Salo, or the 120 Days Of Sodom

Deeply controversial Pasolini film, 1975
shots largely in master shots, with some close-ups mixed in
the master shots give it a cold, detached look, as little change in shot as possible
the whole film coldly looks on the depravity, so (quite deliberately) stops it being emotional
film as an intellectucal excercise, no bad thing. No real identification anywhere
analysis is of how the fascists aren't enjoying themselves, how they want to degrade themselves
perhaps would need more time to think on, more adequate in literature?
at the same time the crossings of tittilation, and the coldness of the filming, gives it a certain beauty
as do the wonderful sets, which truly take us (along with selection of telephoto, and use of low contrast colour stock) to see this detached world
an intellectual exercise, an interesting one, but unlikely to really set much alight