Salò

[Lust del Carrion]

Set in the Nazi-controlled, northern Italian state of Salo in 1944, four dignitaries round up sixteen perfect specimens of youth and take them together with guards, servants and studs to a palace near Marzabotto. In addition, there are four middle-aged women: three of whom recount arousing stories whilst the fourth accompanies on the piano. The story is largely taken up with their recounting the stories of Dante and De Sade: the Circle of Manias, the Circle of S*** and the Circle of Blood. Following this, the youths are executed whilst each libertine takes his turn as voyeur.

A loose adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's The 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salò is perhaps the most disturbing and disgusting film ever made. It is also one of the most important, offering a blistering critique of fascism and idealism that suggests moral redemption may be nothing but a myth. Criterion presents Salò in its uncut, uncensored version.

[The HangMan]

thats sound all reet to me

thanx inf3ct im learning about a lot of films i didnt know was out

[Lust del Carrion]

Your welcome. You can't get the Criterion version of this film though now that it's out of print, unless you want to pay like $700 or more on ebay.com The only way you can pick it up is on bootleg really anymore. I warn you that this film is intensly disturbing though.

[Zombified Jeremy]

I have read about this movie, and it seems like a very hard film to watch.

[Lust del Carrion]

Yea it is a pretty hard film to watch. The film is very brutal and holds nothing back at all. Also I forgot to tell you that although the Criterion is OOP there is the BCI version on DVD released in the UK and is still in print, so you can always pick that up.

[hotnoodletuna]

This is the most disturbing film ever made. It is not an exploitation film, though. It is a brilliant arthouse film by Passolini, in whch the violence serves as a brutal indictment of European Fascism (at a time when Franco was still ruling Spain) and offers strong support of his Pasolini's personal communist ideals. Unlike the traditional exploitation film, you should not check your brqain at the door on this one. Be prepared for a politically challenging film, and you will be suitably rewarded with a very thought provoling work.

BTW, though this film can be a bit hard to come by on DVD, it was once readily available on VHS, so you should be able to come up with a copy if you olok hard enough. I've even seen it cfor rental on VHS in some older independant video stores. That is how I saw it originally

[Lust del Carrion]

Although I do agree this is an arthouse film I still consider it an exploitation film. Pasolini could have gotten his political points across about facism just as easily without resorting to the graphic depiction of torture, mutilation, rape, and fecaphilia. The film still has many artistic merits but it shares so much in common with exploitation that it is hard not to call it one. It is a very good film and is beautifully filmed with many other excellent attributes, but I would hardly say it is beyond the level of exploitation in terms of content, and that it has some moral or other value. Too many times has Pasolini's political stance and take on facism in the film is used as an excuse to give it some kind of greater value. So while I do think it is a very very very good film and that it is definitely arthouse quality, I don't think it is any more significant than a film like Cannibal Holocaust or Beyond The Darkness.

[hotnoodletuna]

inf3ct said:

Although I do agree this is an arthouse film I still consider it an exploitation film. Pasolini could have gotten his political points across about facism just as easily without resorting to the graphic depiction of torture, mutilation, rape, and fecaphilia. The film still has many artistic merits but it shares so much in common with exploitation that it is hard not to call it one. It is a very good film and is beautifully filmed with many other excellent attributes, but I would hardly say it is beyond the level of exploitation in terms of content, and that it has some moral or other value. Too many times has Pasolini's political stance and take on facism in the film is used as an excuse to give it some kind of greater value. So while I do think it is a very very very good film and that it is definitely arthouse quality, I don't think it is any more significant than a film like Cannibal Holocaust or Beyond The Darkness.

I disagree a bit, and think that the politics of the film come through quite vividly. I enjoy Holocaust and Buio Omega, but this film is so much better. Comparing them is like comparing Citizen Kane and Ace Ventura. I like them both, but there can be no question shich one is the more worthwhile artistic endeavor

[ChemicalTrain]

I want to see this...!

[Lust del Carrion]

Yea I agree, but Im saying even though he got his political points through he could have very well gotten them through without all the graphic content. As he resorted to that kind of content the film sank a bit into the exploitation genre. Now by this I don't mean that it is not a good film, I mean of course it is better than Cannibal Holocaust and Buio Omega, but I do think in terms of content the movie is the same as Buio Omega and Cannibal Holocaust. No doubt it has much better production and technical qaulity also (although I favor Cannibal Holocausts score much more). Im trying to say that yes it is a better film in quality and so fourth, but by using the content that it does...well it doesn't make it that much better in terms of trying to get a point across. It's like the point is there, but then the content sort of takes it away. If I make a movie that is anti rape Im not going to depict various women getting beat-up, sodomized, and murdered through out the whole movie just to show people how bad rape is. Im not trying to say I look down on Salo or Pasolini because the film is presented in this way to make a point, but I'am saying that by presenting it this way it does lose some of it's meaning in the end. So yes I think this is a very well made film and an artistic one, but do I think it has a significant point ? Yes. Do I think it could have been presented much better without the graphic content and it would have made more of an impact? Yes.

