Brazil: A Report on Torture
In January 1971, Saul Landau and Haskell Wexler made a documentary about torture in Brazil, in which they interviewed Brazilian political prisoners who had recently been released to Chile, all of whom had been tortured. The film, which consisted of both interviews and simulations of the tortures frequently used in Brazilian prisons (such as the parrot’s perch), was shocking because of the visceral nature of its content, but also because it exposed the violent excesses of Brazil’s military regime.
When Medici came to the United States in December 1971, he originally planned to visit both 
Washington and New York. His trip was later shortened to include only a brief stay in Washington, but members of an anti-dictatorship group in New York had already organized a screening of Brazil: A Report on Torture to coincide with his visit. Read the pamphlet from the screening. Medici’s Foreign Minister, Barboza, was reported to have asked the State Department if anything could be done to discourage the presentation of the film during the visit. This suggestion on the part of the Brazilian government demonstrated to what degree they had accepted the restriction of political and press freedoms as commonplace and justified.
- Read telegrams to Itamaraty from the Los Angeles consulate, the New York consulate, and the Washington embassy about the film.
- Read a letter to the minister of justice from Itamarty about the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o3IPrgA_ZXQ