Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975)

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

Pier Paolo Pasolini (written by) and
Sergio Citti (screenplay)

Release Date:

January 1976 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

The 120 Days of Sodom

Plot:

Four fascist libertines round up 9 teenages boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of physical, mental and sexual torture.

Plot Keywords:

Libertine | Teenage Boy | Piano | Voyeur | Torture

Cast

Paolo Bonacelli	...	The Duke
Giorgio Cataldi	...	The Bishop
Umberto Paolo Quintavalle	...	The Magistrate (as Umberto P. Quintavalle)
Aldo Valletti	...	The President
Caterina Boratto	...	Signora Castelli
Elsa De Giorgi	...	Signora Maggi
Hélène Surgère	...	Signora Vaccari (as Helene Surgere)
Sonia Saviange	...	The Pianist
Sergio Fascetti	...	Male Victim
Bruno Musso	...	Male Victim
Antonio Orlando	...	Male Victim
Claudio Cicchetti	...	Male Victim
Franco Merli	...	Male Victim
Umberto Chessari	...	Male Victim
Lamberto Book	...	Male Victim

Also Known As:

Salo ou les 120 journées de Sodome (France)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (International: English title)

Runtime:

116 min | 145 min (premiere version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | French | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:(Banned) (original rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (cut) (original rating) | Germany:18 (SPIO/JK) (uncut) | Finland:(Banned) (1976) | Finland:K-18 (2001) | Italy:VM18 (re-rated) | Australia:(Banned) (1976-1993) (1998- ) | Australia:R (1993-1998) (uncut) | West Germany:(Banned) (cinema release) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 (uncut) | Japan:R-18 | UK:X (original rating) (cut) (alternate footage) | Hungary:18 | Brazil:18 | Chile:18 | Argentina:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) (2001) (uncut) | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (re-rating) (2000) (uncut) | France:X (original rating) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (2005) (video premiere) | Norway:(Banned) (1976-2003) (cinema release) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Salò, Brescia, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Trivia:

First part of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Trilogy of Death. The subsequent two parts were never filmed because Pasolini was murdered some months after he had finished this movie. The trilogy was intended as complementary to the previous Trilogy of Life, including Il Decameron (1971), I racconti di Canterbury (1972) and Il fiore delle mille e una notte (1974).

Quotes:

[first lines]
[four men, sitting at a table, each sign a booklet]
The Duke: Your Excellency.
The Magistrate: Mr. President.
The President: My lord.
The Bishop: All's good if it's excessive.

Movie Connections:

References Femmes femmes (1974)

Soundtrack:

Carmina Burana

A necessary evil

This is a tough one. Pasolini was a very complicated man. He was murdered in still-unexplained circumstances shortly after the film was completed. I was 10 years old when this movie was finished, but I only saw it now. Despite being almost 30 years old, Salo is probably the most cruel and repulsive film ever made, not just here in Italy but in the whole world. It depicts the worse atrocities inflicted to humans by humans. The true dark side of human nature: When evil is born out of simple boredom, when it comes naturally. It is a film that I don't want to see ever again, but at the same time I'm glad it was made. I thought hated it at first, but I now I realized is not true. Of course I don't love it either. I can't decide how to judge it. I don't like the cinematography or the acting. But it was definitely one of the most profound emotional experiences of revulsion I've had in a film. It is a necessary evil if you can endure it.