On S List of Movie Reviews
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Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
12/13
12/13:
First of all, this question needs to be answered: why did I choose to see Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
(Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom) when I knew what I was getting into?
It's because I'm a cinéaste. The next question is: what rating does it deserve? It would be easy to
give Salò an automatic '1'. Believe me, I was already there, but I have to be objective as much as possible.
It's not what I call a good film. But it isn't terrible, either. No matter what, Salò is by no means entertaining. I
feel like Pier Paolo Pasolini proved his point albeit in a dull manner. It's like one can't ever fully satisfy himself, no
matter how much has been consumed. The torturing, the raping, the feces-eating, the killing, the urinating...oh, the list goes
on and on...to no end.
Watching the film during the 21st century seems to help a great deal because I'm sure it was shocking back then. But now, I'll
say I'm surprised Salò got made without much of censorship. Still, it's an intrepid move by the filmmakers considering
the controversial content. As sickening as the scenes are, I have to point out there are also "sickening"
scenes in popular mainstream films that have been accepted by the public. Here lies in the difference between the
looks of them and how they're shown.
All in all, Salò is tough to sit through, but I've tried to put it into perspective.