Reviews (6)

The Best of PASSOLINE!
I wach this moves for long yeras is nice and inorvidable forrevar
Plese if your have chance dont lost!

Teorema
Pasolini's "Teorema" is one of the best films I have seen. 1960s icon Terence Stamp plays either God or the Devil; we never know which. He drops into the lives of a very bourgeois family and proceeds to seduce each family member: maid, son, mother, father, and daughter. His divine or diabolical interaction with them causes each to re-evaluate his/her belief system. Just as suddenly as he appears, he leaves. The family members are bereft and embark on their very separate journeys to self-discovery or self-destruction.

Stamp is wonderfully enigmatic while Silvana Mangano has ennui and lack of sexual fulfillment down pat. Watching their scenes together are mesmerizing as is a portentous tableau where the Guest quotes Rimbaud as the daughter and convalescing father look on in confusion and fear. Ennio Morricone's music amplifies already charged scenes.

An excellent film with incredible atmosphere (the sepia-tinted scenes at the beginning are strangely haunting), little dialogue, and very religious overtones (despite the controversy with the Catholic Church upon its initial release).

simplistic view of life as sexual-snooker
this is a simplistic view where marxism graduates to freud in trying to exaplin life. class somehow becomes sex as the key to everything. pretense for intellectualism without much general honesty either.

as for the commentaries, what can i say? in this movie, the rest of society undertakes as much pain as the bourgeoisie--though different it may be.

Anomia and materialism.
An opulent family in the Italian industrialism society opens its doors to the auditorium. The mother, Lucia (Silvana Mangano) is a freeze woman with a distant relation to her husband and their sons. The Visitor (Terence Stamp) is the element that breaks all the tights of emotions in this home. The father Paolo (Massimo Girotti) is just an ignored man for his wife and sons, finds in the visitor, forbidden emotions and his destruction. Odetta, (Wiazemsky) the daughter is an isolated girl in this family. Laura Betti as Emilia, the servant is the victim of her repressed desires. Andrés José Cruz Soublette as Pietro, the son is a dysfunctional adolescent, shocked by the sexual experience with another man. The visitor comes to the lives of these home members to provoke a catharsis, encouraging them to free and fully unload all their repressed painful thoughts. Their underlying conflict, of guilty emerges an they escape through irrational and mad behavior, when their break the individual's moral standards. This is a reflection of a society's anomie and materialism.

PASOLINI'S BEST
Pasolini's brilliantly flawed masterpiece. Only a European can get away with such a banal critique of the middle classes. Where does politics end and where does [pure] art begin? Who cares! This film - mostly silent - is perfect for Pasolini's style and outlook. What a shame he made so few contemporary films. If you want to see and hear what all the Pasolini-related fuss is all about, and you've yet to experience one of his films, start here and then go on to EDIPUS REX. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

One of the most shocking films
It's no wonder that this movie stirs up passions. It's very graphic and it's not for faint-hearted. But in my opinion it's less cruel than some Terrentino movies, like Reservoir Dogs, for instance. In terms of graphic representation of cruelty, it's not even close to some modern movies. The difference is that it has that horrifying suspense - you don't know what will be in the next scene; it's a very sophisticated movie. Also, this film contains an important message - that everyone there is a victim - the governors, the guards and not just the victims/youths. There are no positive characters; maybe only 2 youths who got killed earlier in the movie when trying to escape or for praying to God. I think the purpose was to show what lower depth a human being can reach, torturers with inventing new tortures, guards being stone-hearted and "just doing their job", and victims themselves who gradually turn into obedient sheep where there is no human dignity left. They try to fight for favours from the governors/torturors and any trace of pride is gone; they've turned into animals as well. It takes a while to stomach this movie and to decide for yourself what the author wanted to say. It is not a simplistic film where all thr answers are suggested. It's not a romantic kind of movie, too, so skip if you look for pure light-minded entertainment. By the way, it was not directed by Pasolini, but by his long-time assistant.

A genuine testimony of (in)humanity
Films like "Salo" are never made for the sake of entertainment, but they challenge the viewer's motivations and conceptions of what it means to be human. To watch this film requires to accept the challenge to be confronted with such fundamental questions, and to abandon simplistic and modern preconceptions of what film (and indeed art) "ought to be" for.

"Salo" is Pasolini's adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's last novel "The 120 days of Sodom", an 18th century catalogue of perversions commited by a group of "libertines" whose view of society is opposite to contemporary philosophical rationalism and optimism of the time. Pasolini transposes the story to fascist Italy at the end of World War 2, in Musolini's "republic" of Salo-a region in which Pasolini had resided, and where he experienced the fascist repression.

"Salo" tells the story of 4 fascist "signori", who retreat in a remote and decadently decorated villa to engage in, and act out a complex series of perversions (ranging from sexual violence to torture and murder) and degradation on a group of young civilian victims, and with the help of an equally young militia recruited from the same village.

Because of its extreme graphic nature this movie is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The scenes of violence and human degradation are truly shocking. However, what is equally shocking are the dialogues and the many details in the rigorous structure of the story that reveal Pasolini's underlying motivations. "Salo" is a gripping and thought-provoking reflection on power, modernism, decadence, and the limits of human rationality-and in that sense its relevance goes far beyond it being a comment on Sade's novel or on fascism. Few movies in the history of the genre had the power to raise these questions as strongly as Pasolini's "Salo", and it is to be doubted that more ever will.

As much as being a chilling visual representation of human irrationality, Pasolini's "Salo" is a highly intellectual, and a deeply moral and moving reflection on (in)humanity, by means of the urgent and ever so relevant questions it raises. This makes "Salo" compulsory viewing for anyone to whom such questions matter.

Let the madness end...
The conspiracy theories, the bootlegs, the ceremonial passing around of 'sealed' copies (gonna watch it, son?) on eBay for obscene amounts of money...well, finally, according to people I know who know the people at Criterion, the big bad boy of the DVD universe will be re-released in the near future (December, perhaps). Maybe now we can put the capper on this business of reselling these plastic things without any real regard for their quality or content. The film was very poorly transferred and is, frankly, a well-fashioned curio at best. A little sanity, please.

Aristotle
I'm giving this movie the highest rating because it made me understand the definition of the word CAPTHARSIS (the process of releasing strong emotions-pity and fear-through a particular activity or experience, such as writing or theatre, which helps you to understand those emotions)

Interesting movie - plus how to find the dvd cheap
Salo is an interesting movie if you watch it for what it is. If you're into disturbing movies you'll find that this isn't incredible disturbing, if not then be prepared to see things not generally shown in theaters.

Here is a quick summary if you're too lazy to read all the other comments (mind you it's been a bit since I've seen it). Four aristocrats decide to take in some men and women play with them, torture them, and kill them. Suppossed this is based on de Sade's 120 days of sodom.

HOW TO BUY RARE (SALO) DVD CHEAP
Don't pay a ridiculus amount of money for this movie. The first version of this movie I found on tape for $5 on ebay. I recently found a $5-10 dollar DVD version on ebay. From my understanding it's legal to sell this movie since it's unavailable here. As an added note if you're into rare movies I suggest finding a good import site say diabolik or xploited cinema (There's plenty others) or again try ebay.

