Pasolini's Love and Rage

La ricotta (1963)La ricotta is a segment of RoGoPaG (an acronym for the four participating filmmakers: ROsselini, GOdard, PAsolini en Gregoretti) that questions the role of the church on earth: what good are piety and redemption when people are allowed to starve to death? In the film-within-the film, a film company decides to shoot a film about the Passion of Christ. The film led to blasphemy charges against Pasolini, which were directly provoked a striptease scene which Mary Magdalene was asked to carry out in front of a couple of bored crew members. The prosecutor also claimed he was able to demonstrate that the Good Thief, Stracci, who had previously also acted in Accattone, was tied to the cross but had an orgasm with his hands unbound as he was watching the striptease. To every unbiased viewer, however, it was obvious that Stracci, after having gorged himself in his uncomfortable position on the cross, choked to death on his food. Pasolini was sentenced to four months in prison, lodged an appeal and was eventually cleared.

La rabbia (1963)A documentary in which two filmmakers offers a portrait of the times using the same source material. The first half was produced by the left-wing intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini, the second half by the conservative Roman-Catholic Giovanni Guareschi. Using historical found footage, Pasolini attempts to answer the existential question: Why do fear and disaffection dominate our lives? The poet and filmmaker analyses modern life in his poetical film essay La rabbia (Rage).

Double bill screening (reduced price at the ticket office) with Pasolini.