The second part of Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life (beginning with The Decameron and ending with Arabian Nights), is based on the fourteenth century stories of Geoffrey Chaucer. Plunging with gusto into some of the blackest and bawdiest of the tales, Pasolini celebrates almost every conceivable form of sexual act with a rich, earthy humor and weaves a visual magic that draws on the work of artists such as Bruegel and Bosch.

A particular delight is the use of a largely British cast, including Hugh Griffith, Jenny Runacre and Tom Baker, while Pasolini himself takes the part of Chaucer.