Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini








RANKED:

2. Mamma Roma (1962)


Pier Paolo Pasolini's films would get far more controversial into his directing career, but even his more neo-realist pieces in the early 1960s had some edge to them. His second directorial effort, 1962's "Mamma Roma," which starred the incomparable Anna Magnani, had a police complaint filed the day of its release for being "offensive to good morals" and "contrary to public decency." Pasolini was even confronted by neo-fascists in front of the Quattro Fontane Cinema, where he got into a scuffle. Thematically, the film is about the inescapability of poverty. Our character try to escape their situations, but are unsuccessful. The film seems to suggest that external mechanisms will always keep the impoverished in their current status. Being that Pasolini was an ardent communist and anti-fascist, the concepts of anti-capitalism and anti-fascism color the film in this context. The violent and physical suppression of our characters by fascistic forces enable their continued destitution. 





1. Accattone (1961)


After spending two decades as a writer and poet, Pier Paolo Pasolini entered the world of cinema with his debut feature film, 1961's "Accattone." Centering on a pimp at the end of his rope, "Accattone" spends its runtime engaging with pure bad intentions. Our protagonist continues to go out of his way to demonstrate the moral black heart at the center of humanity. His actions are evil, his relationships are abusive, and his general viewpoint on life is utterly corrupted. To me, the film is a spiritual cousin to the films of Robert Bresson. Its confines iterate just how lifelessly putrid the soul can be. We do not like nor root for our protagonist. Instead, we must keep his company and watch as he does nothing but abuse and manipulate people for his own survival. This is especially stark given the post-war landscape of Italy - our characters constantly surrounded by rubble and decay. Its a film, much akin to many post-war European films, that seethe with resentment and bitterness, showing just how depraved and unsavory life and humanity are.

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