Awakening of the Beast (O Ritual dos sádicos/O Despertar da besta). José Mojica Marins, 1970.
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Edition screened: Included in Anchor Bay 5-DVD set The Coffin Joe Collection, released 2009. Portuguese language with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 91 minutes.
Summary: No depictions of violence or harm to animals.
Awakening of the Beast is a series of vignettes illustrating the link between drug use and depraved behavior. Most scenes are introduced or bookended by thin “can you beat this” discussions between sociology professor types. There is a travelogue-like feeling to the film, and Marins may have been influenced by ‘seedy tourism’ films like Miller’s Primitive London and London in the Raw.
The first scene involving a heroine-using stripper given a gift by a small group of ogling men might be the sexiest and most interesting segment of the film. A scene beginning with a woman leading a donkey into her house is effective and startling, and the orgy ending in accidental death is tightly filmed and shocking. Awakening of the Beast is an interesting viewing experience, banned for decades not so much for sexual content but more for exposing that drug abuse with extreme consequences is real and common among all social classes rather than a vague threat among the disadvantaged.