HistoryDramaComedy

The Decameron

- Ribaldry! Rakes and libertines. Raised skirts and lowered lashes. A blush on every cheek. Pasolini. Filming The Decameron. Bringing life to art...and art to life.

A young Sicilian is swindled twice, but ends up rich; a man poses as a deaf-mute in a convent of curious nuns; a woman must hide her lover when her husband comes home early; a scoundrel fools a priest on his deathbed; three brothers take revenge on their sister's lover; a young girl sleeps on the roof to meet her boyfriend at night; a group of painters wait for inspiration; a crafty priest attempts to seduce his friend's wife; and two friends make a pact to find out what happens after death.

Release Date : 1971-08-25

Language :GermanItalian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Artemis FilmLes Productions Artistes AssociésPEA

Production Country : FranceGermanyItaly

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Ciappelletto

Original Name : Franco Citti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Andreuccio of Perugia

Original Name : Ninetto Davoli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rustico (scenes deleted)

Original Name : Jovan Jovanović

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peronella

Original Name : Angela Luce

Gender : Female

Character Name : Masetto of Lamporecchio

Original Name : Vincenzo Amato

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monk

Original Name : Giuseppe Zigaina

Gender : Male

Character Name : Una Madonna

Original Name : Maria Gabriella Maione

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Vincenzo Cristo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Allievo di Giotto

Original Name : Pier Paolo Pasolini

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lizio da Valbona

Original Name : Giorgio Iovine

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Salvatore Bilardo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Giannello

Original Name : Vincenzo Ferrigno

Gender : Male

Character Name : Musciatto, Wealthy Merchant

Original Name : Guido Alberti

Gender : Male

Character Name : Don Giovanni

Original Name : Vittorio Vittori

Gender : Male

Character Name : Father Superior

Original Name : Gianni Rizzo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nun

Original Name : Patrizia De Clara

Gender : Female

Character Name : Queen of Skulls

Original Name : Monique van Vooren

Gender : Female

Character Name : Monk

Original Name : Enzo Spitaleri

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monk

Original Name : Luciano Telli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Caterina (uncredited)

Original Name : Elisabetta Genovese

Gender : Female

Character Name :

Original Name : Luigi Seraponte

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Antonio Diddio

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gemmata

Original Name : Mirella Catanesi

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Vincenzo De Luca

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Erminio Nazzaro

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Giovanni Filidoro

Gender : Male

Character Name : Don Gianni

Original Name : Lino Crispo

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Alfredo Sivoli

Gender : Male

Character Name : The Madonna (uncredited)

Original Name : Silvana Mangano

Gender : Female

Character Name : Padre Superiore

Original Name : Giacomo Rizzo

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : E. Jannotta Carrino

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Annie Marguerite Latroye

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Gerhard Exel

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Wolfgang Hillinger

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Giani Esposito

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Franco Marletta

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Vittorio Fanfoni

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Adriana Donnorso

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : E. Maria de Juliis

Gender : Male

Character Name : Compagno di Giotto

Original Name : Guido Mannari

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Michele Di Matteo

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Giovanni Scagliola

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Giovanni Davoli

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Detlef Uhle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alibech (scenes deleted)

Original Name : Patrizia Capparelli

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Lucio Amatelli

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lorenzo (uncredited)

Original Name : Giuseppe Arrigio

Gender : Male

Character Name : (uncredited)

Original Name : Giuliano Fratello

Gender : Male

Character Name : Riccardo (uncredited)

Original Name : Francesco Gavazzi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man Robbed by Ciappelletto (uncredited)

Original Name : Carmelo Reale

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-07-19

If you were ever to be in any doubt as to Pier Paolo Pasolini's scepticism of all things religious, then you won't be after this entertainingly surreal interpretation of Giovanni Boccaccio almost heretical 14th century novels. There are nine episodes here that deal with just about everything you would find in a dictionary of sin - fraud, lust, theft, more lust, murder, covetousness and yep - even more lust. A couple of the segments stood out for me. There's a deaf mute who manages to convince a convent of nuns that he an unique solution to many of their problems - and boy, are they keen. Then there are some rather ruthless grave robbers who don't care who's tomb they plunder. A priest who uses his ingenuity to have his wicked way with a parishioner's wife - whilst her husband holds the lantern and maybe my favourite that sees a girl's parents craftily arrange a marriage for their daughter after she's spent an erotic night on the terrace with her beau! It oozes satire pretty much throughout illustrating quite openly the hypocrisy of the church and of it's "employees: and very much exposing the do as I say not as I do mentality that prevailed not just in Italy, but pretty much throughout Europe at the time. It's not just the religious who get a pasting here, the aristocracy don't come off a great deal better as they try to use their money to buy some redemption down the line - much to the joy of the painters who have no such compunction. It has something of the medieval farce to it, and that can be hit or miss, but for the most part the underlying commentary from the director is well enough disguised in frippery and humanity to not look like a reverse indoctrination. We can readily laugh at multiple aspects of the plot simultaneously. Nudity abounds here with just as much camera adoration of the male body as the female, but usually that just adds to the humour of the stories rather than overtly sexualising them. It's maybe a little long, but it's quirky and the episodic nature of the presentation ensures there's certainly no time to get bored.