Reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

July 19, 2024
7.0
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.

Recommendation Movies

6.3
Comedy
View
6.3
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales1972
6.7
Documentary
View
6.7
Deep Blue
Deep Blue2003
5.7
History
View
5.7
December 7th
December 7th1943
6
Documentary
View
6
Pier Paolo Pasolini: Primo piano. Personaggi e problemi dell'Italia d'oggi1967
5.2
Drama
View
5.2
Bicycle
Bicycle2011
5.7
Thriller
View
5.7
Deceived
Deceived1991
6.9
Drama
View
6.9
The Assassin
The Assassin1961
6.5
Fantasy
View
6.5
Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno1911
6.9
Comedy
View
6.9
Boccaccio '70
Boccaccio '701962
6.5
Adventure
View
6.5
Arabian Nights
Arabian Nights1974
7.1
Mystery
View
7.1
Theorem
Theorem1968
7.4
Drama
View
7.4
The Mother and the Whore
The Mother and the Whore1973
6.8
Drama
View
6.8
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex1967
7.5
Drama
View
7.5
The Gospel According to Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew1965
7.5
Crime
View
7.5
Caliber 9
Caliber 91972
6.6
Drama
View
6.6
Taxidermia
Taxidermia2006
7
Comedy
View
7
Weekend
Weekend1967
7.5
Drama
View
7.5
The Devils
The Devils1971
6.5
Comedy
View
6.5
Caterina in the Big City
Caterina in the Big City2003
7.2
Comedy
View
7.2
Bagdad Cafe
Bagdad Cafe1987
© 2025 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt