Setting himself the task of documenting an entire nation’s sexual attitudes, Pasolini travelled the length of Italy and interviewed workers, intellectuals, celebrities and children for their opinions on sexual liberation, gender equality, marriage, prostitution, love and abnormal appetites. More than just hearing people talk about sex, the result was a dissection of Italian society, revealing prejudices, desires and fears at a time when there were large divides forming between generations in the aftermath of the Second World War.
The results are surprising, often producing a uniform response from very different areas of society on varied subjects, from the opening section of young boys describing the various ways in which they imagine babies to be born, to Neapolitan men debating why it is important for them to have cheap prostitutes. The females are probably the most revelatory, from young girls unaware that they're not given the same opportunities as boys, to women who encourage it. At one point there is a very voluptuous and desirable woman discussing her fear of sexuality, whilst the men try to appear macho in front of their friends by dismissing "queers" and using crude language.
The general impression is, unsurprisingly, very Italian, featuring particular ideas unique to the Italian culture. In the UK, for example, prostitutes do occupy a recognised position within a community and we certainly do not discuss the importance of visiting them. Alternatively, we have a much more relaxed attitude towards divorce than the predominantly Catholic population of Italy, especially in the poor, working class South.
Undoubtedly attitudes will have changed in Italy today but the film serves as an excellent portrait of a specific time and place, going beyond mere historical detail to capture the thoughts of ordinary people. It may only appeal to those with an interest in Italy or Pasolini but the film is about so much more than just the people in the film – it evokes a period that can never be relived and the moods that defined that period, much like Morin and Rouch's 'Chronique d'un été' in Paris. I’m only jealous that we have nothing similar in the UK.
Further proof, for me at least, that Pasolini’s early work was enough to cement his reputation and perhaps excuse his more impenetrable and whimsical films in later life.
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