Satyricon (1968)

Director:

Gian Luigi Polidoro

Writers:

Petronius (book)
Rodolfo Sonego (writer)

Release Date:

14 April 1972 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Based On Book

Cast

Tina Aumont	...	Circe
Don Backy	...	Encolpio
Mario Carotenuto	...	Eumolpo
Franco Fabrizi	...	Ascilto
Graziella Granata	...	Antonia
Valérie Lagrange	...	Trifena
Francesco Pau	...	Gitone
Ugo Tognazzi	...	Trimalchione
Marguerite H. Boulware
Clara Colosimo	...	Seleuco's Wife
Ermelinda De Felice	...	Trimalchione's Wife
Gustavo D'Arpe	...	The Rhetorical-Questioning Orator
Antonio De Leo
Piero Gerlini	...	Abinna - Antonia's husband
Franco Gulà		(as Franco Gullà)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Vides Cinematografica, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

Director Gian Luigi Polidoro, producer Alfredo Bini, the distributor and four of the actors in the film were accused of obscenity, corruption of minors and violation of the laws protecting the work of minors. They were subsequently acquitted of the corruption charge but received suspended sentences, which were appealed, and fined for having produced an obscene film.

poor adaptation of a great book

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In Italian without subtitles, I am at a disadvantage reporting , or completely understanding , this film; however as it might be of interest as one of the two films on this important work, I will give my impressions. The largest diversion from Petronius's work, is the elimination of Giton for most of the film with young servant girl Circe, found at the home of the family that commits suicide, taking his place as servant and traveling companion to Encolpio and Ascyltos and while Encolpio is affectionate with her, they are not intimate as he was with Giton.. The film includes much the same scenes of Petronius as Fellin's but they are more modest in production and can't begin to compare in quality while scenes of Polidoros invention are undistinguished.. There is a lot of feasting and indeed, Polidoro seems to regard Gluttony the greater deadly sin over Lust in the Christian Pantheon of Deadly Sins, as the sexually charged scenes are tame. The film was branded obscene and the director and several actors and the director were charged with corrupting minors;. however any scenes related to that have been removed from my copy, an obvious DVD rip from a tape, with clumsy editing. I suspect a lesbian scene with the young Circe and an adult woman, but given the treatment of sexuality in the film overall, I can't image it was anything explicit. Nevertheless, it seemed as if a strip of film had been sliced artlessly from the film at that point. Polidoro and his backers were very lucky that United Artists bought the rights for a million dollars to keep it from competing with Fellini's film. They shouldn't have worried. Best to avoid.