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 | Voyeur | Piano | Torture | Blood

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 manager
Alessandro Mattei	....	production manager

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
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

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
Paula Mitchell	....	researcher (as Pola Kurlancheek)
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:

Italy:(Banned) (1976-1991) | 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) (1998-2010) | 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 | Singapore:PG | Mexico:D (cut) | Malaysia:(Banned) | 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:

When Pier Paolo Pasolini was asked who is the film's audience, he said, "It's for everyone. For people like me."

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:

Featured in Salò: Fade to Black (2001)

Soundtrack:

Son tanto triste

One of the most gruelling films ever made

Pier Paolo Pasolini, as is well known, was murdered not long after he finished work on this, his most audacious and confrontational film, yet even the most casual viewing of SALO begs the question - had he not been murdered, would he have taken his own life anyway? Every sequence, every shot and practically every moment of this film is so burdened with despair, barely concealed rage and a towering disgust with the human race, one gets the impression that Pasolini was barely hanging onto life - and any attendant shreds of hope - by his fingernails. Although ostensibly an adaptation of one of DeSade's most depraved works channeled through the horrifying excesses of the Second World War with the Fascist ruling classes as its (authentically vile) villains, SALO also contains a lot of contemporary criticism - Pasolini hated the modern world, and explained the stomach-churning 'banquet of s**t' as a none-too-subtle attack on the encroaching global domination of the fast food chains. (The scenes of sexual excess can similarly be read as a despairing attack on the permissive society - those who come to SALO expecting titillation or B-movie sleaze will be sorely disappointed.) Beyond the nihilistic content, which has been well documented elsewhere, the film has an overall mood that seems to have been engineered to make the viewer thoroughly depressed. Shot on washed-out, faded film stock using primarily static cameras, long shots, choppy editing and very few cutaways, SALO has a visual style reminiscent of cinema-verite documentary. Add to this the unnerving use of big band music, piano dirges and the (intentionally?) scrappy post-dubbed dialogue, and the distancing effect on the viewer is complete. SALO comes across as one long primal scream of rage, designed to shake the viewer out of his complacency, and in this respect, the film succeeds unequivocally. Whether or not you would care to watch this more than once, or indeed for 'entertainment', is another matter, but SALO is an important film that demands a careful viewing ONLY by those prepared for it.