"Salo," despite the time and place it is set in, has absolutely nothing to do with fascism or war. Nor is it a narrative of any kind.
Instead, it is a presentation of a very disturbing philosophy - Man has no kind nature. They prey on the most vulnerable amongst themselves, and only those with no sense of pride and a willingness to become predators as well survive to the very end. In the end, everybody is in it for themselves.
Sometimes Pasolini delivers his message with creepy minimalism. But mostly he prefers to give it to the viewer in a manner as subtle as a brick in the head.
Pasolini's persistance on showing only the darkest corners of human nature and his complete denial that anything else even exists creates a very dark and incredibly disturbing picture. It is also the biggest pitfall of "Salo". It could have been a far greater and much more powerful film if Pasolini allowed at least a single slightest ray of light into the infinitely pessimistic philosophy that he portrays here.
However, the way it ended up was as a cry that human kindness does not exist (which pretty much was how it was intended, after all). In the final scene, he states that the viewer has every bit of potential to be just as evil and predatory as the four fascists in this movie. A very powerful and thoughtful statement, actually, one that any human being should not deny.
In the end, this is a very intelligent and disturbing motion picture, one that forces the viewer to think. But the endless negativity and pessimism keeps it from being anything greater. It should only be viewed by those emotionally prepared to handle its very disturbing point-of-view.
6 out of 10
Instead, it is a presentation of a very disturbing philosophy - Man has no kind nature. They prey on the most vulnerable amongst themselves, and only those with no sense of pride and a willingness to become predators as well survive to the very end. In the end, everybody is in it for themselves.
Sometimes Pasolini delivers his message with creepy minimalism. But mostly he prefers to give it to the viewer in a manner as subtle as a brick in the head.
Pasolini's persistance on showing only the darkest corners of human nature and his complete denial that anything else even exists creates a very dark and incredibly disturbing picture. It is also the biggest pitfall of "Salo". It could have been a far greater and much more powerful film if Pasolini allowed at least a single slightest ray of light into the infinitely pessimistic philosophy that he portrays here.
However, the way it ended up was as a cry that human kindness does not exist (which pretty much was how it was intended, after all). In the final scene, he states that the viewer has every bit of potential to be just as evil and predatory as the four fascists in this movie. A very powerful and thoughtful statement, actually, one that any human being should not deny.
In the end, this is a very intelligent and disturbing motion picture, one that forces the viewer to think. But the endless negativity and pessimism keeps it from being anything greater. It should only be viewed by those emotionally prepared to handle its very disturbing point-of-view.
6 out of 10