Tuesday 16 November 2010

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)

7 comments:

  1. Great review and welcome onboard Tay :) I agree that Pasolini was a true pioneer of Italian Cinema, and Salo confirms this.. nice one man..

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  2. Thanks a lot Ade. It is an honor to be onboard with you guys :)

    -Tay

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  3. Nice man!! Great review!

    -Lori
    (madpuppetdeth)

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  4. needs work. watch the film more than once, read what the critics have to say, and most important stay focused on a specific comment, or aspect of the film that you would like to shed light upon. your writing is tangential, understandably because you have such limited space and want to fit in as much information as possible, but aside from calling the film a "masterpiece" and "brilliant" the reader is not convinced as to why you (the author) think that it is deserving of such praise.

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  5. This is a great movie, and showing the full frontal nudity of both sexes is almost unheard of today. I love the wedding scene, the naked "groomsmen" and "bridesmaids" have long since been broken of trying to cover themselves and instead just walk along with their tits and cocks jiggling while the "bride and groom" are given a tuxedo and a wedding dress just long enough to mock them. Then the wedding clothes are seen in a pile while they are shoved naked across the room. I'm a little put-off by the murder and poo-eating, thinking that if I were in the position of the "Libertines" that I would eventually release them, not kill them. I think it would be more fun to turn them loose naked and let them have to face their families and friends as they walked back into town.

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  6. Up to the murder and poo-eating, I'm IN LOVE WITH this movie. The premise of the book is genius: Kidnap 16 adolescents-8 boys, 8 girls-from ages 12-18 bring them to a secluded mansion and strip them of their dignity, humanity and chiefly, every stitch of their clothing! Now you've got a bunch of 7th-to-12th-graders from the early onset to the completion of puberty standing around completely naked, right when it would be the most absolutely mortifying and humiliating not to be allowed to have any clothes on. Plus, not only are they ashamed of their bodies because of the constant presence of their adult captors, they're right there in front of each other confusing the emotions of shame and embarrassment with the natural sexual arousal one would feel seeing the naked bodies of members of the opposite sex. Imagine a boy of 14, horrified that adult women can see how big and hairy his penis and testicles are getting, also humiliated because, observing the shame of the naked girls' exposed breasts, bottoms and pubic hair is, he's constantly getting at least a partial erection.

    Such then are the naked teenagers compelled to go everywhere and do everything with their breasts/penises bouncing and jiggling.

    They're constantly hanging their heads in shame, on the verge of tears and being made to engage in activities that only make their naked shame even more humiliating.

    In one scene, the nudes are fitted with leashes and dog collars and are then "walked" on all fours up a set of stairs, instructed to bark and pant like naked dogs and rise up on their tender haunches to beg for food. The libertines, able to stare at their bouncing tits and jiggling cocks, proceed to throw bits of food to them like beads from a Mardi Gras float.

    In the "Wedding Scene" the oldest, most sexually developed boy and girl are afforded a brief reprieve from their nakedness in the form of a comically ill-fitting suit and wedding gown which they are compelled to wear into the chapel, attended by their courtesans, the other 14 teenagers who act as "bridesmaids and groomsmen". The "bridesmaids and groomsmen", dressed identically-by which I mean stark naked as always-are given flowers and garlands to hold, which serve to underscore that they may not attempt to cover their breasts and genitals, and as they follow the "bride" and "groom"down the aisle, the 7penises and 14 breasts flop and shake as they hang their heads and, in some cases, cry from shame. Interestingly, their crying and shuddering only make their developing body parts jiggle even more!

    At one point, one of their captors, apparently bi-sexual, is so stricken with the sea of nudes that he leaps from the dais and proceeds to grope, kiss, fondle and hicky both boy and girl alike, resulting in even more helpless tears of abandonment and humiliation and even some generally-discouraged breast and genital shielding.

    Then to the "honeymoon" where we see that the "bride" and "groom" have been stripped of their finery and now stand with heads hung before one another and their hosts. They are then shoved down the hall and ordered to kiss and caress each other, during which time they almost seem to forget that there are four adults looking. And at the moment they appear to fall in love, are separated by two of the adults and raped separately renewing their humiliation.

    This is a great movie because the actors and actresses, though no younger than 17 and 18, do a great job of capturing the vulnerability of naked and terrorized adolescents. You are almost never NOT able to see somebody's tits, cock or pussy and most of the time that person seems like they're gonna start crying at any second. Brilliant!

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