The Decameron

Metrograph presents Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Decameron, a vibrant and irreverent adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s fourteenth-century literary classic. The first installment in Pasolini’s celebrated “Trilogy of Life,” the film marked a significant departure from the director’s darker and more overtly political works of the late 1960s, embracing humor, sensuality, and the pleasures of everyday life.

Drawing inspiration from Boccaccio’s collection of stories, the film unfolds as a series of interconnected tales populated by thieves, lovers, dreamers, religious figures, and ordinary people. Set in medieval Italy but infused with contemporary energy, the stories celebrate human desire and folly while offering a playful critique of social conventions and institutions. Pasolini himself appears in the film as a painter inspired by the Renaissance master Giotto, providing a unifying thread between the various episodes.

Though often remembered for its earthy humor and exuberant visual style, The Decameron also reflects Pasolini’s broader artistic vision. The filmmaker sought to create a cinema rooted in physicality, pleasure, and popular culture, rejecting the alienation he saw in much contemporary art. The result is one of the warmest and most accessible works in his filmography, filled with memorable characters, sun-drenched landscapes, and moments of unexpected beauty.

For LGBTQ+ audiences, Pasolini remains a towering figure in queer cultural history. Openly gay at a time when doing so carried significant personal and professional risks, he brought a distinctly queer perspective to his work while challenging social, religious, and political norms. The Decameron stands as an essential entry point into the work of one of the twentieth century’s most influential filmmakers and intellectuals.

Presented in a rare 35mm screening, this Metrograph engagement offers an opportunity to experience the film’s rich colors, textures, and visual vitality as it was originally intended to be seen.