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Have you ever read(seen) a book(film) by Pasolini?

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jamesbaldwin View Drop Down
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    Posted: February 06 2019 at 13:32
Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922 - 1975) was an important poet, writer, director. 

In Italy, his intellectual figure has made discussing (even now) more than anyone else. Perhaps also because of his violent death, he became iconic, a cult artist, cited everywhere, often by the way, and unleashes passionate defenses and passionate criticism. His literary and film production was frenetic. Pasolini, as he wrote in one of his poems, enjoyed, or suffered, "a desperate vitality". For me, he was one of the greatest European intellectuals of the second half of the twentieth century. An intellectual with a perhaps unique prerogative: he did not limit himself to theorising or making art, he lived with his person, with his body, what he was trying to represent.

What is known about him in America? Are there his translated books? Do you find his films?





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vompatti Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2019 at 14:14
I don't know about America, but in Finland about half of his films are relatively easily available, although out of print. As for the books, only a few have been translated, which is a shame because especially the poems seem to be quite good.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2019 at 14:45
Originally posted by Vompatti Vompatti wrote:

I don't know about America, but in Finland about half of his films are relatively easily available, although out of print. As for the books, only a few have been translated, which is a shame because especially the poems seem to be quite good.

Have you seen/read something?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Logan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2019 at 14:47
I’m in Vancouver, Canada, and one could find videos and DVDs of many of his films at libraries and in video stories, and I’ve seen at least one film of his on a tv station. I’ve seen various of his films, the one of his that I most loved when I took it out from the library in about 1998 was Porcile. Pasolini is a very big name amongst cinephiles in many parts of the world. I’ve read a lot about him, but haven’t read much by him.

Edited by Logan - February 06 2019 at 14:49
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Vompatti Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 06 2019 at 15:23
Originally posted by jamesbaldwin jamesbaldwin wrote:

Originally posted by Vompatti Vompatti wrote:

I don't know about America, but in Finland about half of his films are relatively easily available, although out of print. As for the books, only a few have been translated, which is a shame because especially the poems seem to be quite good.

Have you seen/read something?
I've seen most of the movies but have only read Teorema and a short selection of poems.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote moshkito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2019 at 07:19
Hi,

By the time I started doing my film reviews full blast, the ability to find/see any of his films here in the West Coast, was impossible, and even today with places like Netfudge, Hulabs, and such, the ability to see many of these films is still not there. One other issue, is that many of these films are in various transition periods in their ownership, and many films by Antonioni, Fellini and many others are not being redone, or released on DVD properly because of it. America has a similar problem with 50's and 60's films, unless they were the silliest stuff that the studios still make some money on ... 

I have seen THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW, ACCATONE, DECAMERON,  and the rest I have not been able to see.

I am not sure that his "opinions" and "politics" are that big a deal and some folks make it out more than it really is ... to the point that when you see one film in particular that has no actors, only street people playing the characters, you wonder if the point of "film" is really a joke (yeah, right ... those star and hero films are NOT? or something that works subliminally at desensitizing our feelings ... by giving us fake and imaginary feelings that many of us take to heart, and then make the actor/actress some kind of "hero" and "star", whose value compared to the film ... is more often than not, totally worthless. 

GODARD is much more political and opinionated that PASOLINI ever was, however, GODARD, having been a film critic and a part of the intellectual folks in France, he could undress any film "fan" and "critic" when/if their line of questioning was stupid and in some cases, making an effort into provoking the director into saying something or other ... it rarely worked. Most of his press conferences you ended up with 2 questions, maybe 3, because most folks did not "get it" from the film, and also had no idea what questions to ask!

I read, in film class at UCSB, one of his essays, and the same week, half of the book GODARD ON GODARD (what a treat!) ... and I can not remember a lot of it, and while I have saved all the GODARD stuff, I did not save the rest of the materials from the class ... I miss the BUNUEL stuff, though! But I can tell you that the class did not like the film (GOSPEL) at all ... and trashed it senselessly, and mostly because they thought they were good Christians and the film was making fun of it! And I went ... !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? to give you an idea.

I would like to be able to see many of these things, at least 2 or 3 more of his films ... these European film makers were onto something over there, and it wasn't "politics" ... it was mostly a new perception, of things, that, culturally, really helped Europe wake up from its WW2 nightmare! 

I'm not sure, however, that this is as visible today in the film history as it was 40/50 years ago, when so many of the films still had residue from the war on them. Except in America, of course, where it was more fun to do cowboys and indians ... 




Edited by moshkito - February 07 2019 at 07:24
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2019 at 14:09
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I’m in Vancouver, Canada, and one could find videos and DVDs of many of his films at libraries and in video stories, and I’ve seen at least one film of his on a tv station. I’ve seen various of his films, the one of his that I most loved when I took it out from the library in about 1998 was Porcile. Pasolini is a very big name amongst cinephiles in many parts of the world. I’ve read a lot about him, but haven’t read much by him.

Happy to read that Pasolini's opera is not disappeared.