Hope this helps. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A good start to enjoy contemporary cinema
It's an extreme pleasure to view the art of four contemporary masters in one film. Especially Pasolini's "La Ricota" could be one of the best films made by this controversial Italian director. If you like to see some very funny, charming, delicate, yet profound artistic movies but don't want to spand too much time, check this one out! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Good film, rubbish dvd
Scott Richardson (above) writes that this is one of Waterbearer's better quality DVDs. In which case I certainly won't be buying any of their others!
It is a shame such a low quality product should represent the work of such a great director. Let's hope somebody brings out a remastered version, restored to full length, with chapter stops (how much effort would it take to put them in!) and removable digital subtitles. And it would be nice to hear that Morricone soundtrack clearly.
Come on Waterbearer, try a bit harder.

Intriguing but flawed; definitely worth seeing
Although I find Pasolini a brilliant, provocative, and at times sublime filmmaker, I have a hard time connecting with The Hawks and the Sparrows. Of course, some viewers are passionately devoted to it and, like all of Pasolini's films, it is definitely worth seeing. It's an episodic tale of a dotty father (legendary Italian comedian Totò), his rambunctious teenage son (Ninetto Davoli, who appeared in 11 of Pasolini's films and was his lover), and a talking crow (with a passion for alluding to Marx, Brecht, and Mao) who become involved in a series of comic misadventures. Some of the film is very funny, and it works well visually and musically (score by the great Ennio Morricone), but overall it feels at once ponderous yet underdeveloped. Pasolini had set out to make an ideological comedy but, as he remarked in a 1968 interview, "perhaps it came out too 'ideo-' and not 'comic' enough." Exactly!

Some of the most effective elements derive from Pasolini's love of early comedy. The first shot, with Totò and son walking along an endless dusty road, seems to pick up where Chaplin's Modern Times (1936) left off. Totò's stony yet expressive, and hilarious, face brings to mind both Buster Keaton and, surreally, a bird (with a title like this, that means something). Ninetto Davoli is a perfect foil. He is all laughter and devil-may-care hijinks, injecting the film - often set in one form of wasteland or another - with the spirit of youth although, significantly, it is not a spirit of rebellion but more a last burst of steam being let off before following, literally and otherwise, in his father's footsteps. One of the most energetic scenes comes at the beginning, when Ninetto joins a group of teenage boys practicing a line dance to a sassy pop tune. Despite the vitality of this musical number, it shows that he is all too eager to conform his own energy to the group. In Pasolini, as in life, almost everything has multiple, and sometimes paradoxical, meanings.

The film provides ample, if often contrived, opportunities for comedy, but it is often of a violent kind, both emotionally and physically, and reminds us of Theatre of the Absurd. Playwrights like Beckett, Ionesco, and Genet clearly provided Pasolini with a philosophical blueprint for this picture, with their Existential vision of the harsh ridiculousness of life, as well as their subversive style (including illogical, even fantastical plots) that undercuts both dramatic form and the assumptions of their audience. Absurdly, the form of Totò and son's journey - like the structure of the film itself - is a giant loop, as they travel around and around Rome's periphery; always moving but never really getting anywhere. The symbolism is both obvious yet vague.

With Pasolini's encyclopedic knowledge of history and all the arts, the film could also be seen as his unique take on a favorite poet (Pasolini was himself called the greatest postwar Italian poet). Note the central episode at the grotesque, and Felliniesque, Conference of Dentists for Dante. The misadventures of Totò and son could be Pasolini's update of sections from the Divine Comedy's Inferno and especially Purgatorio sections. The omnipresent road in this film lies between two areas, Rome and the countryside, as Purgatory lies between hell and heaven. Like the damned souls in hell, and some of the luckier ones in Purgatory (where so many of the world's great, but not purely-Christian-enough, artists hang out, including Giotto - whom Pasolini played in his film of The Decameron), father and son walk in circles. If they never learn from their mistakes, they'll remain in a Hell of repetitive alienation; but if they do, and can "Purge" themselves of their ignorant and sinful ways (Pasolini's conception of "sin" is more sociopolitical than spiritual), then maybe they can finally catch one of those buses which they're always missing and get out of wherever they are.

The central symbol is, of course, the one in the title, which Pasolini dramatizes in a lengthy film-within-the-film set in the middle ages. But what are we to make of the hawks and the sparrows? The title suggests a kind of symbiotic relationship between predator and prey, even as it symbolizes the two great tendencies within Italian culture and, to a lesser degree, within Pasolini himself: Catholicism and Marxism, and the violence which can result when they clash. But which group do the hawks represent, and which the sparrows? Pasolini keeps the ambiguity coming, as he shows how each group contains elements of both victimizer and victim. Paralleling that, we see father and son in a similarly fraught dual role: They victimize the poor woman when trying to collect her rent, and are in turn victimized by their boss, the landlord. That vicious circle connects not only with all of the circular/repetitive elements in this film, but with most of Pasolini's works, beginning with the beguiling victimizer/victim Accattone in his first film.

But Pasolini needed to flesh out his ideas, to embody them in living, breathing people. Then the comedy might have been funnier, the film might have had a more visceral impact, making its intriguing political and philosophical points more meaningful. Despite my personal reservations (which are certainly not shared by all of Pasolini's admirers), I hope that you will watch this picture and see what you think.

[3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4]

Mediocre DVD, decent film
"The Hawks and the Sparrows" is one of Pasolini's more overtly political films. It revolves (more or less) around the conflict between Marxism and Catholicism.

Not one of Pasolini's better films (although not a bad film by any means), this is, ironically, one of Waterbearer's better DVD's. Although it still suffers from no chapter stops and burned-in subtitles (some of which are missing), the print is fairly crisp and is very watchable. It is unfortunate, however, that this is the original theatrical version of the film, and not the reconstructed version, which contains an additional 11 minutes. Even if these 11 minutes had been available as a special feature, it would have been nice. The audio on the disc is mostly acceptable, although there is a fair amount of noise during the "Dante's Dentist" sequence.

While this disc has some flaws, it is certainly a step up from most of the rest of the Waterbearer Pasolini DVD's...

Uccellace Uccellini
Pasolini's most concise film, perfectly blended humour, religiosity, scandal, and philosophy. enumerates the director's problems with contemporary life in a nutshell; ninetto davoli is adorable!

An Unusual Film From Pasolini.
I picked up this Pasolini film a few days back, and I must say it was something a bit incongruous for Pasolini to make. The film takes place in a barren farmland, where a boy and his father meet a talking crow. Thereupon, the film shifts to a local monastery where we see the boy and father as monks. Inch by inch, they have the ability to talk to birds (i.e. chirping and whistling) as well as communicating with them. However, these birds (sparrows) are suddenly being killed off by the Hawks, and the rest is history. Although appearing dull at first, the movie soon gathers interest after the interaction with the crow, but abruptly finishes on a demented yet humorous note. Not as graphic as his later film would be, even so there's a sick sense of style idiosyncratic to Pasolini; although "The Hawks and the sparrows" still seems a bit weird, as if part of the school of Surrealism. I've heard Pasolini made this film as an allegory for his personal eroticism, or an across-the-board motif for homosexuality. If that were the case, it's a very imperceptible one that is obscured by the film's visual aesthetics altogether. Nevertheless, it's worth a look, and most hardcore Pasolini fans would understand it for its existence and beauty. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Problematic transfer
Pasolini's naturalistic adaptation of "Matthew" may be the best ever made on the life of Jesus. (This gospel is considered the preachiest of the four, and proves a strange choice for cinema.)

Alas, the transfer on this DVD isn't worth a recommendation. Considerable flicker and film artifacts make the picture a real eye-stabber; the soundtrack is frequently muffled, and the musical cues are garbled.

As with most Italian films of the time, sound is "post-synch" (which is to say it's dubbed in). The dubbing is no worse than you'd find in a Fellini film, but no better.

