This fantastic Pasolini compendium examines the great Italian director and autho
r's life through a detailed survey of his films. Opening with "Accattone "(1961)
and closing with "Salo "(1975), followed by a section on unrealized works, "Pie
r Paolo Pasolini: My Cinema" devotes a chapter to each of Pasolini's movies, sup
plementing stills and a wealth of documentary material with extended commentary
by Pasolini on each film, in the form of interviews, journal notes, stories and
essays, as well as screenplay excerpts. The four unrealized films discussed in t
he book's final chapter are "The Savage Father" (1963), "Notes for a Poem on the
Third World" (1968), "Saint Paul" (1968) and "Porno-Teo-Kolossal "(1973). Also
included are photos by some of the great Italian set photographers: Angelo Penno
ni, Angelo Novi, Mario Tursi, Mario Dondero, Mimmo Cattarinich, Deborah Beer, Br
uno Brunia and Roberto Villa. The book closes with an album of photographs from
the archive of Laura Betti, the actress and singer who was Pasolini's close frie
nd and confidante, which include photos of Pasolini with his mother, and in the
company of writers such as Alberto Moravia, Carlo Emilio Gadda and Ezra Pound. S
et designer Dante Ferretti, who began his career with Pasolini, contributes a fo
reword. "My Cinema "offers the most succinct statement of the director's vision
in print.
