Trilogy of Life (Criterion Collection)

First, eight ribald tales from Boccaccio's medieval literary classic are brought to the screen by Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini for "The Decameron" (1971), the first entry in his "Trilogy of Life." The highlight: a man who poses as a deaf-mute in order to win the favors of a convent filled with sex-hungry nuns. Franco Citti, Ninetto Davoli star. Next, the bawdy humor your English Lit teacher played down is brought back in full force in Pasolini's "The Canterbury Tales" (1972), a quartet of stories centered on religious hypocrisy and sexual misadventures. Pasolini himself appears as author Geoffrey Chaucer; with Josephine Chaplin, Hugh Griffith. Finally, "Arabian Nights" (1974) is an erotic, exotic series of vignettes about an Arabian prince's search for his lost love─a slave girl─and the stories his party tells to pass the time. Sumptuous sets and Pasolini's trademark unbridled sensuality highlight this unique film. Davoli, Citti, and Tessa Bouché star. 5 3/4 hrs. total. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: Italian PCM mono; Subtitles: English; interviews; featurettes; documentaries "Paolini and the Form of the City" (1974), "Via Pasolini" (2005); deleted scenes; booklet. In Italian with English subtitles. Four-disc set.