Don't get me wrong either, graphic content doesn't upset me or anthing, but I just think the point he was trying to make might have came across better to much more people and much stronger without the use of such graphic content.

[hotnoodletuna]

You are right that a less graphic film would have delivered his message to a larger audience. he did this with films like The Gospel of St. Matthew, Porcile, The Canterbury Tales etc. It would be pretty hard to film an adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's most infamous novel without some serious gore, though don'tcha think? Other than that, I do agree that the film has some intense gore that borders on exploitation. THe difference is the dehumanizing way in which it is portrayted. The fascist governement employs violence as a way to silence and pacify the proletariot. The Violence is both a fetishistic attempt to regain some titilation by a bunch of men who have deadened all of their senses, and a tool by which the humanity and individuality of the victims can be copntrolled and culled. This is one of the most challenging and fascinating films I've ever seen, and I love it. BTW, though I like Ortolani's score very much, this film's score (by Ennio Morricone) ain't too shabby. I actually prefer it, and think that the haunting final scene and the song on the radio serve to hammer the message home quite brutally

[Lust del Carrion]

Yes De Sades novels are supposed to extremely graphic and he was even locked up for writing some of them if I remember correctly. I really want to get a hold of some of them.

Anyways I agree with you. The film does have a purpose and is extremely good. I feel that parts of it fall into the exploitation area while another half of it sticks out. Over all this just seems like the most apporpiate place to put this film on the board. OH and yea the score is great on Salo, but Im in love with Ortolani's scores. Everthing I have listened to of him is great. I want to get his CD Fantasma D'amore.

[hotnoodletuna]

If you are looking to read a deSade novel, I would recommend Justine, Inf3ct. Salo is not a great novel, and Pasolini took great liberties with the adaptation. The film is not very much like the novel. Yeah, this film definitely shares a lot of similarities with other exploitation films. It is a wonderful film, and you are lucky to have seen it. One thing I'm sure everyone will agree on is that this truly excellent film deserves a proper Region 1 release that will stay in print for a while. This film is a cinematic masterpiece and should be readily available to teh public rather than being a big secret

[Dead Fuck]

I saw this movie but I only got up to where they served everyone the "main feast" I think that about 45 mins into it. I had to go back to work though because break time was over. I will watch the rest soon, it's is absolutely disgusting and from what i heard I havent even seen the worst of it yet.

[hotnoodletuna]

No man, your sure didn't. You are in for a treat, though when you do see it

[Lust del Carrion]

hotnoodletuna said:

If you are looking to read a deSade novel, I would recommend Justine, Inf3ct. Salo is not a great novel, and Pasolini took great liberties with the adaptation. The film is not very much like the novel. Yeah, this film definitely shares a lot of similarities with other exploitation films. It is a wonderful film, and you are lucky to have seen it. One thing I'm sure everyone will agree on is that this truly excellent film deserves a proper Region 1 release that will stay in print for a while. This film is a cinematic masterpiece and should be readily available to teh public rather than being a big secret

Yea Sade never even finished writing Salo. I also knew it was extremely different from the movie is for one thing....Sade was never alive during WW2. lol......OH and yea Jess Franco did an adaptation of Justine for one of his films. I haven't seen it yet though. I will definitely check out the book soon though when I have a chance.

Yes Salo does deserve a nice R1 DVD that will stay in print instead of all this bull shit about paying $800 bucks to buy the OOP Criterion version, downloading it, buying a bootleg, or having to order the R2 version.


OH and yea Tommy the ending is probably the most disturbing part of the whole film. Pretty nasty stuff.

[Butcher]

Never seen it, and now that it's so expensive I really kick myself for not getting it when I had the chance.

I'll probably end up just getting a boot of it eventually.

[Zombified Jeremy]

The circle of s**t sounds...interesting.

[Lust del Carrion]

butcher said:

Never seen it, and now that it's so expensive I really kick myself for not getting it when I had the chance.

I'll probably end up just getting a boot of it eventually.

The way I saw it was by downloading it.

[Butcher]

Wish I could do that, but ufortunately, I'm on a very crappy old computer. I'm sure I don't have enough available space on this thing, and even if I did I couldn't watch it. When I get a new hard drive for my laptop thats on the fritz, I'll be able to do that though.

[hotnoodletuna]

check e-bay for a VHS copy. Also I don't know where you live, but if you have independant video stores near you that were around in the 80's you ahve a pretty good chance of finding it available for rental

[Lust del Carrion]

Yea HNT is right. Ebay also has a lot bootleg DVDs too.

[Butcher]

I'll keep my eyes open.

[Lust del Carrion]

Hold them open with safey pins.

[hotnoodletuna]

inf3ct said:

Hold them open with safey pins.

Nah, with nails just like in Opera. lol