(1971) The Decameron/ Il Decameron
(In Italian with English subtitles)
PHILOSOPHICAL HISTORICAL DRAMA
The first of three Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life" movies, with the first book adapted by Giovanni Boccaccio, co-written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini adapting nine allegory stories out of a 100 according to Google told by seven young women and three young men. I myself was not too familiar with Giovanni Boccaccio's "The Decameron" as I was aware about "The Canterbury Tales" and "Arabian Nights" from my heydays of school. The first story has a young lady and her entourage convincing Andreuccio (Ninetto Davoli) of Perugia she is his long lost sister, only for him to be swindled of both his clothing and his sack of coins, and with him successfully snitching an expensive ring; the second story has commoner Masetto (Vincenzo Amato) posing as deaf/ mute for free food and bedding to a convent of curious nuns; the third story has a wife, Peronella (Angela Luce) attempting to hide her lover from her husband, who ends up inside a large vase/ urn; the fourth story has a person sending a young guy Ciappelletto (Franco Citti) to collect a debt from two brothers from another village, only for him to end up dying as a result of fasting, who end up confessing his sins to a priest; fifth story has an infamous painter with his underlings brought from the north to be in charge of painting in a cathedral; sixth story has young Caterina (Elisabetta Genovese) tricking her parents to sleep onto the terrace so that she can have a rendezvous with Riccardo (Francesco Gavazzi); seventh story has Elizabetta's three brothers plotting retribution after catching Lorenzo (Giuseppe Arrigio) sleeping with their sister; the eighth story has a man who calls himself a priest making attempts to seduce another man's wife; and the final story has peasants Tingoccio and Muccio making a pact to one another to come and visit whoever be the one to die first.
I must confess if it wasn't for the other reviews and info from wiki and so forth, I would not have recalled many of the stories as some are very vague without a satisfying resolution including some with religious themes, and while I enjoyed some, I did not enjoy others, particularly the one with the three brothers jealousy over the sister's love interest. I mean, it is reminiscent to every other jealous movie ever made, except that with these other films there's a consequence.
The first of three Pasolini's "Trilogy of Life" movies, with the first book adapted by Giovanni Boccaccio, co-written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini adapting nine allegory stories out of a 100 according to Google told by seven young women and three young men. I myself was not too familiar with Giovanni Boccaccio's "The Decameron" as I was aware about "The Canterbury Tales" and "Arabian Nights" from my heydays of school. The first story has a young lady and her entourage convincing Andreuccio (Ninetto Davoli) of Perugia she is his long lost sister, only for him to be swindled of both his clothing and his sack of coins, and with him successfully snitching an expensive ring; the second story has commoner Masetto (Vincenzo Amato) posing as deaf/ mute for free food and bedding to a convent of curious nuns; the third story has a wife, Peronella (Angela Luce) attempting to hide her lover from her husband, who ends up inside a large vase/ urn; the fourth story has a person sending a young guy Ciappelletto (Franco Citti) to collect a debt from two brothers from another village, only for him to end up dying as a result of fasting, who end up confessing his sins to a priest; fifth story has an infamous painter with his underlings brought from the north to be in charge of painting in a cathedral; sixth story has young Caterina (Elisabetta Genovese) tricking her parents to sleep onto the terrace so that she can have a rendezvous with Riccardo (Francesco Gavazzi); seventh story has Elizabetta's three brothers plotting retribution after catching Lorenzo (Giuseppe Arrigio) sleeping with their sister; the eighth story has a man who calls himself a priest making attempts to seduce another man's wife; and the final story has peasants Tingoccio and Muccio making a pact to one another to come and visit whoever be the one to die first.
I must confess if it wasn't for the other reviews and info from wiki and so forth, I would not have recalled many of the stories as some are very vague without a satisfying resolution including some with religious themes, and while I enjoyed some, I did not enjoy others, particularly the one with the three brothers jealousy over the sister's love interest. I mean, it is reminiscent to every other jealous movie ever made, except that with these other films there's a consequence.