Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (original title)

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writers:

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

Release Date:

10 January 1976 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

Banned in Australia for 17 years - Now for the first time Australian audiences have the opportunity to judge one of the most controversial films in the history of cinema. A work of rigorous moral intelligence or a descent into a nightmare of cruelty and lust? (1993)

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 | Blood | Sexual Torture | Torture | Teenage Boy

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
Gaspare Di Jenno	...	Male Victim
Giuliana Melis	...	Female Victim
Faridah Malik	...	Female Victim
Graziella Aniceto	...	Female Victim
Renata Moar	...	Female Victim
Dorit Henke	...	Female Victim
Antiniska Nemour	...	Female Victim (as Antinisca Nemour)
Benedetta Gaetani	...	Female Victim
Olga Andreis	...	Female Victim
Tatiana Mogilansky	...	Daughter
Susanna Radaelli	...	Daughter
Giuliana Orlandi	...	Daughter
Liana Acquaviva	...	Daughter
Rinaldo Missaglia	...	Guard
Giuseppe Patruno	...	Guard
Guido Galletti	...	Guard
Efisio Etzi	...	Guard
Claudio Troccoli	...	Collaborator
Fabrizio Menichini	...	Collaborator
Maurizio Valaguzza	...	Collaborator
Ezio Manni	...	Collaborator
Paola Pieracci	...	Wife
Carla Terlizzi	...	Wife
Anna Maria Dossena	...	Wife
Anna Recchimuzzi	...	Wife
Ines Pellegrini	...	The Slave Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marco Lucantoni	...	First Male Victim (uncredited)

Directed by
Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writing credits
Pier Paolo Pasolini		written by and
Sergio Citti		screenplay collaborator
Pupi Avati		uncredited
Marquis de Sade		novel "Les 120 Journées de Sodome" (uncredited)

Produced by
Alberto De Stefanis	....	producer
Antonio Girasante	....	producer
Alberto Grimaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Tonino Delli Colli

Film Editing by
Nino Baragli
Tatiana Casini Morigi
Enzo Ocone

Production Design by
Dante Ferretti

Set Decoration by
Osvaldo Desideri

Costume Design by
Danilo Donati

Makeup Department
Giusy Bovino	....	hair stylist (as Giusi Bovino)
Osvaldo Desideri	....	makeup artist
Alfredo Tiberi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Renzo David	....	production supervisor
Alberto De Stefanis	....	unit manager
Antonio Girasante	....	production manager
Alessandro Mattei	....	production supervisor
Angelo Zemella	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Umberto Angelucci	....	first assistant director
Fiorella Infascelli	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Italo Tomassi	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Fausto Ancillai	....	sound mixer
Massimo Anzellotti	....	sound effects editor
Giorgio Loviscek	....	sound
Domenico Pasquadibisceglie	....	sound
Giuseppina Sagliano	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Alfredo Tiberi	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Sandro Battaglia	....	first assistant camera
Deborah Imogen Beer	....	still photographer (as Deborah Beer)
Emilio Bestetti	....	camera operator
Giancarlo Granatelli	....	second assistant camera
Carlo Tafani	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vanni Castellani	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Stephen Bearman	....	colorist (digitally restored version)
Ugo De Rossi	....	assistant editor
Alfredo Menchini	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Arnaldo Graziosi	....	musician: piano

Other crew
Beatrice Banfi	....	script supervisor
Vittorio Cudia	....	assistant secretary
Maurizio Forti	....	administrator
Pietro Innocenti	....	administrator
Paula Mitchell	....	researcher (as Pola Kurlancheek)
Nico Naldini	....	publicist
Marco Bellocchio	....	voice dubbing: Aldo Valletti (uncredited)
Laura Betti	....	voice dubbing: Hélène Surgère (uncredited)
Giorgio Caproni	....	voice dubbing: Giorgio Cataldi (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)
• Les Productions Artistes Associés (co-production)

Distributors

• United Artists (1975) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Les Artistes Associés (1975) (France) (theatrical)
• Carlotta Films (2009) (France) (DVD) (blu-ray)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Kamras Film Group (2001) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Primer Plano Film Group (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1976) (Japan) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD) (5-disc Pier Paolo Pasolini Collection)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2001) (UK) (DVD) (restored)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Eagle Pictures (2003) (Italy) (DVD) (uncut)
• Future Film (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Legend Films International (2005) (Germany) (VHS) (rights)
• MGM/UA Home Video (????) (Sweden) (VHS) (VHS re-release)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1992) (Canada) (VHS)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Primer Plano Film Group Video (2003) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Shock (2010) (Australia) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Voyager Company, The (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (????) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Water Bearer Films (1998) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• International Recordings  sound synchronization
• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs

Also Known As:

"Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma" - Italy (original 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:

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 | Singapore:Unrated | Italy:(Banned) (1976-1977) | Germany:18 (SPIO/JK) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (nf) (cut) (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1976) | Finland:K-18 (2001) | Italy:VM18 (re-rating) (1977) | Australia:(Banned) (1976-1993) (1998-2010) | Australia:R (2010) | 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 | Mexico:D (cut) | Malaysia:(Banned) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Salò, Brescia, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA)

Trivia:

The Japanese Region 2 DVD released in 2002 contains several more production photos not seen in any extant version of the film. Among them, a girl strapped into an electric chair (presumably during the final scene) and the bodies of the victims arranged in two rows, some covered with sheets, in the courtyard.

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:

Referenced in Ostia (1988)

Soundtrack:

Carmina Burana

One of the roughest films you'll ever see.

"Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom" (1975): Be prepared for one of the roughest films you'll ever see. This was Pasolini's last, and going by what I've seen, his vision only became bleaker and more disturbed as the years clawed along. Using the Marquis de Sade's ideas on the decadence of 18th century France, Pasolini represents Fascist Italy (1944-45). We are shown the upper class – always removed and protected from the outer world – as predators of the poor, weak, young, and less educated. A group of wealthy adults shop amongst the kidnapped older children of bourgeoisie. They choose eighteen, and steal them away to a hidden mansion, where there is no escape. There, the adults live out every twisted fantasy they've ever had or can now muster, while demeaning, raping, and torturing the youngsters. The teens react in many ways, none of which are "pretty". This entire film experience MUST be viewed as a symbolic, emotional "explanation" of what it was like to live under Nazi/Fascist rule (in this case), and how an otherwise normal, decent society could be turned into lunatics and sub-animals. Although made 30 years ago (with the usual weaker production qualities of that era), I cannot think of another work which so blatantly and painfully illustrates what those in power are capable of doing when boredom gives rein to impulse. In comparison, "Lord of the Flies" barely lights upon these issues, "Pink Flamingos" was but a tiny, kitschy springboard, and "Schindler's List" described a much narrower range of degradation. To this day, "Salo: …" is banned in some countries. This is NOT a film about acting, lighting, sound, camera work, etc.. This is a film about states of mind – theirs then, ours now. P.S.: If you are interested in set design, this one is FILLED with original Cubist/Bauhaus/Futurist/Moderne furnishings, murals, and art. Spectacular. Those styles were not yet being reproduced, so Pasolini used the real thing. There is also an interesting use of a Charles Rennie MacIntosh chair…which will alter how you see this design from here on out.