The sole extra is a European TV documentary from the early '70s. It's in pretty deplorable condition, and is featured on all the "Pasolini series" DVDs.

On the whole, a great film, well worth seeing -- but not a good DVD. I'll give it three stars and hope Criterion puts out a better edition soon.

a literal, riveting telling
Filmed in Southern Italy in rocky hillside villages and along the coast, Pasolini's "Gospel" has the feel of a silent film, with its long close-ups of its cast of non-professional actors, which include Susanna Pasolini, the filmmaker's mother, and how the camera loves these rough, beautiful and distinctive faces...it is like a moving tapestry of Renaissance paintings, and a visual artist's dream film.
Enrique Irazoqui's Jesus, with his lofty forehead, thick eyebrows that meet over his nose, and coal black eyes, is stern and compelling, and recites the Gospel with strength and mettle.

Released forty years ago, the quality of this black and white film is gritty, which adds to the harsh depiction of the life and the landscape. Though much less ambitious, it reminds me a little of Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev", and it has the same pacing (especially in the first hour) and gravity. The soundtrack also shows signs of age, and includes Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev, Webern, some American spirituals ("Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" during the Manger scene), Kol Nidrei during the Last Supper scene, and Missa Luba. There is also a biting wind, whooshing and whistling though much of the film.

The tape that I own is dubbed, and this is the only instance where I don't find dubbing intrusive. Since the dialogue is literal and familiar, and many scenes are purely visual, the dubbing frees one to just take in this marvelous interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel, which is sometimes simple and sometimes quite savage (the Massacre of the Innocents is chaotic); a must see for anyone interested in Christianity, and students of film and the graphic arts.

Great Movie with a mocking Waterberer Logo and front picture
It is a great movie.
I think the cover of the DVD should be relevant to the film.
the same movie in Europe has Jesus's picture with a cross !!!!

As you play the film, the first thing you see the Waterberer Logo
scrolling on the screen with giant letters and inside the letters you'll see a naked man running then a woman kissing a woman !!!!!!!!
I think somebody trying to mock this film.

probably the greatest film ever on this subject
pasolini, unlike mr. gibson, was not a christian and never converted.
what we have here is an artist's honest reaction to the gospel of matthew upon encountering it.
an honest reaction without pre-concieved notions that lead to a truly magnificent work of art.
the film should be watched by all who think they've got jesus nailed down.
the low budget actually adds to the frankness of the film.
i mean, would christ really have wanted anyone to spend 30 million dollars on a movie about his torture?
let's face jesus was POOR and kudos must go to this filmmaker for an inspiring masterpiece.

A Great Movie Experience - But Revert Back To Subtitles!
Pasolini's THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW is by far his best ever work and probably the greatest movie on the life of Jesus ever made.

I have this movie on VHS with English subtitles and this will be the one I stick with. Dubbing this movie into English was a big mistake.

However, this is still a wonderful movie in it's simplicity. The cast is superb as are the locations and imagery. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

An Ancient Woman
Just as Pasolini said,"I draw on the mysterious sensibilities in Maria Callas". He finds Callas to be "an ancient woman" in the sense that she is directly linked to myth and legend. With very little spoken word Callas manages to convey all the pride, rage, and black art that comprises the legend of Medea. Set against an incredibly dramatic backdrop the viewer is nearly hypnotized by this savage story of lust and power.
To the reviewer who thought that the repeated scene of the death of the king and his daughter was a technical error, watch it carefully again. Medea dreams the act of revenge first, then sets it into motion and the dream becomes reality. This is in all the films of this I have seen. It is not a mistake.

Another footnote . . .
A lot has been written about the scene that is shown twice. While it is definitely deliberate, I wouldn't say that its NOT a mistake.

Pasolini can be frustrating. Half the time you think you are watching a genius re-invent cinema - the other half you are wondering if he even knows which end of the camera to point. After a brilliant opening half I thought I was watching what was surely to become one of my favorite films. Pasolini's interpretation seemed just right - it seemed he had something legitimate to contribute this time. And Callas is perfectly cast. Then we settle into the part that, dramatically speaking, can't go wrong - Medea's betrayal and revenge.

It is here, of all places, that Pasolini begins to stumble. The narrative becomes unfocused, passion is dumped in favor of vagueness, the director half-heartedly tries out a number of ideas that don't really work, and we feel robbed of the impact that a straightforward approach would have given us. Feeling all of the tension drain out of this film after such a strong start is a major letdown.

By the climax the only grounding force is Callas - and it seems as if Pasolini is working against her, against the story, and against his own film. The real shame here is that Callas ultimately isn't allowed to give us the Medea that she could have.

Still, the magic of the first half cannot be completely destroyed - and at no time does this fillm even come close to being as tedious and pretentious as Pasolini's Oedipus.

A footnote to the other reviews
Am I the only one to notice that the killing of the Princess and her father is shown twice in the DVD version? (Is it in the tape edition also?) We see them burst into flame, then we go back to Medea planning the murder, and then we see it again! I wrote to the distributor and he said he forwarded my comments to the producers. I never heard a word from the latter. So I am posting this to ask if any one else has noticed this strange duplication. I would very much appreciate hearing from any body whose copy has the same flaw or does not.

Well, it could have been worse
Pasolini fans have been struggling with low-quality DVD's since the advent of the format, and Medea is no exception. This disc, put out by Vanguard, is certainly a step above the Wellspring and Image Pasolini DVD's, but that really isn't saying much. The transfer is fairly dirty and washed-out, and the sound is very hissy. The punctuation in the subtitles is abominable. That being said, they are actually quite easy to read.

The film itself is good, although it doesn't reach the heights of Pasolini's earlier Oedipus Rex. The film is very slow, lacking a great deal of dialogue, until it explodes at the very end. It's a little convaluted, and I highly advise reading a summary of the story before delving into the film.

While Medea isn't Pasolini's best film, it's certainly not his worst DVD. Worth a rental, at least.

MEDEA, one of Pasolini's greatest films, finally on DVD
Pasolini has the dubious distinction of being the only great filmmaker who was murdered, possibly at the behest of a right-wing faction which loathed the openly gay, Marxist, atheist - and popular - artist. Whatever the facts of his death, his reputation as one of Italy's greatest talents is based securely on his poetry, novels, works of critical theory and, in particular, the 25 films he directed. They include such stylistically diverse works as Accatone (1961; adapted from his own novel about life in the slums of modern Rome), The Gospel According to Matthew (1964; a beautiful, moving film about Christ), a stunning version of the Arabian Nights (1974), and his last film, the most nauseating masterpiece I have ever seen, Salò (1975; the Marquis de Sade's 1780s novel updated to Mussolini's Fascist Italy). But Pasolini's most underrated film is his startling version of Medea (1969). Its recent release on DVD (from Vanguard-Cinema) makes this is an opportune time to revisit the ultimate incarnation of the adage, Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.

Pasolini takes a unique approach to Medea. He jettisons all but a few lines of Euripides, and begins the narrative many years before the action of the play. Most strikingly, he shoots almost the entire film in a documentary-like style. And, with a couple of notable exceptions, he creates a picture with almost no dialogue, although the soundtrack features an astonishing musical score (put together by Pasolini) of native North African wind and percussion music (20 years before Peter Gabriel's score for Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ, which was clearly inspired by Pasolini). If that was not enough to offend purists, in the title role he cast perhaps the most famous opera diva of the century, Maria Callas, in her only film appearance, and then gave her almost no lines (and the few she had were dubbed). Perhaps if audiences had known a bit more about what to expect from the film, they would have seen what was on the screen, instead of what Pasolini consciously - and often brilliantly - stripped away from his sources.

