Accattone (The Procurer) (The Scrounger) (1961)

100% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(1,216 ratings)

Accattone , Pier Paolo Pasolini's first feature, is also his first semidocumentary study of "the little homelands": the small, often squalid cultural pockets in the remotest provinces of Italy. Using nonprofessional actors for his leading characters, Pasolini concentrates on Franco Citti, a rural… More Accattone , Pier Paolo Pasolini's first feature, is also his first semidocumentary study of "the little homelands": the small, often squalid cultural pockets in the remotest provinces of Italy. Using nonprofessional actors for his leading characters, Pasolini concentrates on Franco Citti, a rural pimp who falls in love with virtuous Franca Pasut. Having previously led an aimless existence, Citti takes a job-and, it is implied, a bath--in hopes of impressing his new girl. It isn't long, however, before Citti gives up both job and Pasut, degenerating into a life of violent crime. As was the case with most of his subsequent films, Pasolini both directed and wrote Accattone, adapting the screenplay from his own novel ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Written By: Sergio Citti
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Aug 31, 1961 Wide
On DVD: Apr 5, 2005
Studio: Water Bearer Films Inc.

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
This is a fascinating debut by writer-director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who has scripted some interesting pix.
Renata Adler, New York Times
The result is uneven, but not without distinction.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The brutality and frigid despair of this 1962 film have had a lasting impact on political filmmaking.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
At once squalid and exalted
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Pasolini's first feature is a classic neorealist study of the Roman underworld of poverty and petty thievery.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A brutally lyrical and unsentimental urban drama grounded in realism.
, Time Out
The character of Accattone himself, self-destructive and conscious of his situation within a class from which he cannot escape, embodies many of the contradictions in Pasolini's lifetime of coming to terms with Marxism and Catholicism.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Pasolini made a strong feature debut with this gritty portrait of a new type of an Italian anti-hero, departing from the post WWII Italian ne-realism.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
presents an even bleaker picture than Rossellini and De Sica
Jon Fortgang, Film4
Powerful, gripping, urgent.
Nick Barbaro, Austin Chronicle
This may be the grimmest movie I've ever seen.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Arguably one of the most impressive debuts of all time, Pier Paolo Pasolini had something to say and didn't mind taking risks saying it (he was dually arrested after filming). A tough background made him into an interesting character with interesting stories to tell, never scared… More
Arguably one of the most impressive debuts of all time, Pier Paolo Pasolini had something to say and didn't mind taking risks saying it (he was dually arrested after filming). A tough background made him into an interesting character with interesting stories to tell, never scared to stand against political regime or religious doctrine. Here we have one of his finest films, certainly one of the finest films of the era. A blend of political and social commentary of post war capitalism and how it left many people behind. Beautifully shot in a neo-realistic, almost brutal fashion, new wave ain't got nothing on this! Why this film isn't uttered under the same breath or regarded as highly as films such as The Bicycle Thieves or Taxi Driver is beyond me, it's barely a cult classic yet other inferior imitations are embraced and celebrated. If you haven't yet seen it, you know what to do!