Franco's death in 1975 opened the doors to the possibility of uncensored cinema. After two years in which censorship was relaxed, in 1977 it was completely abolished, and the “S” classification was created to protect viewers from those films that could “hurt their sensitivity.” The “S” classification was granted when the content was especially violent, sexual or political, creating a mixed bag in which all types of unclassifiable films could fit. In force from 1978 to 1983, this classification turned out to be a great commercial attraction for a society that had suffered four decades of national-Catholic dictatorship and repression.
A glimpse at how genre film-focused home video companies have taken the charge in preserving, restoring, and releasing so many works which otherwise might have been lost to time.
Deep Throat, a pornographic film directed by Gerard Damiano, a film-loving hairdresser, and starring Linda Lovelace, a shy girl manipulated by a controlling husband, was released in 1972 and divided audiences, who began to talk openly about sex, desire and female pleasure; but also about violence and abuse; and about pornography, until then an almost clandestine industry, as a revolutionary cultural phenomenon.