He opens with a witty prologue in which an unforgettable Centaur lectures baby Jason about his mythical lineage. So many gods and goddesses are mentioned in this breathless monologue, that the overwhelmed kid falls over backwards, sound asleep. (There is perhaps as much dialogue in these first three minutes as in the rest of the film.) Then Pasolini plunges us into Medea's world. In one of the film's most astonishing sequences, we witness, and feel, every moment of the ritual sacrifice of a young man, whose blood the people of Colchis smear over the plants and trees, to ensure the continued fertility of their land. Pasolini's artistry makes this event as poetic and authentic (indigenous North Africans, not extras from Central Casting, enact the Colchians) as it is gruesome. You may have read about such ancient rites in anthropology, but Pasolini depicts it unflinchingly. And he shows us, in visceral terms, exactly what kind of world produced Medea, whose revenge will be enacted years later on her faithless husband.

Throughout, Pasolini invests every shot with a haunting, ripely sensuous look, almost always grounded in a cinéma vérité style. The film literally glows like burnished bronze, with many shots done at the "magic hour," just before sunset, which naturally provides an orange/gold sheen. The major stylistic exception is the scenes in the court of King Creon (played by Massimo Girotti, star of Visconti's 1941 film Ossessione), where Pasolini drolly mimics Eisenstein's expressionistic designs from that masterpiece of political intrigue, Ivan the Terrible (1943-1946).

Much of Medea's enormous power comes from the naturalistic performances, ranging from the leads to the many minor characters. This is what the Argonauts might really have been like, a group of mostly quiet young men, doing their jobs, enjoying the thrill of battle when the opportunity arises, and gawking at the strange sights of Colchis's radically foreign culture. Giuseppe Gentile creates a complex Jason whom we believe a powerful woman like Medea could fall passionately in love with, who is devoted to his children, yet who is so fickle, not to mention hungry for power, that he would throw over his wife of 10 years to marry the daughter of his enemy, King Creon, as a backhanded way of regaining his throne.

Pasolini draws a monumental performance from Maria Callas, who uses her few lines of dialogue to great effect. Simply by using her face and body, Callas suggests - with a subtlety unexpected from an opera diva - Medea's immense range of emotions, from heartbreaking tenderness to volcanic rage.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy Pasolini's Medea is to put aside thoughts of Euripides, and later versions by such dramatists as Seneca, Pierre Corneille, and Jean Anouilh, not to mention Hollywood extravaganzas like Jason and the Argonauts (whether the fun 1963 version, with Ray Harryhausen's special effects wizardry, or the bland TV mini-series from 2000). Experience Pasolini's mesmerizing film on its own starkly beautiful terms, and you will find a unique vision not only of the ancient Mediterranean, recreated with what feels like astonishing fidelity, but of the tortured interplay of love, desire, and unspeakable revenge, which can be as current as the latest crime of passion. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Awful transfer of a strange film
Pasolini's Porcile is a strange double-tale of cannibalism, self-sacrifice, Nazis, and (for lack of a better term) swine-affinity.

I'm very happy to own this film on DVD, but I wish the disc was better. The transfer is downright awful: the colors shift, it's poorly matted, the image bounces up and down (more than just Pasolini's handheld shots), the sound is awful and hissy, and the entire film is scratched - in fact, it looks to have been sourced from either a workprint or an original print (it features strange calibration frames between each reel, and the reels themselves are separated by several seconds of black space).

I would recommend this to die-hard Pasolini enthusiasts, as it's probably the only Region 1 edition we'll ever see. Just don't expect a great transfer. Hopefully, Waterbearer will address some of these problems for their Volume 2 box set.

Deeply strange but fascinating film
Porcile (aka Pigsty, released in 1969) is one of Pasolini's most hauntingly original works. It interweaves two seemingly disconnected tales, that of a young man (Pierre Clémenti of Belle de Jour) forced into a life of cannibalism in a dreamlike medieval Wasteland, and that of the enigmatic son (Jean-Pierre Léaud of The 400 Blows) of an ex-Nazi industrialist in modern Germany. The cannibal and the young German, more attracted to pigs than to his beautiful fiancée, both become sacrificial victims of their different societies. This strange, grotesque and provocative parable, filmed with serene beauty and underlying horror, resonates on many different levels.

Although Porcile has the reputation of being a "difficult film," it can also be viewed as one of Pasolini's most accessible. Just let its hallucinatory images wash over you, then think about about what it all means at your leisure. It should also be noted that this is not an abstract film, since each section has a definite, and sometimes suspenseful, story to tell.

The film works because of the enormous tensions, both visceral and intellectual, around which it is built. In terms of history, we have the contrast between an overtly barbaric past, with cannibalism and Christian priests who ritually sacrifice young men and women, and a covertly barbaric present, with neo-Nazis running Big Business. Visually, we have the vast, barren spaces of the medieval Wasteland contrasting with the flat opulence of the Klotz Villa, where Pasolini uses lateral or head-on angles almost exclusively.

The anti-bourgeois satire of Porcile's modern section is in startling contrast to the dreamlike Wasteland scenes. The series of monotonous conversations about the 'good old days' of Nazi Germany, often led by Mr. Klotz (Ugo Tognazzi of La Cage Aux Folles), quickly degenerates into noise, since its ideology is so pat. This knee-jerk parodying of the decadent bourgeoisie as swine in countless ways, both visually and verbally, is so over the top that one can only hope that Pasolini, an otherwise astute social critic, intended it as a satire of cheap satire, of lazy political "thinking."

Of course, Porcile is infamous for its portrayal of cannibalism. But in fact this is presented (forgive the pun) in good taste. Pasolini goes to lengths to show, in the Wasteland section, that cannibalism is solely a matter of survival. But even as he downplays the titillation, Pasolini finds new dimensions to this theme. Take the scene of Clémenti's duel with a straggling (or is it deserting?) soldier. After scrambling over the desolate hills, they finally lock swords. When the soldier at last realizes that he has lost, he bows down, accepting his fate like prey awaiting the predator's coup de grace. But the ...filmmaker also infuses the scene, between these two attractive men, with a tender homoeroticism. Which is cut short when Clémenti whacks off the soldier's head and then, well, you know what's for lunch.

Much of Porcile's power, and deep strangeness, comes from its suggestive openness. As Pasolini says, in the half hour documentary included on the DVD, "I've always posed various problems and left them open to consideration." That complex openness allowed me to challenge some of my assumptions - both obvious ones, about class and society, and more subtle ones about the nature of religion, history and film.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking and talking about Porcile, even dreaming about it, for a long time to come.

The DVD is of good quality. I believe that the "weird bits" at the end of each reel (i.e., every 10 minutes) were intended by Pasolini as a sort of Brechtian "Alienation Effect." I assume that the film is correct as released, because the print comes directly from the Pasolini Foundation in Rome. By the way, since they control the rights, they insisted that the U.S. distributor release the DVD without any chapters (i.e., it's in one continuous track), to encourage people to watch the film in its entirety. Still, it's important to have this extraordinary part of Pasolini's filmography on DVD.

Pasolini at his finest.
Pasolini masterpiece. Great dialogue. Beautiful locations, faces, lighting, and camera direction. This film works on so many intellectual levels. It is at once surreal, bizarre, chic, beautiful, and much more. What else can one say? Like all Pasolini...pure genius!

