Accattone

Pasolini's first film as a director. Vittorio, whom everyone calls Accattone, lives on the outskirts of Rome, does not work and lives off a woman's earnings. When she goes to prison the income stops and he does not know what to do. He tries a job and cannot stand it; he finds another girl and tries to rebuild the same arrangement. The world of the film is entirely those districts: empty lots, half-built blocks, men sitting outside a bar. Pasolini cast from there; most of the cast, including Franco Citti in the lead, were not professionals. The most striking choice is the music. Bach's St Matthew Passion is laid over this squalid life. The contrast is deliberate; Pasolini said he wanted to frame the people of the street the way figures are framed in sacred painting. One of his assistant directors was a very young Bernardo Bertolucci. The film caused argument in Italy and its exhibition was restricted. A foundational production for anyone who likes Italian cinema and social realism. Before you watch, know this: the film does not redeem its character, offers no lesson, and stays inside a harsh picture of poverty throughout.