Banned, censored and reviled the world over since its release, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s final and most controversial masterpiece is presented here in a new 4K restoration. The content and imagery of Salò is extreme: it retains the power to shock, repel and distress. But it remains a cinematic milestone: culturally significant, politically vital and visually stunning.
Based on a novel by the Marquis de Sade - and taking as its setting the miniature fascist republic which Mussolini established in Italy - this is a film about power, corruption, and the degradation of the human body. It is a devastating, angry cry from one of the most controversial auteurs in cinema history.
Extras
Newly restored in 4K
Original Italian language, and alternative English language versions
Audio commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger
‘OSTIA (The Death of Pasolini)’ Coil’s 1986 track with video accompaniment from 2008
Open Your Eyes! (2008, 22 mins): Pasolini and his actors at work on the set of Salò
Walking with Pasolini (2008, 22 mins): documentary featuring Neil Bartlett and Noam Chomsky
Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die (1981, 101 mins): classic documentary on the life and death of Pasolini
Salò: Fade to Black (2001, 24 mins): documentary exploring Pasolini’s Salò
Ostia (1987, 27 mins): features Derek Jarman, and also includes optional audio commentary
The End of Salò(2008, 40 mins): documentary looking at the film’s production
Enfants de Salò (2009, 18 mins): French filmmakers including Gaspar Noé deconstruct Salò
Original Italian trailer