Abel Ferrara's Pasolini was a resounding Dud at Venice 2014. Because of Pasolini's notoriety as the Baddest Boy ever of Italian film history -- he made some of the most controversial Italian films of all time (for example, "The 210 Days of Sodom and Gomorrah") and was a strident homosexual who was murdered in an unsolved sex related incident that is still heatedly discussed -- coupled with the fact that director Abel Ferarra, is an Italian American admirer of Pasolini, himself noted for controversial independent films ("The Bad Lieutenant" among others), and with actor Willem Defoe looking like an ideal choice for the role -- "Pasolini"was easily the festival film with the highest audience and critical expectations. Extensive press and magazine interviews with striking photographic portraits of Mr. Ferarra helped create an atmosphere of collective bated breath such that no fan worthy of his film buff salt would have been caught dead missing this super highly touted picture. Well, to make a long story short, "Pasolini" turned out to be the biggest Dud and Disappointment of the entire week.
One could cite endless reasons but here are the salient facts.
While Defoe with his distinctively chiseled features looked like the perfect choice to play Pasolini, he was pathetic if not ridiculous in the role. Most other characters in the picture spoke Italian but Defoe, except for one scene in which he answered some questions in French, spoke English throughout, which in itself totally undermined the Pasolini character -- a man who was also an eloquent and outspoken Italian poet. On top of which Defoe was constrained by Ferrara to perform in an uncharacteristically restrained manner --all of which just blew it completely.
Everything else about the film was a fiasco -- clumsy mise-en-scene with too many extreme closeups --plodding narrative, etc. Ferrara was on record as stating that he had no interest in trivial facts like who killed Paolini, or anything like that -- ("me ne frego di tutto quello") -- he was only interested in showing what a great loss to the world Pasolini's untimely death was. The film recounts only the last day in the life of the director and does end with the brutal murder -- in this version by a band of violent homophobes -- but is utterly empty of anything even slightly memorable. Bottom line -- the biggest dud and disappointment of the festival and no great loss to cinema history. Poor Pasolini is probably turning over in his grave.
One could cite endless reasons but here are the salient facts.
While Defoe with his distinctively chiseled features looked like the perfect choice to play Pasolini, he was pathetic if not ridiculous in the role. Most other characters in the picture spoke Italian but Defoe, except for one scene in which he answered some questions in French, spoke English throughout, which in itself totally undermined the Pasolini character -- a man who was also an eloquent and outspoken Italian poet. On top of which Defoe was constrained by Ferrara to perform in an uncharacteristically restrained manner --all of which just blew it completely.
Everything else about the film was a fiasco -- clumsy mise-en-scene with too many extreme closeups --plodding narrative, etc. Ferrara was on record as stating that he had no interest in trivial facts like who killed Paolini, or anything like that -- ("me ne frego di tutto quello") -- he was only interested in showing what a great loss to the world Pasolini's untimely death was. The film recounts only the last day in the life of the director and does end with the brutal murder -- in this version by a band of violent homophobes -- but is utterly empty of anything even slightly memorable. Bottom line -- the biggest dud and disappointment of the festival and no great loss to cinema history. Poor Pasolini is probably turning over in his grave.