Gore, nudity, sexual torture: World's most controversial film faced ban in 100 countries, director was brutally murdered

The 1970s saw a rise of experimental cinema in Europe, where mainstream films began to push the envelope more and more. Italian and French cinema, which were already producing edgy and thought-provoking films, ventured into uncharted territories. At this juncture came a film that was so out there that most countries refused even to release or certify it. This film broke all previous boundaries of depicting graphic torture on screen and ended up being called the most controversial film of all time.

The film that was banned virtually everywhere

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, is a 1975 Italian film marketed internationally as Salò. A loose adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's novel The 120 Days of Sodom, the film was a political art horror film directed and co-written by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Focussing on four wealthy, corrupt Italian libertines in the time of the fascist Republic of Salò, the film featured the gruesome torture of 18 teenagers over a period of four months. There were graphic scenes of extreme violence, sadism, genital torture and psychological torture. Through this, the film dealt with themes of political corruption, consumerism, authoritarianism, nihilism, morality, capitalism, totalitarianism, sadism, sexuality, and fascism.

But Salò was too much to handle for not just viewers but even censors of the time. After premiering at the Paris Film Festival in November 1975, it had a brief theatrical run in Italy before being banned in January 1976. Over the next few months, it was banned in several other countries, including India, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. It is estimated that around a hundred countries imposed an official or unofficial ban on the film, refusing to screen it. It was released in the US in 1977, but faced charges of obscenity and pandering.

Why was Salò so controversial?

That Salò was violent and gory was not the only concern of viewers and censors. The full frontal nudity and scenes of genital torture were seen as obscene by many. In addition, critics felt that the film was degrading. Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, “Salo is, I think, a perfect example of the kind of material that, theoretically, anyway, can be acceptable on paper but becomes so repugnant when visualized on the screen that it further dehumanizes the human spirit, which is supposed to be the artist's concern.”

Many critics simply avoided the film. Roger Ebert admitted he hadn't watched it, while the Time Out film guide said it "offers no insights whatsoever into power, politics, history or sexuality." The TV Guide stated, "despite moments of undeniably brilliant insight, is nearly unwatchable, extremely disturbing, and often literally nauseous."

Pier Paolo Pasolini's murder

The controversial nature of the film was not helped by the brutal murder of its director, Pier Paolo Pasolini. The director was murdered on November 2, 1975, weeks before the film's release. While his death was unconnected with the film, it did add a layer of intrigue and controversy to it.

Pasolini was savagely beaten and also run over several times with his own car. Multiple bones were broken, and his genitals were crushed, the autopsy revealed. While the murder remained unsolved till today, it has long been accepted that Pasolini was killed by either an extortionist or the Mafia due to his financial woes.

Where can one watch Salò?

Over the years, as public and industry opinion about Salò has improved, the film has gained a cult following. It has a healthy IMDb rating of 5.8 and an even better Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%. But due to the nature of its content, it is not available on streaming. A Blu-ray home media version was released in 2011, but remains unavailable in many countries due to bans. Google Movies has the film available for rent, but only in select countries.