Ro.Go.Pa.G.

In all, RoGoPaG is not a great film, but Pier Paolo Pasolini's segment, "La ricotta", is one of the controversial Italian director's best film alogside his "Momma Roma", "Accatone", "Teorema", and (many others will disagree and appalled with this) "Salo". It works as a parody on Hollywood-styled religious epics, false religious faith, harsh life of the lower class, and revelation on the bitterness of life as an outsider (with Orson Welles playing a director and with his reading of Pasolini's poem from "Momma Roma" to a reporter who cared nothing but useless interviews). It's a multi-layered film, but is also enjoyable. (As a footnote, the segment was condemned by the Italian Catholic church and the entire film was held from release until the segment was edited slightly. It is not, however, in any way, blasphemous.)

This film is only worth seeing for the contribution by Pasolini, "La ricotta", which is a rare moment of Pasolini's career for hilarious humour. This is actually very much in the style of Fellini's best, and there are hints of Fellini in the film. The story is about the screening of a Jesus epic, with Orson Welles as the director, and about one of the robbers beside Jesus on the cross and his passion for eating - it's all about his appetite and hunger. Lots of other things go on as well during the shooting of the crucifixion scene, and I was surprised to find this very humorous vein in such a gloomy and wretched director as Pasolini.

The other short films by Rossellini, Godard and one more are not bad but very mediocre, Rossellini's attempt at some comedy is not altogether funny, Godard's attempt at some philosophical science fiction is far-fetched and unrealistic but will provide food for thought, while the last item is a terribly revolting satire. All four films are satirical, but Pasolini's is at least funny.

Pasolini's film is worth 10 points, Rossellini's snd Godard's 7, the last one only 4.

1) "Illibatezza" ("Pureza" – "Purity") – Director: "Roberto Rossellini" - A Boring Tale of Obsession

The Alitalia flight attendant Ana Maria (Rosanna Schiaffino) is harassed by the middle-aged American executive Joe (Bruce Balaban). A psychiatrist gives an orientation to her fiancé Carlo (Carlo Zappavigna), advising Ana Maria to behave like a slut, since the maniac is attracted by her chastity.

This first segment of "Ro.Go.Pa.G." is very disappointing, especially because of the name of Roberto Rossellini in the direction. This boring tale of obsession is neither funny nor dramatic, and seems to be only an advertisement of Italian air flight company Alitalia. My vote is four.

2) "Il Nuovo Mondo" ("O Novo Mundo" – "The New World") – Director: Jean-Luc Godard - A Dated Romance

The boy-friend of the gorgeous Alessandra (Alexandra Stewart) is hardly sleeping, so obsessed he is for her. When she confesses that she is also in love with him, he sleeps for two consecutive days. When he wakes-up, he reads in the newspaper that there was an atomic super-explosion over Paris, but the specialists advise that without any effect in the population. However, Alessandra changes her behavior, ex-loving him, and he feels that a new world without logic and freedom may be arising.

This second segment of "Ro.Go.Pa.G." is also very disappointing and absolutely dated in the theme and behavior, with every character smoking cigarettes all the time. It is a clear criticism to the menace of an atomic explosion in times of Cold War, and the absolutism of a world without freedom. The narrative in off makes the viewer expect some intriguing conclusion, but in the end it is completely failed and boring. My vote is four.

3) "La ricotta" ("A Ricota") – Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini - An Acid View of the Catholicism and the Dominant Classes

While shooting "The Passion of Christ" in the periphery of Rome, the arrogant director (Orson Welles), actors, actresses and cast show their lack compassion with the poor and famine Stracci (Mario Cipriani).

This segment is a very acid view of the Catholicism, and a criticism to the bourgeoisie and the behavior of the human beings in general. The character of Stracci symbolizes the poor people in the world, and how despised they are by the hypocrite dominant classes and the Catholic Church that prays for them. The use of black and white to represent the reality, and colors the fiction of the cinema world is also great. My vote is seven.

4) "Il Pollo Ruspante" ("Frango Caseiro" – "Home Cockerel") – Director: Ugo Gregoretti - Powerful Criticism to Consumerism and Capitalism

While traveling to see a field nearby a lake, a family does not resist to the appeal of the consumerism. Meanwhile, a famous professor presents to the dominant classes, procedures to increase the consumerism of ordinary people.

