I broke the rules again tonight by watching an art film, but I had to do it because it was something I ordered from The Library before the pandemic, and finally, after four months, it was ready to pick up (curbside service of course). The film was "Teorema"(1968) by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the brilliant but controversial Italian director. I just Googled the title, it means "theorem". Before I begin, let me warn you that there will be a Spoiler involving the ending, so if you don't want to know it, be careful as you scroll down.
The movie begins outside a factory. A journalist is interviewing workers, who have just received the news that the owner has bequeathed them his company. "You now own the business", he states in Italian. "How do you feel about this"?
Though it's an honest question, the journalist receives only politicized answers, most of which border on the ridiculous. As one man says : "This gesture does not make the owner any less bourgeois, nor are we any less oppressed. He only did this to free his conscience". The journalist tries to point out the false logic of their arguments, but it's no use. The newly freed workers are tied to their Marxism, even though they've now gotten what they wanted. Pasolini was a Marxist himself, but perhaps felt that some in the party were only there to "fight the power". As the new owners of the factory, they've become "the power" themselves, but still they rage.
The factory scene acts as a preamble for the rest of the film. Now we cut to the countryside, where a wealthy family resides on a vast estate. They are visited by a young man (English actor Terence Stamp) of mysterious origin. He arrives as if expected, but his identity and relation to the family are never specified. While the family members go about their daily routines, the young man observes them, usually from a distance. He's always alone, sitting out on the lawn or on the sun deck, reading a book or just musing. But he can see that, despite their great wealth - or maybe because of it - they are desperately unhappy.
The maid is the first to crack. One afternoon, as she is out mowing the grass (with a hand mower on a lawn the size of a football field), she notices the young man watching her. He is quite handsome; she is attracted to him. But she's The Maid, and must repress her feelings. She sees a smudge of dirt on his trousers, and uses that as an excuse to touch him. Pausing her work, she walks over and brushes the dirt away. Now she has overstepped her bounds and is mortified. She runs into the house, pulls the natural gas pipe from the stove and inhales. Fortunately, the young man has followed her inside. He stops her suicide attempt, carries her to her room, and makes love to her.
The next day, he is again sitting outside by himself. The lady of the house (the stunning Sylvia Mangano) sees him and removes her clothing, knowing that when he comes in, he will have to pass her on the deck. She pretends to be sunning herself. Sure enough, he gets up a moment later and heads for the house. When he sees her, she fakes embarrassment and grabs for her clothes. The young man places a hand on her shoulder, then makes love to her right there on the lounge chair.
He seems to be on to something, haha. He knows what everyone wants, or rather needs. They all need love, and release. It's as if he can see right into their souls. Soon, he's making it with every member of the family, including the son, the daughter, even the father!
My Goodness, or should I say "thank goodness" that Pasolini is very discrete. With the exception of the scene with Mangano (which itself is only PG), all of the other seductions are presented with a mere suggestion, and a chaste one at that. But it's still clear what is taking place. He's sleeping with the entire family, one member at a time. This is of course an allegory by Pasolini : the misery of the wealthy, brought on by an addiction to materialism, can only be cured by one who sees it for what it is, this Lone Ranger of The Spirit who has come to their rescue.
It is when he announces his intention to leave, however, that the real crises will begin, for each family member will try to compensate for his departure in his or her own way, and the results will vary.
The Maid, his first conquest, also leaves. She quits her job and returns to a life of poverty in her small village. There, she sits against a wall for days on end, refusing to eat. She's trying to become a Martyr. Eventually, she will levitate above her farmhouse, then bury herself in a ditch.
The son, formerly bound to tradition but inside a misfit, finds his true calling as an abstract artist. Freed up by the mysterious Young Man, he's now able to express himself through painting. But his freedom is tempered with self-loathing. Without the Stranger there to reinforce his confidence, he feels he's a terrible artist. Nothing he paints can be considered worthy.
His teenaged sister becomes catatonic. She takes hold of an object, something worn by the Stranger, and clutches it tightly in her hand, which afterwards cannot be opened by anyone. She lays down on her bed, rigid, until she is finally carried away by paramedics.
The mother acts out in the least symbolic way, by cruising for other handsome young men, who she picks up outside of town and takes to cheap hotels. She confessed to the Stranger that her life has always been empty ("I've never loved anyone or anything"), and it still is.
But it's the father who has the strongest reaction of all, and here the movie comes full circle, for he is the owner of the factory. It is now, with the Stranger gone, that he decides to give it to his workers. In fact, he wants to be void of his wealth entirely. Pasolini symbolises this by having the man go to the railway station, where he intends to leave his past for good. But when he gets there, even that is not enough. So instead, he strips naked and walks into the mountains, where he utters a heart rending Primal Scream. This ends the film (and sorry to give it away but this review required it. I'll add a spoiler warning above).
Beyond the obvious caveats against materialism, there are all kinds of religious and philosophical symbols in the movie that you would either have to be Catholic or Marxist to understand. Or, repeat viewings might do the trick. This film would certainly hold up to multiple screenings; it's visually stunning, with some of the best color photography you'll ever see. I've only seen maybe three or four Pasolini movies, but technically I find him to be every bit as good as someone like Antonioni. The camerawork and sound are superb (with a lively score by Ennio Morricone). I am not a Marxist myself (and the older I get, the less I subscribe to any "isms" in politics or philosophy), but you don't have to be one to enjoy Pasolini's films. If you want to see one of the greatest Christian films ever made, watch "The Gospel According To St. Matthew". Sometimes it hard to tell if Pasolini was railing against the church or venerating it. I tend to think it was more the latter. Some have found his symbolism offensive but I never see this. Again, I am not a Catholic scholar so I don't know every little detail, but overall I think he goes to great lengths to point out the good works of the church, and the importance (and reality) of Miracles. Maybe he equated his strict Marxist philosophy with austere, vow-of-poverty Christianity, I don't know, but the point is that the guy made some incredible movies that were artistically brilliant.
He also made a few that were less tasteful, like "The Canterbury Tales", but we shant discuss those now. Watch "Mamma Roma", "St. Matthew", or this film to see him at his best. I give "Teorema" Two Huge Thumbs Up. Highly recommended!
P.S. Pier Paolo Pasolini was murdered in 1975. For a long time, it was thought that Nationalist (i.e. right wing) political forces were behind his death because someone didn't like his politics. Now I read on Wiki that it may have been more personal and involved an extortion attempt. At any rate, his murder remains unsolved. /////
That's all for the moment. Time for the daily hike. See you tonight at the Usual Time!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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