15, 2021.
- ^
a
b
"AVN Awards Show"
. Retrieved
8 January
2016
.
- ^
[1]
Archived
August 28, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Web Page Under Construction"
. Archived from
the original
on 2000-10-18.
External links
[
edit
]