Pasolini Dead (Press, 4 November 1975)

On 3 November 1975, renowned Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini was murdered near Rome. The police reported that a 17-year-old boy, Giuseppe Pelosi, confessed to the crime, claiming that Pasolini had made homosexual advances towards him. Pasolini's badly mutilated body was discovered at the beach resort of Ostia at dawn. Prior to the incident, Pelosi had been arrested on car theft charges after being caught driving Pasolini’s vehicle. Pasolini, aged 53, was celebrated as one of Italy's most significant yet contentious filmmakers. He had been actively working on “The 120 Days of Sodom” in the months leading up to his death. The project faced setbacks when about a third of the film, along with original negatives of two other films, was stolen the previous August. His literary career began with novels such as “The Ragazzi” (1957) and “A Violent Life” (1959), which depicted the harsh realities of life for hustlers, petty criminals, and prostitutes in Rome's slums. While these works faced censorship in Italy, they received acclaim internationally for their strong moral undertones presented without didacticism. Pasolini made his directorial debut in 1961 with “Accattone,” a grim tale about a pimp who loses his prostitute and turns to theft. His next film, “Mamma Roma,” which featured Anna Magnani, focused on a prostitute's unsuccessful attempt to change her life for the sake of her son and prompted a violent response from right-wing youths during its premiere in Rome. His complex relationship with the Roman Catholic Church began with “La Ricotta,” a satirical piece that depicted the absurdity of a commercial religious film's production. This film featured an extra who, while portraying one of the crucified thieves, suffers a fatal case of indigestion from overeating ricotta cheese. In 1964, Pasolini earned considerable acclaim for his adaptation of “The Gospel according to Matthew,” which was dedicated to Pope John XXIII. His more recent works included adaptations of classic literary texts, including Giovanni Boccaccio's “Decameron” and Geoffrey Chaucer's “The Canterbury Tales.” Pasolini's death marked a tragic end to a career that challenged societal norms and explored themes of sexuality, religion, and morality, leaving a lasting impact on the film industry and Italian culture.

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