uroskin

It was strange that in the midst of an environmental disaster and resource wars everybody drives these gas guzzling vehicles. Oil was obviously not in short supply. I suppose the pyrotechnics would have been limited if everybody was on push bikes. Also, there were no non-whites in the cast, as far as I could see under the dusty and pasty faces. Was there any reason for this, apart from appealing to adolescent white males who are into heavy metal culture? And there was no sex, no nudity, no kissing. Just violence. The would-be censors might have to revise the "sex & violence" meme. Plenty of body fluids though - blood, spit, breast milk - but strangely enough, no semen. There was a caesarian birth but the actual scene was not shown - I guess some things were a step too far for its target audience! (The umbilical cord twirling doctor was the obviously token gay character in the film).

Pasolini's "Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom" is available on YouTube, without English subtitles, but that doesn't really matter, it works as a silent movie and if you want to know the story, read the Marquis de Sade's book which inspired it. It's a tough film to watch and is the complete opposite of his previous bawdy and fun stuff like the Decameron. I'm not sure whether the transposition of the 'story' from absolutist France of De Sade to a latter-day Italian fascist mini-state works well. Stripping down the nature of power to torture, degradation and sex is a little limiting in its social criticism of the positions of Duke, Banker, General and Bishop - and the linking of fascism with capitalism. What it does well is the equal opportunity in degrading the sexes. No sexism here. Considering it a porn or horror movie is doing the movie a disfavour. Recommended to watch once (I don't think many will feel the need to watch it again) but do read De Sade's 120 Days of Sodom, a hilarious book.