Pasolini's Perverse Pastime --Possible spoilers
Sometimes hard to watch, but nonetheless, clever little film by Pasolini, Italy's most controversial director. Notable for the remarkably shocking Salo (Pasolini's last film, he was murdered after its completion), Porcile is a step below the former in its use of depraved characters and unthinkable subject matters. However, Pasolini has his way with perversions (that is in his films) and Pigsty utilizes a sufficient amount of ribald qualities for which Pasolini's films are known for....

Porcile presents the filmmaker's own beliefs on Fascism, the bourgeoisie, and demoralization. These ideas (plus abstract metaphors) were succeedingly used in the aforementioned Salo;120 Days Of Sodom. Porcile (or Pigsty) stars the great (and omnipresent) Ugo Tognazzi, as well as Marco Ferreri, who would later direct a slew of black comedy-drama pictures in the same vein as the film in question. These two actors definitely energize the film, portraying two awkward Fascists who seemingly tickle the film's prevailingly dark subject matter.

All in all, Porcile is an acquired taste (hence, a cult film) but don't let the absurdities baffle you.

This is not Pasolini's best
Although it is a good movie and definitely worthwhile seeing it, it's not the best of Pasolini. Yes, it is stylish, but the whole impression is rather good than excellent. Of course, it's not for Hollywood gang, so give it a miss if you like mass production. For those who like Pasolini it's definitely an asset. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Best of PASSOLINE!
I wach this moves for long yeras is nice and inorvidable forrevar
Plese if your have chance dont lost!

Teorema
Pasolini's "Teorema" is one of the best films I have seen. 1960s icon Terence Stamp plays either God or the Devil; we never know which. He drops into the lives of a very bourgeois family and proceeds to seduce each family member: maid, son, mother, father, and daughter. His divine or diabolical interaction with them causes each to re-evaluate his/her belief system. Just as suddenly as he appears, he leaves. The family members are bereft and embark on their very separate journeys to self-discovery or self-destruction.

Stamp is wonderfully enigmatic while Silvana Mangano has ennui and lack of sexual fulfillment down pat. Watching their scenes together are mesmerizing as is a portentous tableau where the Guest quotes Rimbaud as the daughter and convalescing father look on in confusion and fear. Ennio Morricone's music amplifies already charged scenes.

An excellent film with incredible atmosphere (the sepia-tinted scenes at the beginning are strangely haunting), little dialogue, and very religious overtones (despite the controversy with the Catholic Church upon its initial release).

simplistic view of life as sexual-snooker
this is a simplistic view where marxism graduates to freud in trying to exaplin life. class somehow becomes sex as the key to everything. pretense for intellectualism without much general honesty either.

as for the commentaries, what can i say? in this movie, the rest of society undertakes as much pain as the bourgeoisie--though different it may be.

Anomia and materialism.
An opulent family in the Italian industrialism society opens its doors to the auditorium. The mother, Lucia (Silvana Mangano) is a freeze woman with a distant relation to her husband and their sons. The Visitor (Terence Stamp) is the element that breaks all the tights of emotions in this home. The father Paolo (Massimo Girotti) is just an ignored man for his wife and sons, finds in the visitor, forbidden emotions and his destruction. Odetta, (Wiazemsky) the daughter is an isolated girl in this family. Laura Betti as Emilia, the servant is the victim of her repressed desires. Andrés José Cruz Soublette as Pietro, the son is a dysfunctional adolescent, shocked by the sexual experience with another man. The visitor comes to the lives of these home members to provoke a catharsis, encouraging them to free and fully unload all their repressed painful thoughts. Their underlying conflict, of guilty emerges an they escape through irrational and mad behavior, when their break the individual's moral standards. This is a reflection of a society's anomie and materialism.

PASOLINI'S BEST
Pasolini's brilliantly flawed masterpiece. Only a European can get away with such a banal critique of the middle classes. Where does politics end and where does [pure] art begin? Who cares! This film - mostly silent - is perfect for Pasolini's style and outlook. What a shame he made so few contemporary films. If you want to see and hear what all the Pasolini-related fuss is all about, and you've yet to experience one of his films, start here and then go on to EDIPUS REX. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Problematic transfer
Pasolini's naturalistic adaptation of "Matthew" may be the best ever made on the life of Jesus. (This gospel is considered the preachiest of the four, and proves a strange choice for cinema.)

Alas, the transfer on this DVD isn't worth a recommendation. Considerable flicker and film artifacts make the picture a real eye-stabber; the soundtrack is frequently muffled, and the musical cues are garbled.

As with most Italian films of the time, sound is "post-synch" (which is to say it's dubbed in). The dubbing is no worse than you'd find in a Fellini film, but no better.

The sole extra is a European TV documentary from the early '70s. It's in pretty deplorable condition, and is featured on all the "Pasolini series" DVDs.

On the whole, a great film, well worth seeing -- but not a good DVD. I'll give it three stars and hope Criterion puts out a better edition soon.

a literal, riveting telling
Filmed in Southern Italy in rocky hillside villages and along the coast, Pasolini's "Gospel" has the feel of a silent film, with its long close-ups of its cast of non-professional actors, which include Susanna Pasolini, the filmmaker's mother, and how the camera loves these rough, beautiful and distinctive faces...it is like a moving tapestry of Renaissance paintings, and a visual artist's dream film.
Enrique Irazoqui's Jesus, with his lofty forehead, thick eyebrows that meet over his nose, and coal black eyes, is stern and compelling, and recites the Gospel with strength and mettle.

Released forty years ago, the quality of this black and white film is gritty, which adds to the harsh depiction of the life and the landscape. Though much less ambitious, it reminds me a little of Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev", and it has the same pacing (especially in the first hour) and gravity. The soundtrack also shows signs of age, and includes Bach, Mozart, Prokofiev, Webern, some American spirituals ("Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" during the Manger scene), Kol Nidrei during the Last Supper scene, and Missa Luba. There is also a biting wind, whooshing and whistling though much of the film.

The tape that I own is dubbed, and this is the only instance where I don't find dubbing intrusive. Since the dialogue is literal and familiar, and many scenes are purely visual, the dubbing frees one to just take in this marvelous interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel, which is sometimes simple and sometimes quite savage (the Massacre of the Innocents is chaotic); a must see for anyone interested in Christianity, and students of film and the graphic arts.

Great Movie with a mocking Waterberer Logo and front picture
It is a great movie.
I think the cover of the DVD should be relevant to the film.
the same movie in Europe has Jesus's picture with a cross !!!!

As you play the film, the first thing you see the Waterberer Logo
scrolling on the screen with giant letters and inside the letters you'll see a naked man running then a woman kissing a woman !!!!!!!!
I think somebody trying to mock this film.

probably the greatest film ever on this subject
pasolini, unlike mr. gibson, was not a christian and never converted.
what we have here is an artist's honest reaction to the gospel of matthew upon encountering it.
an honest reaction without pre-concieved notions that lead to a truly magnificent work of art.
the film should be watched by all who think they've got jesus nailed down.
the low budget actually adds to the frankness of the film.
i mean, would christ really have wanted anyone to spend 30 million dollars on a movie about his torture?
let's face jesus was POOR and kudos must go to this filmmaker for an inspiring masterpiece.

A Great Movie Experience - But Revert Back To Subtitles!
Pasolini's THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW is by far his best ever work and probably the greatest movie on the life of Jesus ever made.

I have this movie on VHS with English subtitles and this will be the one I stick with. Dubbing this movie into English was a big mistake.