Porcile is a particular film in Pasolini's production. I like him.

My fave are The Gospel and Mamma Roma (with a great actress: Anna Magnani) and specially La ricotta, medium-length film with Orson Welles.

In La ricotta you can find, in 50 minutes, all the poetics and the spirituality of Pasolini.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2019 at 14:12
Originally posted by Vompatti Vompatti wrote:

Originally posted by jamesbaldwin jamesbaldwin wrote:

Originally posted by Vompatti Vompatti wrote:

I don't know about America, but in Finland about half of his films are relatively easily available, although out of print. As for the books, only a few have been translated, which is a shame because especially the poems seem to be quite good.

Have you seen/read something?
I've seen most of the movies but have only read Teorema and a short selection of poems.

Teorema, I love that book!

And even the film.

The thinking of Pasolini is well represented in the book "Scritti corsari" Written Corsairs, which collects his articles for newspapers and magazines. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 07 2019 at 14:20
Originally posted by moshkito moshkito wrote:

Hi,

By the time I started doing my film reviews full blast, the ability to find/see any of his films here in the West Coast, was impossible, and even today with places like Netfudge, Hulabs, and such, the ability to see many of these films is still not there. One other issue, is that many of these films are in various transition periods in their ownership, and many films by Antonioni, Fellini and many others are not being redone, or released on DVD properly because of it. America has a similar problem with 50's and 60's films, unless they were the silliest stuff that the studios still make some money on ... 

I have seen THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW, ACCATONE, DECAMERON,  and the rest I have not been able to see.

I am not sure that his "opinions" and "politics" are that big a deal and some folks make it out more than it really is ... to the point that when you see one film in particular that has no actors, only street people playing the characters, you wonder if the point of "film" is really a joke (yeah, right ... those star and hero films are NOT? or something that works subliminally at desensitizing our feelings ... by giving us fake and imaginary feelings that many of us take to heart, and then make the actor/actress some kind of "hero" and "star", whose value compared to the film ... is more often than not, totally worthless. 

GODARD is much more political and opinionated that PASOLINI ever was, however, GODARD, having been a film critic and a part of the intellectual folks in France, he could undress any film "fan" and "critic" when/if their line of questioning was stupid and in some cases, making an effort into provoking the director into saying something or other ... it rarely worked. Most of his press conferences you ended up with 2 questions, maybe 3, because most folks did not "get it" from the film, and also had no idea what questions to ask!

I read, in film class at UCSB, one of his essays, and the same week, half of the book GODARD ON GODARD (what a treat!) ... and I can not remember a lot of it, and while I have saved all the GODARD stuff, I did not save the rest of the materials from the class ... I miss the BUNUEL stuff, though! But I can tell you that the class did not like the film (GOSPEL) at all ... and trashed it senselessly, and mostly because they thought they were good Christians and the film was making fun of it! And I went ... !?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? to give you an idea.

I would like to be able to see many of these things, at least 2 or 3 more of his films ... these European film makers were onto something over there, and it wasn't "politics" ... it was mostly a new perception, of things, that, culturally, really helped Europe wake up from its WW2 nightmare! 

I'm not sure, however, that this is as visible today in the film history as it was 40/50 years ago, when so many of the films still had residue from the war on them. Except in America, of course, where it was more fun to do cowboys and indians ... 



After Accattone, he has produced Mamma Roma, with a great actress: Anna Magnani.
Another film with a great actor is "Porcile" (with Ugo Tognazzi) a particular film in Pasolini's production. I like him.

My fave is "La ricotta", an italian cheese, medium-length film with Orson Welles.
In that film you can find the poetics and the spirituality of Pasolini.

More politic is "Uccellacci e uccellini", something like "Bad birds and little birds", with one of the most
important italian actor: Totò. Other politic films are Teorema and Salò.
But Pasolini is not politic in a direct way. He wanted to trascend reality with an interpretation that was both, 
political and metaphysical.


Edited by jamesbaldwin - February 07 2019 at 14:21
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gerinski Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 08 2019 at 02:54
I have seen The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales and Saló. In this last one half of the people left the theater before the film ended, it's really not for the faint-hearted, but I found it good, we need people open to create controversy about subjects which to many other people are taboo, because those subjects (torture, sexual abuse and sadism in this case) exist in our world, like it or not.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jamesbaldwin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 09 2019 at 08:05
Originally posted by Gerinski Gerinski wrote:

I have seen The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales and Saló. In this last one half of the people left the theater before the film ended, it's really not for the faint-hearted, but I found it good, we need people open to create controversy about subjects which to many other people are taboo, because those subjects (torture, sexual abuse and sadism in this case) exist in our world, like it or not.

I agree with you. I cant say that I like Salò... because it was very difficult to see it for, from the beginning to the end. But it's a great film. Brave, original. 
Amos Goldberg (professor of Genocide Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem): Yes, it's genocide. It's so difficult and painful to admit it, but we can no longer avoid this conclusion.
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