This segment is a very explicit criticism to the exaggerated consumerism in the society. The scene when Togni (Ugo Tognazzi) and his middle class family goes to the restaurant is memorable. My vote is seven.

My global vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Ro.Go.Pa.G."

Rosselini's "Chastity" deals with an attractive air hostess who receives the unwelcome attentions of a middle aged American. Godard's "New World" illustrates a post-apocalypse world the same as the pre-apocalyptic one but for an enigmatic change in attitude in most people, including the central character's girlfriend. In Pasolini's "Curd Cheese", a lavish film about the life of Jesus Christ is being made in a poor area. The impoverished people subject themselves to various indignities in the name of movie-making in order to win a little food. The central character is hoisted up on a cross for filming, and dies there. Finally comes Gregoretti's "Free Range Chicken" in which a family of the materialist culture inadvertently illustrate the cynical, metallic voiced doctrine of a top sales theorist.

If IMDb is to be believed, not too many people have actually seen this film. And I have to wonder why, when it has three or four of the biggest names in Italian cinema, not to mention Orson Welles. This makes a great introduction to Italian film for those who need such an introduction. Others have compared it to "Four Rooms", which is an interesting parallel. Stylistically, the two have nothing in common, but it does have that interesting approach of four different directors creating one film...

Rossellini's episode "Illibatezza" is a technically precarious, poorly scripted excuse to a) make an advertisement for Alitalia; b) use unimaginative archive footage of Bangcok and c) film extensively Rosanna Schiaffino's body and face - it's really amateurish, a crying shame from such an important filmmaker.

Godard's atmospheric episode examines post-nuclear effects on human behavior and is a clear criticism on nuclear policy, Moscow and absolutism (notice the newspaper headlines, and the way Alessandra keeps robotically repeating "Absolutely"). It's also a study on Alexandra Stewart's beauty and on sound editing. But above all it revisits the lovers'-quarrel-in-an-apartment-theme so dear to Godard (cf. "Breathless", "Une Femme est une Femme"), preparing his extraordinary 30min chef-d'oeuvre apartment sequence in "Le Mépris", his next film, and is in some ways a sketch for his later "Alphaville".

Pasolini's "La Ricotta" must rank among his best. It has: a) beautiful color tableaux of the crucifixion, emulating Italian Renaissance painting, especially the Florentines; b) a Fellini-like taste in movement, humor, overlapping dialog and crowd directing; c) contagious Italian pop theme by Carlo Rustichelli; d) Orson Welles's (whose great effort here is to manage reading his cue cards in Italian) self-mocking/realistic character -- a once famous American director who is forced in his decadent years to film low-budget epic films in Italy; e) Pasolini's beautiful, prophetic poem from his Mamma Roma's film journal about artists who are caught in "the borders of the eras"; f) of course, an acid criticism on capitalism and the bourgeoisie; and g) a joyful attempt to humanize (i.e. anti-deify) Jesus and the Gospel, much in the way Rossellini had done with the life of St. Francis of Assisi in 1950's "Francesco Giullare di Dio". Pasolini had to face ferocious Vatican confrontation and lawsuits because of this episode, but he went on to make the revolutionary and much misunderstood "The Gospel According to St. Matthew" in 1964.

Very interesting note: in the Italian language version (which is of course post-dubbed, as is the norm in Italian cinema) when the journalist asks the director (Welles) what he thinks about "the great Italian director Federico Fellini" you can see the Italian actor who plays the journalist clearly articulating "...the great Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini"!!! It says a lot about Pasolini's fame even then and also about how Pasolini mended his coup de vanité in the dubbing so as to finally use the name of his friend Fellini. Oh, and by the way Welles's answer is: "Egli danza....egli danza!" which means "he dances...he dances!".

Gregoretti's episode "Il Pollo Ruspante" is well written and interesting, and impressively prophetic of the theories of consumerism and capitalism that are valid still today, in our "post-industrialized" world. Some scenes are too literal (like the one actually showing the chickens eating in a restaurant) and the end is a little bit too heavy, but it has pace and good acting.

Overall, Godard and Pasolini definitely make "Rogopag" a worthwhile film. If you're in a hurry you can (sorry to say) just skip Rossellini's episode. My vote for GOPA (Godard+Pasolini): 8/10. My vote for all ROGOPAG: 6/10.