The Decameron

In 1970 Pasolini embarked on 'The Trilogy of Life': a series of entertaining and highly erotic films based on medieval story cycles, beginning with an interpretation of Boccaccio's bawdy fourteenth-century Italian folk tales, The Decameron. Creating a stir on its original release for its frank and anarchic depiction of sexuality, The Decameron was the first of the Trilogy (followed by The Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights) to celebrate the free and uninhibited sexual playfulness that characterises all three films. Set in fourteen-century Naples The Decameron captures both the bawdy spirit of the original and something of the director's joyful sense of himself as a jobbing painter and 'disciple of Giotto'

Availability

• A DVD of this title is available to hire
• The print of this title is from the National Archive

Cast and Crew

Director

Pier Paolo Pasolini

Technical information

Certificate

Cert 18

Language

Italian with English subtitles

Country

Italy-France-Germany

Year

1970

Colour

Running time

107 mins