1. Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
Salo is the most famous film associated with the Marquis de Sade. It was adapted by Pasolini from de Sade's epic 120 Days of Sodom but he tinkered with it to fit in with his own artistic and political vision. For example, the four corrupt libertines are moved to the 20th century (1944-45) and placed in Northern Italy where a small fascist state under Mussolini still survives despite Italy's capitulation to the Allies. They bring with them to a castle - four prostitutes, various degenerates and 16 captured young girls and boys. Action in the castle includes lots of pooping (coprophagy) and lots of consensual and enforced poop eating. This leads on to buggery, rape, disembowelment, acts of vile torture and castration. Remarkably close to de Sade's book, Salo is a tough nut to watch but for those of us who have seen Otto Muehl and the Vienna Aktionists in their cavortings - we have seen more faithful attempts to replicate de Sade with genuine shit eating and merriment with body fluids and serious sexual perversions. Otto Muehl and company represent pure Sadean cinema. Yes this is gross but it has an ultra realism that Salo lacks. However, Pasolini did a good job with Salo if his intentions were to shake people out of complacency. The film is dark and depressing as well as being sick and depraved. If the average cinema goer were to stumble across this film, they would react very badly. It is best to approach it having read a lot about it and knowing what you are going to expect, otherwise Salo will blow your mind a little too much.