The Canterbury Tales - Pier Paolo Pasolini version

[Harvey Chartrand]

Does anyone know why (after saying yes), Orson Welles turned down a second chance to work with controversial Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who wanted the auteur of Citizen Kane to play Sir January in his 1971 masterpiece The Canterbury Tales? Welles and Pasolini worked together in 1963 in the La Ricotta episode of RoGoPaG/Let's Have a Brainwash (a film that has never been televised up here in the Far Northern wastes of Canada). Welles' role in The Canterbury Tales would have reteamed him with Alan Webb (Shallow in Falstaff). Sir January was played by Hugh Griffith (Welles' co-star in The Sailor from Gibraltar and Start the Revolution Without Me). Pasolini was murdered in 1975, shortly after completing the most depraved film in cinematic history — Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom, which Welles wasn't asked to participate in.

[aggie]

We can only guess from internal evidence - i.e. the abysmal film which resulted. Orson probably thought rolling around in very skimpy night attire on a medieval bed with a naked associate female artiste would not result in a net increase in his own artistic prestige. He was right. Tom Baker (Dr Who) thought a nude scene in the same film was his ticket to arthouse cred. Oh dear.

[Jeff Wilson]

I can't say I cared too much for Pasolini's Canterbury Tales either, although I've liked other films he made, which include Salo. I should say I appreciate Salo; it's not the sort of film one pops in for kicks. As for why Welles didn't participate, he was making OSotW during the final month of 1970 and early part of '71; maybe he felt appearing in CT would interfere with his own film, which was obviously more important. And I don't think there's any way he would have appeared in Salo, invited or not.

[Narshty]

Does anyone know why (after saying yes), Orson Welles turned down a second chance to work with controversial Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who wanted the auteur of Citizen Kane to play Sir January in his 1971 masterpiece The Canterbury Tales?

Pasolini's masterpiece?! Good God, I hope you're being ironic!

Personally I think Theorem followed by The Gospel According to St Matthew are his true masterpieces.

And I'd hesitate to call Salo the most depraved film in history. It's a resolutely serious and outstandingly made piece of extreme cinema. If you really want to see something depraved, I suggest you wait for Anchor Bay's uncut release of Emmanuelle in America - a joyous mix of hardcore sleaze and misogynistic faked-snuff footage.