However, this is still a wonderful movie in it's simplicity. The cast is superb as are the locations and imagery. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good but not Pasolini's finest!
"The Canterbury Tales" is second part of Pasolini's 'Trilogy Of Life' but certainly the most innocent, and perhaps dullest, of the three. Based on stories by Chaucer the film has been set in England, however the native tongue has been dubbed in Italian with English subtitles. The stories are fairly adult in nature but mostly harmless unlike Pasolini's shocker, "Salo".

Final thoughts - watch but don't buy unless you're a fan of the director!.

Maybe the worst Italian film ever
In the Middle Ages, people generally did not stroll about in brightly colored, shintzy clothes. Especially not when they went on a pilgrimage, "to seek the holy blissful martyr". Roads and streets were not paved. People stank. One cannot convey that in a film, but please pay more attention to set decoration? The standard you would like to attain in that respect was set by Terry Gilliam in "Jabberwocky": shabby poor people, dirty faces, muddy streets. Or "The Name of the Rose".

Besides, you can only follow this movie if you have read the Canterbury Tales first. Otherwise, it's incomprehensible. By the way, almost all Italian movies I re-view of late seem incomprehensible. I used to like Italian cinema, but its products do not seem to age well. The dialogues usually seem hollow and pretentious. One notable exception: "Kaos".

A LOAD OF RUBBISH!!!!
I really wasted my money on this one! I was totally disgusted with this movie, it demeaned women in the most part and looked much like cheesey low budget porn film. There was really only one scene in the whole movie that I would have called humourous. The scenes of execution and murder were the most realistic part of the movie that I would even consider crediting the actors. I recommend no one buy this film if they can't stand, sex, violence and women being treated like objects.

MASTERPIECE!!!
Literally!!!Brilliant!!!Pasolini is beyond reproach!!!!Go watch yer Hollywood super sound pictures for technical perfection!!!For heart and soul on the screen this is among the best!!

Pasolini on Chaucer
I was fortunate enough to purchase this DVD when originally issued, not so with Pasolini's other films. I had seen this film almost a year before buying it, and while it's not a GREAT movie it is still better than some. First off, the picture quality is not great, due to the museum conditions the print seems to have been stored under. This leads one to believe that not many prints survived. Using a mostly British cast adds as much realism to the film as can be mustered. The humour is typically bawdy and quite perverse at times (as in Satan farting out the monks ). I am quite sure that Chaucer would have been proud of this film of his work. The only problem i have with the picture is the uneven cinematography. Tonino Delli Colli's work has greatly improved since, but in this film is either over-saturated with light or is too dark. His ultimate camera work is in Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, but apart from the inconsistancies with lighting he is a quite capable cameraman. One wonders what use Pasolini could have made with Giuseppe Rotunno or Luciano Tovoli. Other people might have a problem with Pasolini's inclusion of homosexual love scenes, but they are quite subdued from being actual pornography. And although Pasolini was himself homosexual, he doesn't throw it the viewer's face as being all-important. All in all, the film is quite deserving of the NC-17 rating which my DVD copy carries. Too bad the United Artists logo doesn't appear at the beginning since they distributed the film in the early 70's ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Yet another mediocre transfer from Waterbearer
Of the three Pasolini DVD's recently released by Waterbearer, Oedipus Rex is probably the best not only in its transfer, but in the film itself.

That being said, the transfer is still far from great. The matting is off, although nowhere near as badly as it is on Porcile. The colors are faded and the film is pitted and scratched, but again, nowhere as badly as on the Porcile disc. My main complaint is (as it was with Love Meetings) that the burned-in (not optional) subtitles are white, and are impossible to read in many parts of the washed-out transfer.

That being said, this is one of Pasolini's strongest films, and is definitely worth watching, whether you're a cinephile, a Pasolini fan, or a classical scholar. Casual viewers may be put off by Pasolini's style which, admittedly, is an acquired taste, but more open-minded viewers will be greatly rewarded. Again, it's doubtful that these films will see better editions any time soon, so if you're interested, there's no reason to wait around.

Opulent, riveting, strangely autobiographical OEDIPUS REX
Oedipus Rex (1967) is Pasolini's opulent and riveting adaptation of the ancient myth of Oedipus, a man who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother; simultaneously, it is a provocative reflection of the filmmaker himself. Although Sophocles' 2,500-year-old play forms the basis for the film's second half, Pasolini's prologue is startlingly autobiographical. He opens in early 20th century Fascist Italy, while using the myth's characters to recreate his parents' relationship and his own birth. He then takes us to a mythic ancient world, filmed primarily in Morocco, with vast desert landscapes and stunning native architecture (Thebes is a massive city made of adobe, which feels genuinely ancient and real). Pasolini brings a grandeur and epic sweep to his Oedipus Rex, despite its limited budget, even as he gives full weight to the intimate moments.

The film draws great power comes from the completely naturalistic performances, ranging from the leads to the minor characters (Pasolini plays a High Priest). Silvana Mangano (Mrs. Dino De Laurentiis) is outstanding as Jocasta, Oedipus's enigmatic mother/wife. Her stone-like face suggests intense erotic heat with the microscopic wrinkling of a lip. My major reservation with the film is Franco Citti as Oedipus. He appeared in seven films for Pasolini (including the title role in Accatone), and was usually exceptional, but here he brings a too-consistent harsh tone to his role. Of course, Citti's monolithic resolve, as both Oedipus the boy (who cheats to win a discus match) and king, may be Pasolini's point. Namely, since Oedipus refuses to grow, to come to an integrated understanding of who he is and what his society needs him to be, he destroys himself by willful blindness.

Visually, Oedipus Rex draws enormous force from its vivid palette and use of the harsh Moroccan sunlight, not to mention its breathtaking, sometimes outrageous sense of style. Yet the literal clarity of the film does not obscure its dreamlike qualities. Pasolini wanted to film the myth as something which takes place in an authentic setting, yet which unfolds in a period outside of historical time. Even the eclectically multicultural soundtrack, with folk music from traditions as startlingly diverse as Japan and Rumania (and this was twenty years before the popularity of "world music"), helps achieve Pasolini's ambitious goal.

Intriguingly, the real protagonist of the film is Pasolini himself, who subtextually takes on Freud's (in)famous Oedipus Complex. As he said, "I wanted to make ... a kind of completely metaphoric - and therefore mythicized - autobiography; and ... to confront both the problems of psycho-analysis and the problem of the myth." (In the half hour documentary on Pasolini included on the DVD, one illuminating section is devoted to his views on Oedipus Rex.)

Revisionist Freudianism aside, this film succeeds in bringing both Oedipus and his world astonishingly to life. This Oedipus Rex is engrossing because it works simultaneously on so many different levels. For people new to Pasolini, this representative film is an excellent place to begin. In terms of its impact on film history, you can see its influence on pictures as diverse as Fellini Satyricon (1969), Norman Jewison's Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), and Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). It shows Pasolini grappling with some of the knottiest themes of his films, and of most people's lives, namely the relationship of men and women, of child and parents, and of one man to himself. And it is at once a work of outrageous design and deep feeling, a semi-camp epic with genuine mythic resonance.

The DVD is of very good quality, especially considering the film's age. However, the Pasolini Foundation in Rome, which controls the rights, insisted that the U.S. distributor release the DVD without any chapters (i.e., it's in one continuous track), to encourage people to watch the film in its entirety. Still, it's important to have this crucial part of Pasolini's filmography on DVD.

