This film takes place in three eras: 1920s Italy, a place outside time itself, and present day (1967) Bologna. They all narrate the same story, beginning in the 1920s, where a baby is born through an affair with a military officer. The film shows his upbringing and the love he has for his mother, before the father gets jealous and dumps him in the dessert. This is where the second part takes place set outside of time. The baby is found in the dessert and is adopted by king Polybus and queen Merope and named Oedipus. A prophesy arises stating he falls in love with his mother and kills his father, but when Oedipus hears this, he runs away.
Pasolini was one of the strangest directors. He started in neo-realist with films (Accatone and Mama Roma), then in his middle career he went slightly weird and camp (Pigsty, Theorem), before finishing his career with some very strange abominations (The Canterbury Tales, Salo). Salo was so strange he was murdered a year after it's release. 'Oedipus Rex' belongs with the slightly weird and camp films.
The use of colour in this film is bright and vibrant. The heat of the Moroccan dessert provides a glorious landscape for the events to occur and the many costumes are pretty and unique This may be Pasolini's best looking film.
The storyline is the main reason I bought this. I can't say I'm a Freudian fan, but the story of Oedipus matched with the three separate settings, sounds like a great idea. If you see any Pasolini film, you will know you're going to see something strange and memorable, and that is definitely the case with 'Oedipus Rex'. I am beginning to adapt to Pasolini's camp directing style, which confused me so much with 'The Decamaron' and 'The Canterbury Tales'. It's not a great film as the length feels too long, the plot is too confusing, and the characters shout at each other all the time. It may, however, be the best Pasolini film I've seen.
TO CONCLUDE
Pasolini's strange, visually pleasing and undeniably camp ode to Freud.
SCORE
76
No comments:
Post a Comment