Salo

I watched this film late one night (after my parents were in bed), and for a while it was merely uncomfortable to sit through. The actors weren't particularly emotional, the sets weren't hugely exciting, and the storyline consisted of four libertines and their accomplices listening to dirty stories and doing dirty things to their child victims.And yet, halfway through this blasé piece, I began crying. It was, I believe, at a part where the whore was telling one her sick stories while dancing with the libertine, and she begins laughing as if it is the funniest thing in the world. And yet the laugh sounds false--not just false, but hopeless. I cried off and on (though more on than off) the rest of the film, and from now on I cannot think about "Salo" without tearing up; I am trying not to cry even as I write this.What makes "Salo" the most disturbing film I have ever watched, no competition? It is not the acts depicted--the coprophilia, the torture, the murder, the betrayal. It is that supreme and utter hopelessness behind the whore's laugh. It is the insatiable desires of the libertines, constantly fed and yet never quenched. It is the victims who are willing to sell each other out in order to escape just a little bit more torture before their inevitable death.The novel described the four libertines as being people who not only did as much evil as they possibly could, but also as people who went out of their way to avoid doing anything virtuous. Pier Paolo Pasolini has extended this bleak outlook to the entire human race. The entire film is soaked with his utter hatred and disgust for humanity--nobody in this film has a redeeming side, not even the victims. Everyone in this film is going to die--even the libertines, sometime after the film comes to its conclusion, are going to be tried for war crimes as part of the Fascist regime. Pasolini paints a portrait of the human race as a race that is wallowing in the lowest depths of misery as it drags itself towards its own demise.There is no moral to this story. Pasolini figures that the human race will merely ignore the moral if he tries to give one. Neither does he try to spruce up this film with interesting acting or camera-work. The direction is bland and the cinematography is largely static--and therein lies its greatest (or is it its worst?) talent. It is as if Pasolini is looking up at the human race from behind the camera, his face gaunt and hopeless, considering the various ways to spice up the scene before saying: "Why bother? You are worthless; this film will not satisfy your desires, whatever they may be."Which leads me to one last question: how the heck did I give this 10 stars? And how the heck can I possibly recommend it to any of you? It was upsetting, disturbing, and appalling. And yet it has changed my life--for the better? For the worse? Does is crush my hopes for humanity, or does it give me an understanding of its darkest facets and how best to avoid them? Look, people, I don't rightly know! I'm still figuring it out!To most of you: stay the heck away from this film. But to a few of you--a very, very few--those few that want to see this movie for more than its shock value, those few that are willing to explore humanity's darkest recesses, those few that are not mainstream moviegoers and are actually willing to think--I recommend, no I BEG you to watch "Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom." You will never forget it.

Sad movie

Theres really not much to say if you have read the title, It is true and official.....(look up the official Criterion Blog if my word doesn't seem reliable)for the people who dropped 600.00 or more on this title may not want to believe it which I completely understand...but then again who really drops over 600.00 on a dvd. The day this gem does comes into existence I can finally go on ebay and watch the value of this dvd diminish overnight... Anyway this should not be a shocker...for Die-hard Criterion fans; we have noticed this trend from Criterion for the past three years. They have been dipping into their old titles and revamping them with the utmost effort to ensure pristine quality and astonishing HD transfers, These include: "The Wages of Fear", "Brazil", "M", "Playtime", "Amarcord", "Grey Gardens", and soon to be coming, "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro". Re-releasing Salo in a Beautiful HD transfer should not come as a shocker since it is the most sought out dvd in the world, not too mention Criterion only produced 2,000 copies back in 1998. At any rate, The Criterion Collection is working with the HD transfer right now, as far as supplements are concerned, that information remains to be announced in the near future, however, at least we know that this valuable gem is recieving the correct and proper treatment. For such a limited release and controversial movie I am almost 100% positive if not 110% sure that Criterion will not dissapoint us as usual. All of their re-issues so far have been superior in ever aspect, transfers, supplements, and essays you name it. Salo in general, was a bare bones release; no trailer, no commentaries, nothing..just the movie. Criterion will go all out with this release..imagine...a double disc...with a 70 page booklet would be nice...but we will have to wait in 2007 won't we....Well, The Criterion Collection has some exciting new releases coming up, Blu Ray releases in the Fall of 2008, and some nice re-releases as well as new additions, "High and Low", "Vampyr" "Botttle Rocket" and a new "walkabout", however, the biggest news is that SALO' is finally here folks, well officially in August 2008, but the official Specs are here, so with that in mind, SALO' Fans indulge in the new revamped special features, and for the previous owners of SALO' with the White ring Version, that may or may not have cost them 400-800 dollars, I am sorry, but this re-release was inevitable, so the most valuable dvd in the world is no more!!:- SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:- New, restored high-definition digital transfer The End of Salò, a 40-minute documentary about the film's final scene- Salò: Yesterday and Today, a 35-minute documentary featuring interviews with Pier Paolo Pasolini, actor-filmmaker Jean-Claude Biette, and Pasolini's friend Nineto Davoli- New interviews with set designer Dante Ferretti and filmmaker/film scholar Jean-Pierre Gorin- Optional English-dubbed soundtrack- Theatrical trailer- Optional English subtitles- PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by Neil Bartlett, Roberto Chiesi, Naomi Greene, Gary Indiana, and Sam Rohdie, and excerpts from Gideon Bachman's on-set diary

