Has anyone seen/suffered...

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...this? It was on FilmFour last night and having heard of its reputation I thought I'd watch it, and...urgh...it is possibly the only film I've (almost) abandoned because I couldn't take much more. I did persevere to the end but not happily. So, has anyone else seen it and if so what did you think, eh?

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

New nauseating answers!

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

DG yer big puff

(ps i haf neva seen it)

― mark s, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There was a programme on either bbc2 or c4 recently about attitudes to censorship, 'outrageous' films, books etc. I think they showed some clips of it and from that it looked horrible enough. I might have watched out of curiosity, mind you...(I think most people would).

― Bill, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

see my response in best kids film thread.

― geoff, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You are a BAD MAN, Geoff.

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what things happen in this film?

― mike hanle y, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Horrible things.

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

J43H!@#~ I've seen it. I though all thee conventional stuff - IE brilliant anti fascist satire etc, but it made me feel somewhat queasy, & have no wish 2 see it again. Taking sides pasolini vs godard heh heh heh....

― Norman Phay, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've seen it about 12 times, and 8 of those were in the cinema. On 2 of those occasions I was the only person left in the cinema. I can see a comdey British version of it where the 'teeth inspection' scene goes on for 12 hours because nobody's choppers measure up.

― dave q, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

First saw it at the Scala abt 15 years ago, in an already totally fucked print, on a dbl bill w/ Barbet Schroeder's dick-nailing S+M romp 'Maitresse' (starring the great Bulle Ogier as a dominatrix - rowr!) 'Salo' is still one of the most sordid and depressing films I've ever - mission accomplished on Pasolini's part, I'd say. If you're going to make a film abt the psychology of fascism I think it's important not to flinch from cruelty, peversion and hopelessness, and Pasolini's own internal struggle between repulsion and attraction is brilliantly transmitted to the viewer - you want to watch/you don't want to watch.

― Andrew L, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So lemme get this straight...they aired this on UK TV? They probably wouldn't even show it on cable here.

― Michael Daddino, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wwell, not on terrestrial: FilmFour is a subscription digital channel — but yes, basically, Salô was on TV and here we are complaining. Heh.

I was watching a documentary on Shackleton, mind you, as I don't have digital TV.

― mark s, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But I've seen Maitresse on terrestrial...

― mark s, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I knew Norman and Dave Q would have seen it, somehow.

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Besides, I'm not complaining - you don't start watching this film thinking it's going to be 'Rugrats In Paris', FilmFour gave enough warning. I should have known not to watch when Mark Kermode appeared, simply because it's Mark Kermode.

― DG, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Another reason why no one should have watched it last night: Unforeseen scheduling classic double bill on BBC2 of Saturday Night Fever/The Sonny and Cher Story. I think even de Sade might have taken that option...

― Bill, Sunday, 13 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Saw it years ago -- rough and well-made (a tough combination) but not the most unwatchable film I've ever made it through -- that would be Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer, especially the home-invasion scene. If you've made it through Sade's book without vomiting (as I did, although I did throw the book across the room in disgust twice), Salo should be a piece of cake.

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Re 'Henry' - Colin speaks the truth. The home-invasion scene is so horrible that not only do you hate yourself for sitting through it, but you become suspicious and concerned as to why anyone else sits through it either. Although there is a great comic line later in the film ("Should we call the police?" "Umm...not a good idea!")

― dave q, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I watched a bit of Sodom the other day on FilmFour too. I got tired/bored so switched off and may have missed the most disgusting bits. In what I saw they were buggering their slaves and cheering. Is that the kind of thing you mean.

A LOT of people walked out of Henry when I saw it at Manchester Uni FilmSoc. I stayed, but I agree that scene was pretty grim. More cause of the starkly naturalistic doc feel than the actual content, I guess. I think I remember thinking afterwards "why is rape less acceptable to watch than murder (which we see all the time in film and are happy laughing at?". Couldn't decide if it was more a) cause rape felt closer to home, perhaps cause of 'all men are rapists' talk or b) cause today's moral norms are so fucked up that rape actually is seen as worse than murder or c) cause our patriarchial society propagates the idea that rape is the worst thing that can ever happen to a woman, thus keeping her in the victim role.

― N., Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Cause women don't have a sense of humour. You can use male genital mutilation as a comedy subject ('There's Something About Mary', 'Garp'), but if you made a comedy about some bimbo accidentally sterilizing herself with bleach or used an exploding breast implant as a slapstick prop, you'd be vilified.

― dave q, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's this bit where they make the slaves eat poo. That's the worst bit, & prob what we all mean. It made me pheel reaaly ewey.

― Norman Phay, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

[...] if you made a comedy about some bimbo accidentally sterilizing herself with bleach or used an exploding breast implant as a slapstick prop, you'd be vilified.

I want to see this comedy.

― Dan Perry, Monday, 14 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I want to see Dan seeing this comedy and then trying to persuade his wife why it's funny.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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