From the inception of Twitch of the Death Nerve, an episode on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) seemed inevitable. It’s a film that has had an incredible influence on Samm’s life, plus we got to see it on 35mm recently at a sold out screening in NYC. Luckily we found the perfect guest, Annie Rose Malamet, who shares Samm’s deep love of and admiration for the Marquis de Sade. Many of you are already familiar with Annie’s work, especially her wonderful podcast Girls, Guts & Giallo, but please follow her on Patreon if you aren’t already!
If you’re unfamiliar with Salò, you might want to watch the film and come back to this episode, which doesn’t cover a lot of introductory material, but is a rich discussion that ranges from Italian fascism to WWII trauma, political violence in the ’70s, Pasolini’s sexuality and its potential impact as a queer film, how it remains relevant, and how its lessons can help us grapple with genocide unfolding in front of the world today.
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