RO.PO.PA.G, 1963. Been waiting for years to catch up with this Nouvelle Vague curiosity item somewhere -- and finally did at the Cinemathèque in Paris. This French-Italian production from 1963 is comprised of four episodes directed by four acclaimed European directors: Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Ugo Gregoretti. Its short title, Ro.Go.Pa.G., borrows the initials of their names. This compendium Omnibus film by the four prestige authors, consists of four short films, in order: RO. Rosselini's 'Chastity' ('Illibatezza') -- GO. Godard's 'New World' ('Il Nuovo Mondo') -- . PA. Pasolini's 'Curd Cheese' ('La Ricotta') -- and G. Gregoretti's 'Free Range Chicken' ('Il Pollo Ruspante'). Viewed on Friday night Dec. 27, 2013 at the Cinémathèque. Overall, Rogopag was a big disappointment.
Rosselini, Part 1, started out great examining the psychology of the in-flight crew on a long distance Alitaia Flight to Bangkok, but then got way out of hand with the story of a balding middle-aged nebbish stalking a good looking young Italian stewardess and some BS about the guy back home looking at the footage she shot in Thailand.
PART 2. Pasolini, with a very pudgy faced Orson Welles in a guest shot directing a film about the crucifixion in some poor backward village. Villagers volunteer to appear as extras just to get some free food. This segment opens, in color with two guys doing a frenzied twist, and flips back and forth from color to Black and white --with speedup sequences, and a pudgy hapless zhlub on one of the other crosses. Had things to say but I basically didn't care for the Pasolini style-- Toot discombobulated for my taste.
Part 3: The Godard installment with young Canadian actress Alexandra Stewart, was a big borathon, based on the ridiculous premise that an A-bomb exploded 160,000 km above Paris, was too high to harm the city but exerts a profound affect on the minds of the people below. Ridiculous.
Finally, Part 4, the Ugo Grigoretti segment -- about chickens in a restaurant. A pompous father lectures to a boy about the difference between free range chickens and "elevated" ones ~ an obvious parallel to human society. Then it goes into a really boring extended section about trying to buy land but not having the money. About as lively as a real estate ad. All in all, Ropopag was a two hour disappointment but a necessary filler-in on the culture of the New Wave flooding the film world in the early sixties. FIVE stars out of ten for Half-assedness.
Rosselini, Part 1, started out great examining the psychology of the in-flight crew on a long distance Alitaia Flight to Bangkok, but then got way out of hand with the story of a balding middle-aged nebbish stalking a good looking young Italian stewardess and some BS about the guy back home looking at the footage she shot in Thailand.
PART 2. Pasolini, with a very pudgy faced Orson Welles in a guest shot directing a film about the crucifixion in some poor backward village. Villagers volunteer to appear as extras just to get some free food. This segment opens, in color with two guys doing a frenzied twist, and flips back and forth from color to Black and white --with speedup sequences, and a pudgy hapless zhlub on one of the other crosses. Had things to say but I basically didn't care for the Pasolini style-- Toot discombobulated for my taste.
Part 3: The Godard installment with young Canadian actress Alexandra Stewart, was a big borathon, based on the ridiculous premise that an A-bomb exploded 160,000 km above Paris, was too high to harm the city but exerts a profound affect on the minds of the people below. Ridiculous.
Finally, Part 4, the Ugo Grigoretti segment -- about chickens in a restaurant. A pompous father lectures to a boy about the difference between free range chickens and "elevated" ones ~ an obvious parallel to human society. Then it goes into a really boring extended section about trying to buy land but not having the money. About as lively as a real estate ad. All in all, Ropopag was a two hour disappointment but a necessary filler-in on the culture of the New Wave flooding the film world in the early sixties. FIVE stars out of ten for Half-assedness.