The Criterion Collection
The actor and director returns to the Closet, where he clarifies his feelings on Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom; shares how much he learned about filmmaking from supplemental features on the Criterion editions of Barry Lyndon and Roma;...
Olivia Laing is a writer and critic. Their books include The Lonely City, Funny Weather, and Crudo. Their latest novel, The Silver Book, is about the making of Federico Fellini’s Casanova and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s apocalyptic masterpiece, Salò, or The...
Jun 27, 2023 — With a divided self that reflected the fissures in his country in the wake of World War II, the most courageous and dangerous Italian artist of his generation transcended dogma and resisted affiliations.
Short Takes
Mar 5, 2018 — On the anniversary of his birth, we look back on the films of Pier Paolo Pasolini, one of the most radical figures of Italian cinema.
The Daily
Jan 26, 2026 — The new year brings an ode to Judy Garland, conversations with Martin Scorsese, and a novel by John Sayles.
The Daily
Nov 24, 2025 — This month brings new collections from Melissa Anderson and A. S. Hamrah and a whole shelf of lives lived with the movies.
The Daily
Nov 10, 2025 — Olivia Laing’s second novel is set in mid-1970s Rome, where Fellini is shooting Casanova and Pasolini is at work on Salò.
The Daily
Aug 22, 2025 — Hong Kong classics, the best of the 1970s, and a Chantal Akerman exhibition are among this week’s highlights.
The Daily
Jun 2, 2025 — More than a hundred films likely to make you feel bad in all the best ways will screen in eight cities this month.
The Daily
May 12, 2025 — Daniel Kehlmann’s new novel The Director reimagines the life of G. W. Pabst, and there’s a minor role in it for Leni Riefenstahl.