Flesh (1968)

Produced by pop legend Andy Warhol, Paul Morrissey’s Flesh (1968) offers something a tad more salacious than a Mao silkscreen. Hunky Warhol regular Joe Dallesandro stars as Joe, a male hustler who uses his earnings to support his wife and infant child. When his spouse gets knocked up for a second time, Joe hits the streets to rustle up enough cash to pay for her $200 abortion. Morrissey lets his camera linger on the charismatic Dallesandro, who uses his personal experience as a hustler to lend the film a certain gritty, realistic appeal. It isn’t until Dallesandro and a cross-dressing friend get together with a topless Geraldine Smith, however, that sparks really start to fly. As Joe and his pal talk shop on the couch, Smith gyrates her topless frame across the screen with gusto.