Pier Paolo Pasolini is without any doubt a great director, but to be honest I am not a big fan of his later symbolic work.
Only recently I saw his first two films of a more realist nature, and these were more to my taste.
Both "Accattone" (1961) and "Mamma Roma" (1962) are based on Pasolini's experiences in the slums of Rome as documented in his novels "Ragazzi di vita" (1955) and "Una vita violenta" (1959).
"Accattone" was the first film of the two, but with respect to the storyline it could be the sequel of "Mamma Roma". In this interpretation the chartacter of Accattone (Franco Citti) is the son of Mamma Roma (Ettore Garofolo) at a later age. Another way of linking the films together is equating Accattone with the character of Carmine, Mamma Roma's former pimp. For this interpretation argues that both characters are played by Franco Citti.
Both "Mamma Roma" and "Accattone" are seen as late Neo Realist movies. I do think Pasolini was not very pleased with this categorisation. In my opinion "Mamma Roma" really is a Neo Realist movie with a former prostitute working very hard to become a member of the midde class. She can be seen as a victim of poverty. "Accattone" is different. His main character ( a pimp) is not working very hard to become middle class. In effect he is not working at all but prefers that a girl works for him. "Accatone" is in this respect more akin to "I vitelloni" (1953, Federico Fellini).
The soundtrack is dominated by the St Matthes passion of Bach. Three years later Pasolini would make "Il vangelo secondo Matteo" (1964). In "Accattone" the music is harder to understand because Accettone is defintely not a saint.
Only recently I saw his first two films of a more realist nature, and these were more to my taste.
Both "Accattone" (1961) and "Mamma Roma" (1962) are based on Pasolini's experiences in the slums of Rome as documented in his novels "Ragazzi di vita" (1955) and "Una vita violenta" (1959).
"Accattone" was the first film of the two, but with respect to the storyline it could be the sequel of "Mamma Roma". In this interpretation the chartacter of Accattone (Franco Citti) is the son of Mamma Roma (Ettore Garofolo) at a later age. Another way of linking the films together is equating Accattone with the character of Carmine, Mamma Roma's former pimp. For this interpretation argues that both characters are played by Franco Citti.
Both "Mamma Roma" and "Accattone" are seen as late Neo Realist movies. I do think Pasolini was not very pleased with this categorisation. In my opinion "Mamma Roma" really is a Neo Realist movie with a former prostitute working very hard to become a member of the midde class. She can be seen as a victim of poverty. "Accattone" is different. His main character ( a pimp) is not working very hard to become middle class. In effect he is not working at all but prefers that a girl works for him. "Accatone" is in this respect more akin to "I vitelloni" (1953, Federico Fellini).
The soundtrack is dominated by the St Matthes passion of Bach. Three years later Pasolini would make "Il vangelo secondo Matteo" (1964). In "Accattone" the music is harder to understand because Accettone is defintely not a saint.