Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

I guess no one did a review on this film because it's an obvious classic to most of us sick fucks, but I decided to do a review for this film, but not just any review: What I personally think about this classic film and why I like it so much.

"It is when I see others degraded that I rejoice knowing it is better to be me than the scum of 'the people'. Whenever men are equal, without that difference, happiness cannot exist. So you wouldn't aid the humble, the unhappy. In all the world no voluptuousness flatters the senses more than social privilege."

This was Pier Paolo Pasolini's last film before he got killed, as you should know by now if you're a sick fuck and are a fan of this film. Pasolini was one of the greatest filmmakers from Italy that left a huge impact in the world of cinema. He was also known as the Italian Neorealist. He made movies like Teorema, which influenced Takashi Miike to make his film, Visitor Q. So as you can see, he made a huge impact in the cinema world, as I've stated.

Now, you guys may be wondering why the fuck I'm talking about this "art-aspect" of his films. Well that's simply because I'm a huge fan of movement films. As much as I love Salo for the grotesqueness and the depravity they portray in the film, I still watch it with the intention of seeing what Pasolini is trying to convey in this film. I do know that this film was suppose to portray the suffering of the common people in Italy during World War II, and how the government treated them like shit, which is what makes this film more than just another exploitation film that tries to gross people out. For the fact that this film has both depraved contents and a deep message they are trying to convey, this film is definitely a masterpiece to me. 

I would compare this movie to Gasper Noe's Irreversible, for the fact that both films were controversial but made an impact in the history of cinema. Even Monica Belllucci stated in an interview that one of the main reason why she decided to do Irreversible is for the fact that the movie contained very dangerous topic but at the same time, it had an impact in the world of cinema. Not to mention she even brought up Pasolini's name in that interview.

Now, allow me to go into the depraved and grotesque aspects of this film. There are many memorable scenes from this film, but the one that stands out the most to me is the part where the blonde girl starts to cry and the Duke gets off at her crying and makes her eat his feces. It sure is a gross scene but at the same time I found that scene to be quite interesting. Most mainstream movie person will just say to this scene, "Oh it's a girl eating shit, that's fucking stupid". Well, I don't find this scene to be just plain and straight-forward. I see this scene as the oppression the common people in Italy had to go through and how the Italian government used to molest their own people during World War II. I can see their suffering through this metaphorical scene. 

Another scene that always comes to my mind when I think of this film is the Wedding scene. I guess among all the torture scenes, this scene is probably the only "PURE" part in the whole movie. For some reason, this scene makes me calm for the fact that it portrays a normality in a film that is so bizarre and sometimes painful to watch. Even though this scene ends with these two "lovers" getting raped by the Dukes, this scene will always be my favorite moment in this bizarre film.

So to conclude, this movie definitely is a masterpiece. Some people may watch this film purely for the gore-aspects, and some may try to figure out what Pasolini's trying to convey in this insane and outrageous film. And to be honest, I watch this film with both intentions. All in all, this film will go down in the history as one of the most grotesque yet brilliant films.

-Tay (Tradathegreat)