A Certain Realism: Making Use of Pasolini's Film Theory and Practice

by Maurizio Viano

Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) was arguably the most complex director of postwar Italian cinema. His films― Accattone , The Canterbury Tales , Medea , Saló ―continue to challenge and entertain new generations of moviegoers. A leftist, a homosexual, and a distinguished writer of fiction, poetry, and criticism, Pasolini once claimed that "a certain realism" informed his filmmaking.

Masterfully combining analyses of Pasolini's literary and theoretical writings and of all his films, Maurizio Viano offers the first thorough study of Pasolini's cinematic realism, in theory and in practice. He finds that Pasolini's cinematic career exemplifies an "expressionistic realism" that acknowledges its subjective foundation instead of striving for an impossible objectivity.

Focusing on the personal and expressionistic dimensions of Pasolini's cinema, Viano also argues that homosexuality is present in the films in ways that critics have thus far failed to acknowledge. Sure to generate controversy among film scholars, Italianists, and fans of the director's work, this accessible film-by-film treatment is an ideal companion for anyone watching Pasolini's films on video.

Genres: Film

392 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1993

Reviews

[James]

Excellent study of Pasolini. Reads the man's films through his own theory. It is particularly strong on its exploration of the title idea - Pasolini's insistence that Realism can't really be engaging with what's real until it takes subjectivity into account. Strong chapters on all of the film, even if the author gets a little prissy about the Trilogy of Life.

[Anna F.]

My favourite part is when Viano gets very passionate criticising the Trilogy of Life and devotes 16 lines to "Pasolini's systematically bad portrayal of actual love making."