Pasolini Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Pasolini Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 14, 2016

Nominated for Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, Abel Ferrara's "Pasolini" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; filmed Q&A session with with Abel Ferrara and actors Willem Dafoe, Maria de Medeiros, and Giada Colagrande; and video interview with actor Robin Askwith. The release also arrives with a 16-page illustrated booklet featuring a statement from Abel Ferrara and an interview with him, as well as John David Rhodes' essay "Pasolini: A Final Edit". In English, Italian, and French, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"I work my violence so I can get what I want. Why do I want it? Because they have told me it is a virtue to want it. I'm expressing my right, my virtue. I'm an assassin and a good man."

Cult director Abel Ferrara’s latest film, Pasolini, is a lot easier to criticize for what it is not than defend for what it is. It is the reason why once again there are two very vocal camps of critics that have been arguing that their take on Ferrara's film is the right one.

The film chronicles the final hours of Pasolini’s life in the only way that makes sense to Ferrara -- by stripping Pasolini of his glamour and showing his most vulnerable side rather than analyzing the exact events that led to his unsolved murder. It is an unusually bold, borderline surreal idea, and this is exactly how the film looks and feels -- like a surreal dream in which a mythical figure is temporarily brought back to condemn one last time the flawed world he exited years ago.

From afar Pasolini appears calm and relaxed, but when he talks one can sense the anger in his voice. He has just completed Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom and feels trapped between two different worlds -- one in which he has dangerous powers and can humiliate and hurt at will, and another in which he is a mortal rebel whose words won’t make a difference; both are ugly and unjust, filled with people who lack the courage to rise up and break free.

Both worlds are filmed similarly, with an emphasis on dark and muted colors. The sun has disappeared and the skies have turned black. The big cities have purged themselves and brought to the surface everything that they have been hiding in the shadows -- the prostitutes, the thieves and the murderers, the liars that would create stories for the political leaders that would attempt to rewrite history, the dirt that the rain never washed away. They are worlds that have started crumbling without anyone caring that the end is near.

In the midst of the chaos and decadence Pasolini sticks out. He is the voice of reason, someone who can see clearly, who understands how corrupt the entire system is. But he is alone and misunderstood, a man who most everyone sees as an eccentric rather than a visionary.

Ferrara ends the film abruptly and one is left pondering Pasolini’s persona as much as the world in which he emerged. Throughout the film Pasolini frequently describes it and why it has started to fall apart, how the people lost their identity and became machines. They are deeply unsettling descriptions that make one slowly realize how similar the modern world is -- defined by the same lies and hypocrisy, brought to its knees by the same flawed ideologies and dangerous ambitions.

Dafoe is perfectly cast as Pasolini. The similarity is truly striking, but it is Dafoe’s relaxed and completely natural presence in front of the camera that impresses the most. The cast also includes Maria de Medeiros (Laura Betti), Riccardo Scamarcio (Ninetto Davoli), Giada Colagrande (Graziella Chiarcossi), and the great Adriana Asti (Pasolini's mother, Susanna).

Ferrara shot the film with Italian cinematographer Stefano Falvene. The two previously collaborated on the period thriller Mary, with Juliette Binoche and Matthew Modine.

Pasolini Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Abel Ferrara's Pasolini arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute.

Cinematographer Stefano Falivene shot the film with an Arriflex 35mm camera, on Kodak negative, but its stylistic identity is rather similar to that of Abel Ferrara's 4:44 Last Day on Earth, which was shot with a Red One MX camera. Indeed, light is mostly restricted and there is a wide range of muted colors. Depth is good but large dark shadows frequently have a noticeable impact on it. Also, there is a very obvious shift towards a specific range of warmer but darker colors that give the film a unique retro look. (On the other hand, the stylization also feels strikingly modern). Sharpness levels are consistent and the film does look clean and smooth. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, a few tiny artifacts pop up, but there are no serious transfer-specific anomalies. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Pasolini Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0 (with a few sporadic exchanges in French and Italian). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the 5.1 track. Depth and especially clarity are outstanding. There is an excellent range of nuanced dynamics as well, though one should keep in mind that Pasolini is primarily a dialog-driven feature. There is one rather long sequence where Croatian folk music is heard, but music does not have an active role throughout the film. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Pasolini Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Pasolini. In English, French, and Italian, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Conversation with Abel Ferrara on the Cast of Pasolini - presented here is a long Q&A session with Abel Ferrara, Willem Dafoe, Maria de Medeiros (Laura Betti), and Giada Colagrande (Graziella Chiarcossi). The bulk of the information that is shared during the session is about Pier Paolo Pasolini's complex persona and ideas, the specific period of his life that the film imagines, the narrative and its structure, the exact reason why different languages are spoken by the actors, the differences between shooting in Europe and America, the casting choices, etc. In English, not subtitled. (43 min).

• Robin Askwith on Pier Paolo Pasolini - in this new video interview, actor Robin Askwith recalls his initial encounter with Piere Paolo Pasolini and discusses his contribution to The Canterbury Tales, the director's working methods and image. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Booklet - 16-page illustrated booklet featuring a statement from Abel Ferrara and an interview with him, John David Rhodes' essay "Pasolini: A Final Edit", and technical credits.

Pasolini Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It feels appropriate that someone as controversial and as frequently rejected as maverick American director Abel Ferrara would shoot a film about Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is a bold and very unusual project that chronicles the final hours of Pasolini's life without attempting to rehash old speculations and popular half-truths. This is the reason why it actually works -- it gives one an opportunity to temporarily enter Pasolini's reality and reexamine many of his divisive ideas from an entirely different angle. The film is currently available on Blu-ray via the British Film Institute and looks quite wonderful in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.