Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975), Pier Paolo Pasolini
Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom
Easily one of the most infamously offensive movies of all time, Salo takes place during WWII, when Italy was under Nazi control. Four Italian officials round up the most attractive 15-17 year olds in town, then choose from them the 16 children who will accompany them to their castle for 120 days of complete and utter debauchery. The story is told in a Dante's Inferno structure, divided into four parts:
"Antechamber of Hell"- The kids are rounded up and given the 'rules'.
"Circle of Obsessions"- Three dirty old prostitutes tell their most lascivious stories to get the officials riled up and kick the debasement into high gear.
"Circle of Shit"- Must I really explain this part? A lot of people eat a lot of dookie. There, I said it.
"Circle of Blood"- Rule breakers, which actually ends up being every single one of the kids, are punished in cruel and unusual ways. (By far the most disgusting part, I nearly lost it.)
I had the good fortune of obtaining the recent Criterion Collection release, but Salo was also released by Criterion once before, in 1998. It was quickly pulled from the shelves due to copyright issues. This lead to its status as possibly the most valuable DVD of all time, as some original copies were selling for upwards of $600. Why are people so desperate to watch this movie? Its cult status is mainly due to its completely nihilistic depictions of absolute power corrupting absolutely, giving way to the outer limits of a few sick bastards' minds. Nearly every scene in the film is abhorrent, even I with the iron stomach was sickened by the rampant pedophilia, coprophagia, and countless other paraphilias shown in the film.
Quite possibly the ultimate depiction of fascism, Salo is an ugly, disgusting piece of film. It is also arguably one of the most important films of all time. On one hand, how could this film possibly have been made? Who would participate in such a thing? But on the other hand, what if it was never made? What if we as viewers were never challenged with reality, only seeing the trite, rehashed bullshit fiction mainstream filmmakers have to offer? Rumors of a conspiracy leading to Pasolini's assassination because of Salo have circulated for decades. It's an unfortunate testament to just how powerful the medium of film can be.
Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom
Easily one of the most infamously offensive movies of all time, Salo takes place during WWII, when Italy was under Nazi control. Four Italian officials round up the most attractive 15-17 year olds in town, then choose from them the 16 children who will accompany them to their castle for 120 days of complete and utter debauchery. The story is told in a Dante's Inferno structure, divided into four parts:
"Antechamber of Hell"- The kids are rounded up and given the 'rules'.
"Circle of Obsessions"- Three dirty old prostitutes tell their most lascivious stories to get the officials riled up and kick the debasement into high gear.
"Circle of Shit"- Must I really explain this part? A lot of people eat a lot of dookie. There, I said it.
"Circle of Blood"- Rule breakers, which actually ends up being every single one of the kids, are punished in cruel and unusual ways. (By far the most disgusting part, I nearly lost it.)
I had the good fortune of obtaining the recent Criterion Collection release, but Salo was also released by Criterion once before, in 1998. It was quickly pulled from the shelves due to copyright issues. This lead to its status as possibly the most valuable DVD of all time, as some original copies were selling for upwards of $600. Why are people so desperate to watch this movie? Its cult status is mainly due to its completely nihilistic depictions of absolute power corrupting absolutely, giving way to the outer limits of a few sick bastards' minds. Nearly every scene in the film is abhorrent, even I with the iron stomach was sickened by the rampant pedophilia, coprophagia, and countless other paraphilias shown in the film.
Quite possibly the ultimate depiction of fascism, Salo is an ugly, disgusting piece of film. It is also arguably one of the most important films of all time. On one hand, how could this film possibly have been made? Who would participate in such a thing? But on the other hand, what if it was never made? What if we as viewers were never challenged with reality, only seeing the trite, rehashed bullshit fiction mainstream filmmakers have to offer? Rumors of a conspiracy leading to Pasolini's assassination because of Salo have circulated for decades. It's an unfortunate testament to just how powerful the medium of film can be.
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