Salo

I watched Salo recently and it was pretty much as disturbing as I'd expected. I'm sure it was much more sensational in the 70's when the wonder that is the Internet hadn't already doused our senses to the explicit, but I guess its the assault on the senses made by someone like Pasolini that makes way for all the other shit.

As for which side of the fence I sit on when it comes to the film, I'm going to say that I enjoyed it. All debauchery aside, the film makes a fantastic case for how those in power (I'll branch off here and say that I obviously don't think everyone in power acts as such) tend to fuck us over however they please. The sexuality and sodomy in the movie isn't actually central to the narrative, it's just the most effective way for Pasolini to get his point across, as it drew the most attention. For most of us, I think its easier to understand oppression and punishment a little better when it doesn't take a form we're familiar with, and that's the approach he takes. The idea is that once you gain enough power you're ushered into a life that is essentially anarchistic, with morals and camaraderie thrown out the window for whatever reckless desire you can pursue insofar as its in your best interest. Pasolini, a communist, really believed that those in power revel in anarchy, but my point of departure is where he never really follows this up with a solution. Communism obviously doesn't work, so while I find his approach and perspective on this issue amenable, I'm left hanging when it comes to any sort of rectification. Maybe we're all just fucked? Pasolini wasn't one to believe in hope or Utopian principles (he thought they were both foolish), so all I can imagine is that he desired society to be structured in such a way that the powerful don't get too powerful, which is in stride with what the last 2,000 years of humanity have been working towards.

As far as the film itself goes, its not just the philosophical undertones which make it worth watching. Pasolini did a remarkable job of creating a claustrophobic effect for the viewer, making us feel as though we're no safer than those being violated through a myriad of guises. The film is remarkably spartan and leaves the viewer with little else to focus their attention on; often we find ourselves in an ornate room or hall but it is either hardly decorated or not at all. We're left marvelling at the architecture, but are offered no amenities of common household decor. When we do (rarely) see elegance, its always in the chambers of the ruling class, and even then the experience of what has come before it leaves the decorations feeling as empty a vessel as the wealthy elite themselves. It is there because at some point long ago it paid tribute to their status, but has now become entirely worthless, unrecognized and vapid. Adding to this focus on humanity rather than surroundings is the way the interactions are shot. Rarely will you see a character walk off screen or the camera following them as they move about. Instead each scene is shot with a very close intensity, drawing ever more heavily on our sympathies for those being abused as it seems there is never an escape. This all adds up to create a fantastic case once we reach the climax of the film, where we watch the elites perform acts of sodomy and torture on their subjects. By this point in the film, the viewer has become so accustomed to this feeling that there is no escape that the scene gains a strange, almost limbo like surreality (also, if you've ever wanted to see a dude get his dick seared off with a hot poker, this would be your chance). The viewer is placed in much the same place as the elites in the scene, where we watch from a vantage point in the house looking out over the yard where the debauchery occurs, ourselves doing as little to combat the oppression we see daily as the elites as they lap up the scene with delight.

All told, what underpins the film is simple and yet it is Pasolini's additions to the piece and clearly guided purpose in making it which render it truly remarkable. In almost every aspect he commands attention and holds the viewer at his demand, not unlike the ruling class displayed in the film. I've never read the original piece by the Marquis de Sade, but I can't imagine it travelling much further beyond what Pasolini offers here in terms of contemplation and depth. I mean, there are so many ways to demonstrate how the ruling class fucks us, but in the end we're all still just getting fucked.