Sophocles' challenger
The myth of Oedipus has been treated over and over again since antiquity and is best known from the Sophoclean version, which has ever since been considered the best existing. The title of the film reviewed, „Oedipus Rex", alludes to the title of the Sophoclean play that is usually cited in its Latin translation. Obviously, Pasolini challenges his great predecessor, as is confirmed in his film by numerous allusions to Sophocles and his great ancient rival Euripides, who also treated the Oedipus-myth more than once.
Now while Sophocles is the most sublime author you can conceive, always concerned with the question „how man should be" (as Aristotle cites him in his „Poetics"), Pasolini is known better for anything than for tragic decorum. Therefore he does not choose the „same weapons" as Sophocles, trying to overpower the excellence of his hero, but makes up a subtle picture of a vicious and fear-haunted soul.
His Oedipus cheats, is arrogant and blood-thirsty, traits of character, that had been deliberately excluded by Sophocles, but had been attributed to Oedipus in the „Phoenissae" of Euripides. Pasolini thoroughly elaborates these traits e.g. in the scene at the fork in the road. His Oedipus shows himself even more keen than the Euripidean hero to kill the noble old man he meets there. Certain innovations further undermine the Sophoclean concept that Oedipus is the wisest man in the world. Nevertheless, the Pasolinian King Oedipus is a sympathetic character, for his profound emotions, his care for his people and his natural ways.
The story is known to us as well as it was in antique times, but our expectations are quite different because of Freud's famous theories concerning the Oedipus-complex. According to these expactations, Pasolini, creating an adequate framework, provides a certain oscillation between modern times and the myth in order to underline that essential characteristics of the human soul are involved. Thus, the excellent actors, especially Silvana Mangano and Franco Citti as Iocaste and Oedipus give an insight into the dephths of mankind.
Besides this brilliant charakter-studies and the convincing plot, this film can be enjoyed at first sight by anyone for the impressive photography of antique African sites, that form the stage for Pasolini's version. To appreciate it fully, it is recommendable to read the related tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides as mentioned above.

Sophocles would be pleased -- maybe.
Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is adapted well for the foreign screen. Pasolini, better known for the controversial Salo; 120 Days of Sodom, has kept the intensity level to a minimum while still presenting the perverse qualities for which he would be known for. If you don't know the story (like who doesn't) read the play before seeing the movie - there tends to be a shortage on literature freaks these days. Beautifully filmed, Oedipus Rex begins in modern times, continues sometime BC, and finally ends back in the 20th century; thus presenting a sociological thesis for the viewer. The acting is a bit hammy (seeing Oedipus with a mad streak can be over the top) although the characters are developed well and recite their lines as if on stage. My only complaint is the subtitles seem to blend in with the scenery --- white subtitles against a white background. Therefore, this flaw makes it difficult to read in some scenes, and Pasolini's poetry is usually superb. Nevertheless, it's still a great film and is worth a look, especially by people with preconceived hatred for Pasolini's later work -and there's definitely a lot out there.

Another Pasolini's masterpiece
It's interesting to read these reviews as one must wonder how can someone see Mamma Roma and say that it's worthless. This is such a heart-breaking tragedy and it unfolds slowly. The cinamatography is great; you don't notice the camera at all. The performance of actors is excellent, although Pasolini admitted that Magnani was probably not the best choice for the role; but she offers superb performance. If you are into staff like "Elisabeth" or the like, don't even try this one; but if you like Italian cinema, this one is for you. Watch and judge for yourself. ... Read more

Reviews (112)

One of the most shocking films
It's no wonder that this movie stirs up passions. It's very graphic and it's not for faint-hearted. But in my opinion it's less cruel than some Terrentino movies, like Reservoir Dogs, for instance. In terms of graphic representation of cruelty, it's not even close to some modern movies. The difference is that it has that horrifying suspense - you don't know what will be in the next scene; it's a very sophisticated movie. Also, this film contains an important message - that everyone there is a victim - the governors, the guards and not just the victims/youths. There are no positive characters; maybe only 2 youths who got killed earlier in the movie when trying to escape or for praying to God. I think the purpose was to show what lower depth a human being can reach, torturers with inventing new tortures, guards being stone-hearted and "just doing their job", and victims themselves who gradually turn into obedient sheep where there is no human dignity left. They try to fight for favours from the governors/torturors and any trace of pride is gone; they've turned into animals as well. It takes a while to stomach this movie and to decide for yourself what the author wanted to say. It is not a simplistic film where all thr answers are suggested. It's not a romantic kind of movie, too, so skip if you look for pure light-minded entertainment. By the way, it was not directed by Pasolini, but by his long-time assistant.

A genuine testimony of (in)humanity
Films like "Salo" are never made for the sake of entertainment, but they challenge the viewer's motivations and conceptions of what it means to be human. To watch this film requires to accept the challenge to be confronted with such fundamental questions, and to abandon simplistic and modern preconceptions of what film (and indeed art) "ought to be" for.

"Salo" is Pasolini's adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's last novel "The 120 days of Sodom", an 18th century catalogue of perversions commited by a group of "libertines" whose view of society is opposite to contemporary philosophical rationalism and optimism of the time. Pasolini transposes the story to fascist Italy at the end of World War 2, in Musolini's "republic" of Salo-a region in which Pasolini had resided, and where he experienced the fascist repression.

"Salo" tells the story of 4 fascist "signori", who retreat in a remote and decadently decorated villa to engage in, and act out a complex series of perversions (ranging from sexual violence to torture and murder) and degradation on a group of young civilian victims, and with the help of an equally young militia recruited from the same village.

Because of its extreme graphic nature this movie is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The scenes of violence and human degradation are truly shocking. However, what is equally shocking are the dialogues and the many details in the rigorous structure of the story that reveal Pasolini's underlying motivations. "Salo" is a gripping and thought-provoking reflection on power, modernism, decadence, and the limits of human rationality-and in that sense its relevance goes far beyond it being a comment on Sade's novel or on fascism. Few movies in the history of the genre had the power to raise these questions as strongly as Pasolini's "Salo", and it is to be doubted that more ever will.

As much as being a chilling visual representation of human irrationality, Pasolini's "Salo" is a highly intellectual, and a deeply moral and moving reflection on (in)humanity, by means of the urgent and ever so relevant questions it raises. This makes "Salo" compulsory viewing for anyone to whom such questions matter.

Let the madness end...
The conspiracy theories, the bootlegs, the ceremonial passing around of 'sealed' copies (gonna watch it, son?) on eBay for obscene amounts of money...well, finally, according to people I know who know the people at Criterion, the big bad boy of the DVD universe will be re-released in the near future (December, perhaps). Maybe now we can put the capper on this business of reselling these plastic things without any real regard for their quality or content. The film was very poorly transferred and is, frankly, a well-fashioned curio at best. A little sanity, please.

Aristotle
I'm giving this movie the highest rating because it made me understand the definition of the word CAPTHARSIS (the process of releasing strong emotions-pity and fear-through a particular activity or experience, such as writing or theatre, which helps you to understand those emotions)

Interesting movie - plus how to find the dvd cheap
Salo is an interesting movie if you watch it for what it is. If you're into disturbing movies you'll find that this isn't incredible disturbing, if not then be prepared to see things not generally shown in theaters.

Here is a quick summary if you're too lazy to read all the other comments (mind you it's been a bit since I've seen it). Four aristocrats decide to take in some men and women play with them, torture them, and kill them. Suppossed this is based on de Sade's 120 days of sodom.

