Description

La ricotta 1963
35min | Short | 19 February 1963 (Italy)

Storyline:

Made as part of the omnibus film Rogapog, this short is a hilarious religious farce. At the Cinecittxc3xa1 film studio a director (played by Orson Wells) begins shooting a film dealing with Christxe2x80x99s cruxification. Among the cast is a Jesus who has sex with boys in the bushes, and a peasant who plays one of the thieves crucified alongside Jesus xe2x80x93 the actor literally dies on the cross, but not of inflicted wounds, but of indigestion caused by too much ice cream.

User review:

In all, RoGoPaG is not a great film, but Pier Paolo Pasolini’s segment, “La ricotta”, is one of the controversial Italian director’s best film alogside his “Momma Roma”, “Accatone”, “Teorema”, and (many others will disagree and appalled with this) “Salo”. It works as a parody on Hollywood-styled religious epics, false religious faith, harsh life of the lower class, and revelation on the bitterness of life as an outsider (with Orson Welles playing a director and with his reading of Pasolini’s poem from “Momma Roma” to a reporter who cared nothing but useless interviews). It’s a multi-layered film, but is also enjoyable. (As a footnote, the segment was condemned by the Italian Catholic church and the entire film was held from release until the segment was edited slightly. It is not, however, in any way, blasphemous.)

Directors: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Writers: Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard
Stars: Orson Welles, Mario Cipriani, Ettore Garofolo
Country: Italy | France
Language: Italian
Release Date: 19 February 1963 (Italy)