Well-crafted in many ways, but somehow both simplistic and annoyingly aloof. Mangano is really good in this but it didn't really work for me.

While there are a lot of things about this movie that I did like ultimately I scored it the way I did because ultimately it left me lacking. I couldn't quite take the leaps that the movie wanted me to with the characters. Still, there were some beautiful shots and I really liked the a lot of the movie played out in silence. I just feel that the second half of the movie just dragged a bit too much for me to really enjoy it.

478

f*** this

#525

only worker class represents a new world.

I hate writing this kind of reviews, but it's not like Pasolini has left me a choice. Anyway, the first part of the movie is about sex, with no sex, and no, it's not as sophisticated as it sounds. Seems like Pasolini didn't have the guts to ask his actors to have real sex on the set, or maybe they just didn't allow him to show these scenes, with real sex to the wide public. The second part is a pathetic attempt to create a piece of art with the attribute of "deep trash".

I don't think there is a film I detest more than this one.

The encounter with a different, strange world-view shakes every member of the household. The destruction of their accepted norms or rather the routine of the everyday life, the absence of their own values leaves them in a painful condition. Each suffers in his own way for his own reason/non-reason/emptiness/disbelief/belief. It seems that the belief does not erase the suffering of the believer, but at least it is able to reduce those of others.

Wtf? A bland movie from Pasolini? The one thing that guy could always be counted on was to be abrassive and over the top. And he was damn good at it. Subtlety is NOT one of his strengths and it shows here.

# 641

An amazing tension. Fascinating

Overall, I liked it, for a variety of reasons; the surrealism, the beautiful cinematography, the quick pacing. Still, I felt underwhelmed. Pasolini's dry sensibilities, which I loved in The Gospel According to St. Matthew, just didn't work for me here.

Tout va bien

466

Pasolini pushing buttons again, but this is far better than the sledgehammer of Salo. Much is left up to interpretation, and we're never certain if the stranger is a force of good or evil, but there definitely seems to be some Bunuel-esque skewering of both the upper classes and Catholicism. It's an intriguing piece that's thoughtful and funny (and with a terrific Morricone score)... maybe a little obvious at times, but still engaging. Possibly an influence on Miike's Visitor Q.

Terence Stamp: International lover, dream awakener, soul destroyer. The themes are pretty obvious, a sprinkling of sexuality and socialism and a whole lot of religious allegory. What's being said about these is less clear. My initial thought is that it explores how humanity can function without faith but, once it's introduced, taking it away can have all sorts of consequences. It's not a particularly thorough or captivating exploration, though, leading to a beautiful but seemingly shallow film.