I have to admit, I'm new to Pier Paolo Pasolini. Up until yesterday, I'd never seen any of his films, but I've heard a lot about his legendary status as a daring cinematic auteur. I recently purchased the Criterion Collection's Blu-Ray set of his "Trilogy of Life" and "The Decameron" is the first film in that trilogy. I thought I'd give it a try yesterday and I'm glad I did. "The Decamaeron" is a bawdy, audacious, and scathing critique of sexual and religious mores of 14th Century Naples. In critiquing this society that is so far in the past, Pasolini was critiquing his modern day (1970's) society. He uses Giovanni Boccaccio's stories to inject a new outlook on his present day outlook of how he saw modern day Italy and the world. Boccaccio's "Il Decameron" was an appropriate vehicle to do just that.
"The Decameron" is a series of vignettes and episodes. Each one has an overriding thematic constant which propels the narrative forward. The thematic concerns are mostly sex and religion but there is the presence of other themes such as death, family, and the mystery and complexities of life itself.
The stories are often humorous and bawdy. The immersion into 14th century Naples is seamlessly accomplished by Pasolini with expertise and finesse. The overall picture is strengthened by editing that blends the different vignettes into one another without being awkward or jarring.
This was an exciting initiation to this legendary Italian director and I look forward to seeing more of his films in the future.
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