HOW TO BUY RARE (SALO) DVD CHEAP
Don't pay a ridiculus amount of money for this movie. The first version of this movie I found on tape for $5 on ebay. I recently found a $5-10 dollar DVD version on ebay. From my understanding it's legal to sell this movie since it's unavailable here. As an added note if you're into rare movies I suggest finding a good import site say diabolik or xploited cinema (There's plenty others) or again try ebay.

Hope this helps. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Another strikeout from Waterbearer
The other reviews have covered the film sufficiently, so I'll just focus on this new DVD edition (although I will say that it seemed to be a bit of a re-hash of "Nights of Cabiria" without any of the pathos).

Actually, calling it "new" is a bit of a misnomer, as it appears to be a transfer from an old videotape. This is strongly evident near the end of the film where there are two instances of scrolling video distortion.

I really wanted to like this disc. The transfer itself is actually fairly clear (although slightly muted and/or washed-out) and mostly free of specks and dirt (except at the end of each reel). Unfortunately, as with the previous three Waterbearer Pasolini DVD's, this one suffers from no chapter stops and burned-in (non-optional), frequently-unreadable subtitles. At the price Waterbearer is charging, the consumer is going to expect a great deal more than they're getting.

Rent it if you're curious, but I'd advise against purchasing this disc unless you're a die-hard Pasolini fan.

Study of subproletariat lifestyle --- possible spoilers.
Accotone is an interesting film because Pasolini exposes to his audience a particular lifestyle and social class which would not be accurately touched on in an American picture. If Hollywood had ever discussed Accotone's subject matter they would display it with all its stereotypical adornments and falsities which most US moviegoers are accustomed to. Pasolini is not afraid to present the grittier side of the subproletariat as is epitomized in the film's main character, Accotone, who struggles with his profession of pimping and becoming more sensitive to his women and to the world. Pasolini's debut is delicately permeated with political concepts and allegories, yet we can see that he is experimenting newly with the technique of film and developing a filmic narrative structure; more of his full-fledged sociopolitical allegories would be pursued in films like The Gospel and Hawks and Sparrows. The film stars Franco Citti who at the time of making of the film was a nonprofessional. However his performance is substantial considering him being a novice and having his voice overdubbed by another actor. Citti would soon become a Pasolini regular, starring in Oedipus Rex, Arabian Nights, and other supporting roles. However, as the film progresses the attention is centered on the female lead, who plays the naive soon-to-be callous farm worker who is duped by Accatone into prostitution. Before Pasolini ventured into the cinema he had a knack for writing. In his first two novels Pasolini had utilized the language of his mother's homeland, Friuli, for colloquial discourse amongst his characters who lived in subproletariat communities. It is not surprising that the subject of these novels would be the focal point of Accatone. In addition I believe Pasolini had rendered his ideas (from his literature) appropriately for his film, yet not becoming to carried away with fidelity and technical aspects which are profuse in films today. Accotone is worth a look for film buffs and people who appreciate arthouse related pictures.

A start--- possible spoilers
Accatone is an interesting film because Pasolini exposes to his audience a particular lifestyle and social class which would not be accurately touched on in an American picture. If Hollywood had ever discussed Accatone's subject matter they would display it with all its stereotypical adornments and falsities which most US moviegoers are accustomed to. Pasolini is not afraid to present the grittier side of the subproletariat as is epitomized in the film's main character, Accatone, who struggles with his profession of pimping and becoming more sensitive to his women and to the world. Pasolini's debut is delicately permeated with political concepts and allegories, yet we can see that he is experimenting newly with the technique of film and developing a filmic narrative structure; more of his full-fledged sociopolitical allegories would be pursued in films like The Gospel and Hawks and Sparrows. The film stars Franco Citti who at the time of making of the film was a nonprofessional. However his performance is substantial considering him being a novice and having his voice overdubbed by another actor. Citti would soon become a Pasolini regular, starring in Oedipus Rex, Arabian Nights, and other supporting roles. However, as the film progresses the attention is centered on the female lead, who plays the naive soon-to-be callous farm worker who is duped by Accatone into prostitution. Before Pasolini ventured into the cinema he had a knack for writing. In his first two novels Pasolini had utilized the language of his mother's homeland, Friuli, for colloquial discourse amongst his characters who lived in subproletariat communities. It is not surprising that the subject of these novels would be the focal point of Accatone. In addition I believe Pasolini had rendered his ideas (from his literature) appropriately for his film, yet not becoming to carried away with fidelity and technical aspects which are profuse in films today. To this day there are apparently no film directors as consciously aware of his country and goverment as Pasolini was and that would transcend these beliefs into his art with controversy yet at the same time subtlety.

It all started here.
Accatone is an interesting film because Pasolini exposes to his audience a particular lifestyle and social class which would not be accurately touched on in an American picture. If Hollywood had ever discussed Accatone's subject matter they would display it with all their stereotypical adornments and falsities which most US moviegoers are accustomed to. Pasolini is not afraid to present the grittier side of the subproletariat as is epitomized in the film's main character, Accatone, who struggles with his profession of pimping and becoming more sensitive to his women and to the world. Pasolini's debut is delicately permeated with political concepts and allegories, yet we can see that he is experimenting newly with the technique of film and developing a filmic narrative structure. More of Pasolini's full-fledged sociopolitical allegories would be pursued in films like The Gospel and Hawks and Sparrows. The film stars Franco Citti who at the time of making of the film was a nonprofessional. However his performance is substantial considering him being a novice and having his voice overdubbed by another actor. Citti would soon become a Pasolini regular, starring in Oedipus Rex, Arabian Nights, and other supporting roles. However, as the film progresses the attention is centered on the female lead, who plays the naive soon-to-be callous farm worker who is duped by Accatone into prostitution. Before Pasolini ventured into the cinema he had a knack for writing. In his first two novels Pasolini had utilized the language of his mother's homeland, Friuli, for colloquial discourse amongst his characters who lived in subproletariat communities. It is not surprising that the subject of these novels would be the focal point of Accatone. In addition I believe Pasolini had rendered his ideas (from his literature) appropriately for his film, yet not becoming too carried away with fidelity and technical aspects which are profuse in films today. To this day there are apparently no film directors so consciously aware of his country and goverment as Pasolini was and that would transcend these beliefs into his art with controversy yet at the same time subtlety.

Great Film, Nearly Invisible Subtitles
Buy the other edition. How many times do they need to use white subtitles in black-and-white films?!

Sometimes it is virtually impossible to read the subtitles during te film with this edition.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie, but black-and-white films should have yellow subtitles.

Or at least put black bars behind the subtitles so they can be read! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Poor edition of a decent film
Pasolini's Love Meetings is an interesting and humorous look at sexual ideas and taboos in early 1960's Italy. Through a series of interviews with members of the general public in various cities in Italy, Pasolini creates a pastiche (and gets a wide variety of responses) about such topics as divorce, homosexuality, prostitution, and equality. It's fairly interesting and entertaining, until the very end when Pasolini makes his "conclusion," essentially stating his own political beliefs, some of which are opposed to the information he's gathered in his film.

My major complaints about the disc are the transfer and the subtitles. The subtitles are all-white and are burned in (not optional). The subtitles might not have been such a problem if the film hadn't been in black-and-white and very washed out, making it impossible to read them in various places in the film. The print itself is scratched, but watchable.

I'd recommend this film for Pasolini completists and people studying the history of the documentary - it serves as an interesting precursor to I Am Curious - Yellow. As it's unlikely that Love Meetings will get a better edition any time soon, (at least in Region 1), if you're interested, check it out. ... Read more