- Son of a soldier who became famous for saving Benito Mussolini's life. Ironically, Pasolini was a strong anti-fascist.
- Member of the Italian Communist Party from 1947 to 1949. He was expelled because of his homosexuality.
- Was murdered shortly before the release of his controversial art film Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). Though Giuseppe "Pino" Pelosi, a 17 year-old hustler was arrested for the murder after being caught with Pasolini's car and confessing to the murder, to this day the case remains unsolved. In 2005, Pelosi revealed that Pasolini was killed by three men linked to political groups opposed to the director's films and politics. The case was briefly reopened and later dismissed due to lack of evidence. Another story revolves around Pasolini meeting with extortionists who stole footage from Salò.
- Pasolini began writing poetry at the age of 7. From the age of ten, he wrote poetry in the old language of "Friulan", which was spoken by peasants and his mother, Susanna Pasolini.
- Owned an old castle in Viterbo, north of Rome.
- Pasolini was also a poet, a painter and a novelist. He wrote about Semiotics in a paper called 'Il cinema di poesia' (1965). In it he says that cinema is "a non-conventional and non-symbolic language", that expresses reality through reality itself.
- Pasolini's artistic work was put on hold in August 1943 when he was conscripted into the Italian army, at that time allied with the Germans. A few days after Italy's capitulation, Pasolini's regiment were captured by two Germans in a tank.
- Was an atheist and communist.
- He caused national controversy with his first novel about slum life called "Ragazzi di vita" (1955). Another examination of the same themes was "Una vita violenta" (1959), translated as "A Violent Life".
- Born to Carlo Alberto Pasolini, a lieutenant of the Italian army, and his wife Susanna Colussi, an elementary school teacher, he had a younger brother, Guidalberto.
- One of the favorite filmmakers of the genius Sergei Parajanov.
- His book of poetry was first published in 1942 titled "Poesie a Casarsa".
- Member of the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1966.
- Traveling around the world, he went to India in 1961 and 1968, to Sudan and Kenya in 1962, to Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Jordan and Palestine in 1963 and to Africa in 1970 again.
- Retrospective at the Kerala International Film Festival, India. (2000)
- Buried at the cemetery of Casarsa.
- Retrospective at the São Paulo International Film Festival. (2002)
- Made his directing debut in Accattone (1961).
- Shares in common with Theo van Gogh the fact both were film writers and directors known for their controversial films and both were killed on the same date (November 2nd) but 29 years apart from each other.
- Found battered to death near Rome.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content