Andrein Alfonso

Brigette Domingo 1-N

120 Days of Catholicism

In this paper, my partner and I shall discuss the notoriously known art film by the late

director, Paolo Pasolini entitled, 120 Days of Salo’. Along with our discussion is the insertion of

the hypothesis; i.e. what if the characters in the film are baptized and confirmed Catholics?

Anteinferno

The movie begins with a Duke, a Bishop, a Magistrate, and the President of Italy

discussing their plans of marrying each other’s own daughters. They subsequently contracted the

help of four men to act as their bodyguards and chose them based on the size of their sexual

organ. The four kidnapped nine young men and nine young women to a palace near Marzabotto.

During the opening scene, we already had an idea that the old men who happen to be of well-

repute in the society of Italy are indeed debauched beings. The Bishop being a baptized and

perhaps a confirmed Catholic still participated in such lewd designs, evincing the ineffectiveness

of the two sacraments upon him.

Girone Delle Manie

This is the part of the film where all the mania begins. The kidnapped youngsters were

forced to live in the castle and, aside from the four degenerates, they were also accompanied by

four middle-aged women whose purpose were to recount the dark moments in their lives with

their goal being to arouse each and everyone in the castle. One of the young women was raped in

the process of having their meal. Signora Maggi, one of the middle-aged women, taught the
young boys how to properly masturbate as the Duke fondled the young women sitting close to

him in the room. One of the young girls died after attempting to escape. The following day, the

young teenagers were wrought with dog chains hanging around their necks. They were literally

treated like scabbard dogs and one of the young girls was even forced to eat a biscuit infested

with nails.

Girone Della Merda

This is the scene where Signora Maggi began recounting sordid tales of how she became

how she is present. Her story mostly consisted of her mother’s murder and her encounter with

the old Duke, how he raped her and how she was forced to eat his feces. Signora Maggi’s story

prompted the four degenerates to force the same act upon the kidnapped youngsters and by

evening, they had feces for dinner with urine for drinks.

Girone Del Sangue

This is the last part of the film and, consequently, the most brutal. The captives betrayed

each other in exchange for their imagined freedom as the four degenerates proceeded to choose

which of the captives should be their chosen victims after their wedding with their own

bodyguards. They placed blue ribbons on four of the youngsters. Having such ribbons pinned on

their chests symbolizes their being the victims. One of the young girls took her life by jumping

out into the window. Torture and death ensued as the four degenerates took turns in watching the

monstrosities being committed to the young captives using a pair of binoculars.

Synthesis/Analysis
 The movie is loaded with dark humor and grim philosophy regarding the futility of life

and the fragility of morality. It is an ironic take on fictional standards set by modern morality

through the reversal of such construct. The movie exalts one’s exposure to pain, suffering, and

discomfort as the barometer for moral standards. It posits the idea that he who suffers most is

rewarded most. Thus, it takes the morality of the Church out of the equation especially since one

of the degenerates was in fact a Bishop. Baptism is the train ticket to Catholicism; to the

involvement of the individual in the religious community. This sacrament presupposes the

holiness of the life that is to be led by the one being baptized. However, we are of strong opinion

that such a sacrament would even have an effect on people like those antagonists in the film.

This would also be the same had they been confirmed while still young.

Although Baptism and Confirmation are conferred upon an individual in his youth, such

conferment ceases to be controlling if one is exposed to the atrocities of society. The film was set

during the Italian Socialist Republic where Italy is in a state of unrest and those in power hold

everyone by their necks. Human experience shapes morality. It is responsible for molding a

person as to who he is going to be in the future. It dictates his thoughts as he goes on with life.

Human experience is not based upon the dictates of religious solemnities or beliefs. It may be

possible that a person acts according to the effects of the sacraments, yet it is not fixed. Time

changes; people grow. It can be inferred from the film that neither Baptism nor Confirmation

controls who we all are going to be and how we are going to end up in the future. Human agency

and experience is still the magnate of our lives no matter what kind of ritual we undertake or

whatever belief we may espouse. The formality of sacraments may be perpetual, but humanity

fluctuates.