The Decameron
Il Decameron is based on Boccaccio's book with the same title. The film includes 10 stories without the framing one. Generally it consists of one story from each day. There are the following stories:
- Ciappeletto and his confession
- Andreuccio
- Mazetto and nuns
- Lisabetta, her brothers and her lover
- Ricciardo and Caterina
- Forese and Giotto (this is a kind of central story)
- Peronella, her lover, her husband and the barrel
- Two relatives and the story about afterlife
- Don Gianno, Pietro and his wife: unsucceeded sorcery
So as one can see there are no stories from the 8th day and 10th day and two stories from the 7th day. The story about the artist (Giotto) reflects Pasolini's own credo. (Note that the artist is played by Pasolini himself). This film is made in the same style as I Racconti di Canterbury and Il Fiore delle mille e una notte which compose a kind if trilogy. All these films are based on the Renaissanse collectons of stories from different countries but they all express this people spirit that is so perculiar for Pasolini. Like all the other films by this director this one is particularly remarkable for its cast. The faces of Italian folks he choses are beyond any praize. They inspire admiration. The characters in his films speak with their eyes. There is game, conversation with sights, vivid expressions. Some scenes are very picteresque just for the faces of the folks camera shoes but his landscapes are remarkable too.
The stories are directed according to the book and like in the book they are all united by the general atmosphere. Everything fits just right. There are no connection between episodes but it's because Pasolini uses the fresca structure for his films. All these characters remind each other, all stories are soaked with some peasant humour, irony and even satire. In his films Pasolini always oriented to modern life and he shows that nothing really changed much.
Well, you can notice that in all Pasolini's film the cast is excellent: he chooses the actors very carefully. Sometimes there are his favourite actors like Franco Citti and Ninetto Davoli (they played in many other films of the director) or totally unknown actors like Tessa Bouché. The supporting cast is amazing: he often shows people who are ugly but their ugliness is charming, it makes them beautiful and this mixture of ugliness and beauty really strikes. I think he invites the ordinary folks and one can only admire how wonderfully they play. Besides their faces are so lively and they conduct conversation with their eyes... There is a remarkable quote from Arabian Nights (also by Pasolini) when demon tells two unfortunate lovers: you make love with your eyes. And the final quote is especially remarkable. It belongs to the artist (Pasolini) himself: I've painted the picture. But in my dream it was much better.
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