Teorema (1968)

A mysterious young man seduces each member of a bourgeois family. When he suddenly leaves, how will their lives change?

Director:

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Writer:

Pier Paolo Pasolini (screenplay)

Stars:

Silvana Mangano, Terence Stamp, Massimo Girotti

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Silvana Mangano	...	Lucia, the mother
Terence Stamp	...	The Visitor
Massimo Girotti	...	Paolo, the father
Anne Wiazemsky	...	Odetta, the daughter
Laura Betti	...	Emilia, the servant
Andrés José Cruz Soublette	...	Pietro, the son
Ninetto Davoli	...	Angelino - the Messenger
Carlo De Mejo	...	Boy
Adele Cambria	...	Emilia - the second servant
Luigi Barbini	...	Il ragazzo alla stazione
Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia	...	Second boy (as Ivan Scratuglia)
Alfonso Gatto	...	Doctor

Storyline

A strange visitor in a wealthy family. He seduces the maid, the son, the mother, the daughter and finally the father before leaving a few days after. After he's gone, none of them can continue living as they did. Who was that visitor ? Could he be God ?

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Plot Keywords:

sexuality | mysterious stranger | visitor | homosexual | homosexuality | 

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Taglines:

There are only 923 words spoken in "Teorema" - but it says everything!

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

In one scene, the father reads from Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich". Later in the garden, the visitor reads from the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud.

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Goofs

Lucia (Silvana Mangano) sleeps with full makeup, thick mascara, and false eyelashes undisturbed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Interviewer: Your boss gave you workers his factory. What do you think of his gesture? Is he still the focus here?
Factory Worker: Of course.
Interviewer: Has he thus blocked all chance of a future workers' revolution?
Factory Worker: Possibly.
Interviewer: Is his action an isolated case, or part of a general trend today?
Factory Worker: Part of a general trend, I think.

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Connections

Followed by Porcile (1969)

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Soundtracks

L'Ultima Corrida
Written and arranged by Ennio Morricone
Orchestra accompanied by I Cantori Moderni di Alessandro Alessandroni
Conducted by Bruno Nicolai

User Reviews

a beautiful poem

This is the most gentle and poetic film that Pasolini directed. The characters, the location and the narrative are symbols. Words in poetry can express many emotions, truths and philosophies, and so do the characters in Teorema. The general meaning of this film is open to discussion. In my view The Visitor (Terence Stamp) represents love, and love in this regard can be inspiration, devotion to another person without personal benefit. When The Visitor shows the family another truth, and then abandons them, they are left in dispair, and are unable to return to their former way of living. I think the family represents people living in a capitalist system. Pasolini was a Marxist and he directed this film in 1968, a revolutionary year in which the youth of Western Europe (and a part of Eastern Europe) revolted against their governments and wanted to build a society based on new principles. This is a very relevant film for unpoetic times.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

27 November 1968 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Teorema

Filming Locations:

16 Via Palatino, Milan, Lombardia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aetos Produzioni Cinematografiche

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 99 min (cinema release) (1971)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1