The Decameron

(Il Decameron, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy/France/West Germany 1971, 112 min., 35mm, Italian w/subtitles)

Period Dramas. After a series of difficult and challenging films, Pier Paolo Pasolini achieved worldwide success with this erotic and comedic adaptation of Boccaccio’s 14th-century story collection. With its clever script, a haunting Ennio Morricone score, and beautifully filmed locations in Naples, Ravello, and Caserta, The Decameron is easily Pasolini’s most accessible and charming film. It is the first part of Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life, which also includes The Canterbury Tales (screening June 8) and Arabian Nights (June 10).