There is no easy way to write about or discuss this film. It is the kind of film that has such a divided and controversial history. It is also one of the most difficult films to watch. It is a challenging to interpret. A viewer who is not put off by the intense sexual and violent content of the film, may be left scratching their head as to what the film is trying to say. I can’t say for sure that I liked this movie, it’s not the kind of film that one simply likes or dislikes. This is a movie that invades the viewer’s concious and lives on long after it has faded to black. And for that alone, it is a film that should be studied.
The plot is simple. Four powerful men who seem to run everything in a small Italian town decide to capture eight young men and eight young women to hold captive in a large mansion. The film is set in 1944, right at the end of the Facist rule of Italy, and the four men are the most tyrannical of fascists. They take their victims to a beautiful, sun-drenched villa, and announce to them that they will be put through Hell for however long as the four men decide. Each day they are forced to listen to graphic stories told by a prostitute about her various encounters, while the men pull certain captives aside and do with them what they will.
The film is divided into four parts, The Antechamber of Hell, Circle of Obsessions, Circle of Shit, and finally Circle of Blood. The captives are put through the most gruelling, vile, and graphic tortures ever put on film. The content of Salo is unlike any other film I’ve seen. Nothing is left to the imagination. Just look at the titles of the four parts and let your imagination do the rest.
The controversy surrounding the film is sometimes more discussed than the film itself. The director, Pier Paolo Passolini, was murdered shortly after the completion of the film. Some say he was murdered because of the content of the film, but that has never been proven. The film was banned in almost every country worldwide. It took a lawsuit some years after Passolini’s death to get the original cut of the film seen.
Based on a novel by famed libertine the Marquis de Sade, Salo is not for everyone. Some would say it’s not for anyone. But despite all the controversy, at the heart is a well made film. It was photographed by Tonino Delli Colli, best known for his work on the spagetti westerns of Sergio Leone. The production design is by Dante Ferretti, who would go on the win Oscars for desigining the films of Martin Scorsese. The score is by Ennio Morricone, perhaps the best known film composer of all time. Would all these skilled artists lend their talents to a piece of sensationalistic pornography? It is highly doubtful.
Despite the shocking aspects, their are moments of beauty in Salo. As the young men and women are being dragged to their torturous futures, they stand outside the villa which is by the sea. The sun and surroundings make for a picture postcard of Italy. Knowing what is in store for the young people makes this moment even more beautiful. This is their last look at the world. When the prostitute character is introduced, we see her preparing with her beauty regiment. She looks like she’s getting ready to attend a royal gala, not a degrading horror show.
The end of the film features even more unspeakable torture. The captives are put in an outdoor prison where they are tortured and killed. This sequence is seen through binoculars as the rich facists watch with delight. The last image of the film is that of two of the young guards dancing together in a room filled with works of art. One of the boys asks the other what the name of his girlfriend is, he tells him as they dance. After everything we are put through we see the innoncence of youth. These young men were forced to perform attrocities, much like the young men who are forced to go to war are, but they each find a way to get through it. They most likely will not get to go back to their normal lives, but they do not let that deter them. They use that as a motivating factor to keep hope alive. The ending may be the most innocent part of the film, but it is also the most heartbreaking.
Salo needs to be seen more than once for a viewer to even begin to understand what is happening. Most people will not be able to make it through the film, especially the Circle of Shit sequence. But for the serious student of film, Salo is a neccesity. Don’t watch on a full stomach though. I learned that the hard way.
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Sounds like your kind of movie, Jare.