The Decameron

A movie about poor dental hygiene.

Pasolini's Trilogy of Life has always been divisive, turning off many fans of his earlier work but helping, along with Salo, to cement his name in popular film circles. Decameron is an eccentric bawdy sex themed comedy that really acts as a litmus test separating the true fan from the casual observer. Painterly images are wedded to crude form and juvenile humour masks serious intellectual concerns which are somewhat obscured by the atrocious acting/dubbing. It works best in fits and starts.

Is it good cinema? It's mostly educational cinema, kind of like an anthropological trip in time

A collection of stories, that sometimes very mildly interrelate with each other (though they are connected to each other through their blasphemous sex). Some aren't that interesting, but they are mostly very fun to watch and you certainly get an (admittedly silly) "a-ha!" moment at the end of each story.

Viewed January 5, 2019.

Empezando la trilogía de la vida, puta que es grande Pasolini

Superb realisation of the medieval world, although its production values are a bit rough. But, that was the idea.

Some of the things that people apparently found charming about this I found unpleasant (the absolutely atrocious acting, for one) but it's an interesting experience in which I'm glad I partook.

a different point of view from pasolini.

At times amusing, and at others somewhat painful to get through, this collection of short, bawdy tales from a 1300s Italian book shows the human condition at its most raw -- the ups and downs of life. Only here, most everyone is naked at some point. The costuming and sets are good enough, but after a while, the stories just start to feel the same.

This film is as subtle as the midle ages. But it ends with a great quote that possibly sums up this film: Why create a work of art, when dreaming about it is so much sweeter?

I see humanity, thus profoundness, in the medieval rudimentary fun. People say "come here" a lot in the movie, which are beautiful untenable gestures to me. (yx likes it too:))

32. İstanbul Film Festivali - Beyoğlu Sineması: Pasolini'nin sinemasının "çiğ"liği, anlattığı öykülerin içeriğiyle birleşince, belki de ilk kez bu kadar iyi işliyor. Güçlü bir satir.

Basically an anthology of 1970s Playboy porny anecdotes set in 15th century Italy. Do not watch in 3D lest you get poked in the eye with a boner or get impaled by one of the many sets of dark-age-era-appropriate teeth

Probably seemed funnier in the 1300s.

A naked and frank look at humans' tendency to lie towards themselves and others. Some of the handheld camera seem unnecessary; otherwise, it taste.

In a way it makes perfect sense that the Pythons were Pasolini fans - so many of his movies are essentially sketch anthologies. There's a vague thread running through this, but mostly it's a series of gaudy, more or less scatological medieval skits that were satirical then and still are in 1971, just a bit too often without proper punchlines. Still, it's a ride.