Keeping in mind that this was made in 1996 or so...the documentary is difficult to watch. I actually was able to only get through about 15 or 20 minutes before I stopped it.The filmmaker seem to have a very open connection with the young men that were interviewed for this documentary - however - what make it difficult was not the candidness of the lifestyle and exploitation of these children. But it is almost a documentary skewed toward titillation for a certain audience, almost like it would have been shown in a back alley theater or something. Not sure why the movie interviewed the young men in provocative.....stances or positions.... rather than something more straight forward like an informative documentary. That really makes someone question what was truly behind the documentary.

First I watched "Mandragora" – an excellent, trough very depressing movie. Than being found of documentary movies I decided to watch "Body without Soul " – based on other user comments I expected this to be another dark and depressing masterpiece of Wiktor Grodecki. Instead it turned out to be very powerful documentary, with a lot of life lessons.You might be surprised by my statement above and so was my grandmother when I discussed the film with her. She asked me – why was I watching such movies anyway – and my answer was – because I rather see it on the screen than get a real life experience like the boys shown in " Body Without Soul " . If some of them had seen similar movie before they decided to cell their bodies – may be they wouldn't have made the steps which brought them in the hands of the porno producers … That is why my opinion is that movies such as Body without Soul should be viewed by as many people as possible – as they are sure to make them think – about what they had just seen and if they could do something to prevent it happening to them or their friends or relatives.Some of the boy prostitutes interviewed in this movie seemed to deal pretty well with their lifestyle and profession, other were making just the opposite impression. In the movie you can see an the interview with a pornographic film director – to my surprise he wasn't shown as the absolute evil – but rather as a person who makes his living from shooting porno( and working at the morgue ) – with his sins and mistakes , but still real and accurate character as all characters in this documentary are...

Wiktor Grodecki's " Body Without Soul " invites the courageous to the prequel of his sensationally dark film, Mandragora. This graphic film depicts the appalling process by which young prepubescence and teen age boys in Prague are so skillfully lured into the eviscerated life of a male prostitute. Candid interviews with both predators and victims alike allow the visitor to observe how deftly and skillfully an unsympathetic pimp/promoter/and oftentimes executioner, can entice, convince and then blackmail his victims into becoming porn stars. Systemic of a life of poverty, the boys recall how easily they and their peers became street hustlers. Converging at a well-known swimming pool in the city, unsuspecting victims are attracted by the promise of money, and too often find themselves defending the tragic lifestyle of the walking dead. This film is not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those wishing to obtain the remnants of humanity on the verge of self-destruction.

Some are ugly, some are attractive; some use drugs, some do not; some are stupid, some are average, some are smart. And all of them are teenage male prostitutes working the streets of Prague. Their clients consist largely of German, Swiss, and Dutch tourists in search of cheap sex--and for additional income they make pornos on the side. And along the way they are ripped off, abused, and degraded until they simply wear out.Wiktor Grodecki's documentary BODY WITHOUT SOUL is a dark and disturbing look at life on the streets of Prague. The film consists of interviews with a dozen or so teenagers describing how they first began on the streets, how they drifted into prostitution and pornography. Some of the subjects seemed drugged; others are surprisingly articulate. The centerpiece of the film, however, is an extended interview with a pornographic film director who at first attempts to gloss over the unsavory aspects of his work--and who ends by unintentionally revealing just how vicious he actually is. The pornographer is also a pathologist, and the camera follows him into the autopsy room and films him at work. Grodecki then intercuts these scenes with scenes of him directing his latest film, thus making the point that these boys are no more to those who use them than so much meat.Although it is exceptionally well done, I would hesitate to recommend BODY WITHOUT SOUL to a casual viewer. It is a moving film, a powerful testament re the old, old story of man's inhumanity to man... But many will find the autopsy scenes repulsive beyond their toleration, and I cannot imagine that many will watch the film more than once. Recommended, but as a rental rather than a purchase.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer