A lot has been written about Italy’s prominent, yet controversial filmmaker, poet and journalist Pier Paolo Pasolini. This film by Philo Bregstein offers a rare glimpse into the tumultuous life of Pasolini until his still unresolved murder circumstances in 1975.
Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die is a documentary on the life and work of Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975). Using still pictures, excerpts from such Pasolini efforts as The Gospel According to St. Mathew, and extensive interviews, director Philo Bregstein charts Pasolini's matriculation into one of the most controversial cinematic figures in the world.
Made six years after Pasolini's death, the 'still-fresh' and vivid accounts of people interviewed paints a much richer picture about the controversial filmmaker man, his background, personality, perspectives and the mystery behind his death. Pasolini himself is heard and seen in probing question-and-answer sessions, as are several of his friends & colleagues like poet Alberto Moravia, filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, Laura Betti to name a few.
Laura Betti who appeared in several of Pasolini’s films, fought hard with the Italian justice system to find out what exactly happened on the night of his death. Her version suggests a reality that perceived Pasolini – because of his radical views and sexual preference – as a public threat and often times used him as scapegoat. He was brought to trial 33 times, yet acquitted every single time.
Pasolini invited Bertolucci to be his assistant in his first film Accatone, which tells the hardships of Pasolini’s friends – the boys from the Roman slums, but using his signature heroic ambiance. The interview section with Bernardo Bertolucci deserves special mention as he (Bertolucci) poignantly concludes that Pasolini’s murder was probably some kind of crucifixion against a genius, caught in a wrong period. The film aptly ends with the heroic crucifixion scene in Pasolini’s The Gospel According To St. Matthew (1964).
The title Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die proves prophetic when Pasolini is bludgeoned to death by a 17-year-old boy, Giuseppe Pelosi.
Watch the full Documentary