I am into subject matter of this kind and I never heard of this film until I found out about it on the internet. When I finally watched it, I realized that it is not that bad. This is a abstract piece of art that I found to be visually interesting. The director certainly did have the guts to release this to the public and most likely got killed because of it(the director was killed after the release of this film). The plot is that four men of power in 1944 fascist Italy kidnap a group of boys and girls and expose them to a lifestyle that involves sadism and control. They had no freedoms and no say in what they were forced to do. One segment had the group being forced to eat human excrement as part of a sexual experience that was explained to them. In the end, anyone who was rebellious or disobedient in any way were punished by torture and death. This film shows how much power religious and political leaders have. They did it for their own amusement and satisfaction. The torture scenes are not for the weak-stomached. They are pretty graphic, although I think they could have been alot worse than it was. DO NOT BUY THIS IF YOU GET OFFENDED EASILY!!!! You will not make it through the first half of the film because not only are there torture scenes; there are also scenes of homosexuality and sex fetishes. I recommend this film to anyone who likes films with artistic integrity and a political message, which is that fascism is wrong and that moral redemption is nothing but a myth. People have to realize that stuff like this does and has happened before. Whether it happens in prisons or in a torture chamber, people are exposed to this in real life. This film shows it in an extreme way. 4 stars.

Couldn't even get through the film! If this is Pasolini's masterpiece, I'm glad I've not seen his worst film. I gave my copy away

This is the most disgusting, sordid, sad, weird & extreme film I have ever watched, I couldn’t finish it.I only bought it as I am setting up a Kinky library and it had been suggested. I wish I hadnt.

Although this film is not suitable for anyone who is not a fan of hardcore nasty films, it is however a film that should be seen at least once. Even though many people don't take much notice of age ratings on films this film should never been shown to anyone under the age of 18.

This is a film that exhibits most of what Pasolini stood for in film-making.Some of the characters would fit easily into Cronenberg or von Trier. They enhance the film because they do not fit the stereotypes. The film's indoor set pieces match the bleakness of the countryside in which the mansion is placed. There is a general air of external and internal decadence, one juxtaposing the other.These are apt descriptions of a film that is unremitting in displaying the bizarre and inhumane nature of Fascism. There is a naturalness about the film's nudity, with no attempt to enhance physical features. The action that is meant to disgust is a reflection of the film's message of political indignation with fascismA powerful end product from Pasolini - what a pity he was prevented from fulfilling all of his movie producing talent. Nevertheless, a fitting and powerful epitaph to a master craftsman of the movie industry.

Poor movie.Absolute nonsense and terrible acting. Silly storyline and quite frankly a waste of my money. I was curious why this movie was banned a bit of nudity and eating a few chocolate flakes with the odd consumption of apple juice doesn't make a good movie.