One of the most original and controversial thinkers of the twentieth century, Italian polymath Pier Paolo Pasolini embodied a multitude of often seemingly contradictory ideologies and identities—and he expressed them all in his provocative, lyrical, and indelible films. Relentlessly concerned with society’s downtrodden and marginalized, he elevated pimps, hustlers, sex workers, and vagabonds to the realm of saints, while depicting actual saints with a radical earthiness. Traversing the sacred and the profane, the ancient and the modern, the mythic and the personal, the nine uncompromising, often scandal-inciting features he made in the 1960s still stand—on this, the 101st anniversary of his birth—as a monument to his daring vision of cinema as a form of resistance.

Region A

Nine-disc set includes: Accatone! (1961)A graphic slice of Italian street life, this documentary-styled drama by Pier Paolo Pasolini recounts a pimp's efforts to leave his past life behind him when he falls in love with a young woman. Fine crime film uses a non-professional cast, including Franco Citti, Franca Pasut, Adriana Asti. 116 min. In Italian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR 

Mamma Roma (1962)Anna Magnani stars as an ex-prostitute trying to build a better life for herself and her teenage son, but the temptations of city life and a money-hungry former pimp may doom her efforts, in this emotional and often-censored drama from Pier Paolo Pasolini. With Ettore Garofolo, Franco Citti, Silvana Corsini. 110 min. In Italian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR 

Love Meetings (1964)Pier Paolo Pasolini's humorous cinéma-vérité study of sexual habits in Italy, featuring appearances by author Alberto Moravia and psychologist Cesare Musatti. Experts and Everymen share their tales of love, homosexuality, prostitution, non-marital relationships and more. 90 min. In Italian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR 

The Gospel According To St. Matthew (1964)During the Roman occupation of Israel in the 1st century, a benevolent preacher (Enrique Irazoqui) wanders the land of Galilee professing to be the son of God. This totally original filmic version of the story of Jesus from director Pier Paolo Pasolini combines non-professional actors, magnificent Italian locales, and a stirring classical score for a moving and surprisingly reverent biographical drama. With Margherita Caruso, Marcello Morante, Mario Socrate. 142 min. In Italian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR 

The Hawks And The Sparrows (1966)Comic Pier Paolo Pasolini fable about a man and his son's journey through life, and the magical crow that offers them advice. The film traces the duo from the year 1200, where they are monks under the guidance of St. Francis of Assisi, through modern times, where they come face to face with Communism. With Totò and Ninetto Davoli. 88 min. In Italian with English subtitles. BW/Rtg: NR 

Oedipus Rex (1967)The classic Greek tragedy of a young man's dark destiny is brought to the screen by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, who sandwiches the tale within a modern-day prologue and epilogue. Silvana Mangano, Franco Citti, Alida Valli star. 88 min. In Italian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR 

Teorema (1968)Is a mysterious wanderer known only as "The Visitor" (Terence Stamp), who moves into a middle-class Milan household, a messenger from Heaven or Hell? Director Pier Paolo Pasolini leaves the question unanswered, letting the audience decide in this offbeat drama about how the stranger's presence affects those he meets. With Massimo Girotti, Silvana Mangano, Laura Betti. 98 min. In Italian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR 

Porcile (1969)Director Pier Paolo Pasolini's darkly comic duet of stories starts with a tale of cannibalism set in war-torn medieval Italy, followed by the strange romance between a Nazi industrialist's son and the pigs on his family's estate that eventually eat him alive. Contains some gore and male nudity. Pierre Clementi, Ugo Tognazzi, Jean-Pierre Leaud star. 99 min. In Italian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR 

Medea (1969)Maria Callas, in her only dramatic non-singing role, stars in this version of the Greek myth about the sorceress whose ambitions and sins drove her to murder her own children. Co-stars Giuseppe Gentile, Luarent Terzieff; Pier Paolo Pasolini directs. 110 min. In Italian with English subtitles. C/Rtg: NR Widescreen; Soundtrack: Italian; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; bonus shorts "La ricotta" (1963), "The Sequence of the Paper Flower" (1969); featurettes; theatrical trailers; more.