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

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 (14)

An entertaining tour through mediaeval Italy
This is the first film in Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life" (the others being "The Canterbury Tales" and "Arabian Nights"). It contains eight tales from Boccaccio's mediaeval work, filmed with Pasolini's usual mixture of realism and visual beauty. The natural locations used here also give a lift to these stories combining love, lust, deception, murder, and religion.

As is common in his films, Pasolini has used a combination of non-professional actors and regulars, including Franco Citti in the 'false saint' story, and Ninetto Davoli as a man whose luck goes through several reverses before he comes out on top. Pasolini himself also appears as the mediaeval painter Giotto.

"The Decameron" is quite bawdy, although it never reaches the heights scaled by "The Canterbury Tales" in this department. On the plus side, however, it's in the original Italian (with English subtitles), so it doesn't suffer from the poor dubbing that afflicts "The Tales".

"The Decameron is weakened a bit by the disjointed editing. I'm not sure whether the original film was like that, or if this version used for the DVD was chopped about in some way. Even so, it's an entertaining film with varied stories and a nice period atmosphere.

THIS IS FROM PASSOLINE
Dont lost time by or if have time see this DVD is from PASSOLINE not have comentary You need by foe see!!!

Probably Pasolini's best
Pasolini's first film in his "Trilogy of Life". It tells nine separate tells from the book "The Decameron". All have a very ribald sense of humor and has a surprising amount (for an R rated film) of male and female nudity. Not for anyone who is easily offended but a fairly good film for those who are interested. Also there are a few really huge swipes at the Catholic Church--one story has a convent of nuns using a man to sexually satisfy all of them--and this is shown in a positive light!

Folk Tale from another Era
What a great film! So much joy in it. These nine stories are bawdy, funny, sad, and even profound. It's like watching a film from another, pre-cinema era. Like folk tales from several centuries ago captured somehow on film and left behind so we could experience their world through it. The camera wobbles, the editing is abrupt, the acting is direct and innocent. What a treat it all is! A gift to us, with great love, as if a child made it.

MGM's transfer is gorgeous, Pasolini's film is weird
Of Pasolini's three "Trilogy of Life" films (Decameron, Canterbury Tales, and Arabian Nights), I find the Decameron to be the most disjointed. By removing the original frame-tale (presumably for the sake of length), he opened himself up for some serious flow problems. About halfway through the film, Pasolini himself makes an appearance as a pupil of Giotto who is commissioned to make a painting of Naples on the wall of a church. This becomes a frame-like device (at the tableau scene near the end, you can see many of the characters from the various episodes in the film), but still doesn't make up for the lack of connection (or at least division) between the stories -- one simply stops and the next starts. There are several instances of narrative continuity (look for the grave-robbers at the saint's funeral later in the film), however, including the aforementioned tableau.

That being said, Pasolini's film (and his film-making style) are very influential (most noticeably in the work of Peter Greenaway), with his use of static shots taken from far away in order to give a sense of scale (and awe). Many of the shots in the film are incredibly beautiful (many are simply odd), such as the landscape shots when Andreuccio (played by the incomparable Ninetto Davoli) is running from the city at night.

Overall, while The Decameron is fairly disjointed and shot in a Pasolini's unusual style, it is still a very enjoyable (and hilarious) film. MGM's DVD is a vast improvement over the earlier Image edition, featuring a lush transfer, optional subtitles, and a very strange (and very, very 70's) trailer. ... 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 (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

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