A Rant About Salo
I finally watched the movie I've been waiting for for months just now: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom. The movie has gotten reviews stating how depraved and disgusting it is and, having read the book it's based off of, I thought I was in for a really sick treat. Boy was I wrong.
First, they took out 90% of the plot from the book. Yes, the book, although very snuff-ish in context, had a plot. This, however, just starts with some guys signing a pact and kidnapping people. Had I not read the book I would have been completely lost as to what was going on the entire time, because the entire thing give no explanation. The best part is that the 10% of the plot they did keep made no sense whatsoever.
I could understand wanting to make that book into a simple snuff film, really i can. It'd seem to be an easy thing to do. Alas, if you're going to do that, you might as well just use the base premise and not keep random plot points that make no sense. Speaking of which, the stuff they did change also made no sense. I understand that they made an entire chapter based on coprophagia, which was a good decision, but that was about the only one. Why did one of the storytellers randomly jump out a window while the others were having the time of their lives? Or was she not a storyteller, even though they made it seem like she was, making the number of them four like in the book? Why were the boys picked to be guards so reluctant in the beginning, but suddenly very okay with everything as soon as the process got started? There are tons of questions I have, and I'm sure people who haven't read the book would be even more puzzled.
Basically, here's how it goes:
Book Structure: 4 Main characters' backgrounds, 4 daughters'/wives' backgrounds, 4 prostitutes'/storytellers' backgrounds, 8 girls' and 8 boys' backgrounds and kidnappings, 8 "fuckers'" backgrounds, 4 "uglies'" backgrounds, descriptions of maids, etc; 150 simple passions, 150 complex passions, 150 criminal passions, 150 murderous passions; and finally the outcome for everyone involved (most of which involves cruel deaths). Yes, it is a sick book, but it is indeed literature with merit that does not deserve to be put through a blender as it was.
Movie Structure: 4 guys sign some book, kidnap some kids, strip them down and examine them, 4 women come in and start acting silly, somehow or other some of the kids get guns and get happy, everybody has a boner, they make the kids eat shit, someone jumps out a window, a lot of torture scenes one after another, two of the kids start dancing to some music on the radio. Really, that's how it ends. The final lines: "What's your girlfriend's name?" "Marguerita" THE END
My reaction was literally saying "WUT" out loud.
That might be the worst overhyping I've ever experienced.
And since most people probably have never heard of the book or the movie, here are some links:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal%C3%B2,_or_the_120_Days_of_Sodom (Movie)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_120_Days_of_Sodom (Book)
First, they took out 90% of the plot from the book. Yes, the book, although very snuff-ish in context, had a plot. This, however, just starts with some guys signing a pact and kidnapping people. Had I not read the book I would have been completely lost as to what was going on the entire time, because the entire thing give no explanation. The best part is that the 10% of the plot they did keep made no sense whatsoever.
I could understand wanting to make that book into a simple snuff film, really i can. It'd seem to be an easy thing to do. Alas, if you're going to do that, you might as well just use the base premise and not keep random plot points that make no sense. Speaking of which, the stuff they did change also made no sense. I understand that they made an entire chapter based on coprophagia, which was a good decision, but that was about the only one. Why did one of the storytellers randomly jump out a window while the others were having the time of their lives? Or was she not a storyteller, even though they made it seem like she was, making the number of them four like in the book? Why were the boys picked to be guards so reluctant in the beginning, but suddenly very okay with everything as soon as the process got started? There are tons of questions I have, and I'm sure people who haven't read the book would be even more puzzled.
Basically, here's how it goes:
Book Structure: 4 Main characters' backgrounds, 4 daughters'/wives' backgrounds, 4 prostitutes'/storytellers' backgrounds, 8 girls' and 8 boys' backgrounds and kidnappings, 8 "fuckers'" backgrounds, 4 "uglies'" backgrounds, descriptions of maids, etc; 150 simple passions, 150 complex passions, 150 criminal passions, 150 murderous passions; and finally the outcome for everyone involved (most of which involves cruel deaths). Yes, it is a sick book, but it is indeed literature with merit that does not deserve to be put through a blender as it was.
Movie Structure: 4 guys sign some book, kidnap some kids, strip them down and examine them, 4 women come in and start acting silly, somehow or other some of the kids get guns and get happy, everybody has a boner, they make the kids eat shit, someone jumps out a window, a lot of torture scenes one after another, two of the kids start dancing to some music on the radio. Really, that's how it ends. The final lines: "What's your girlfriend's name?" "Marguerita" THE END
My reaction was literally saying "WUT" out loud.
That might be the worst overhyping I've ever experienced.
And since most people probably have never heard of the book or the movie, here are some links:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sal%C3%B2,_or_the_120_Days_of_Sodom (Movie)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_120_Days_of_Sodom (Book)