RICK CASTRO IS SALO!

ONE OF MY DREAMS HAS COME TRUE. 

PASOLINI'S- SALO: 120 DAYS OF SODOM  CHANGED MY LIFE. 

AT THE AGE OF 18~ I WAS AT  THE FIRST SCREENING~ VISTA THEATER, SILVERLAKE~1976. THE FILM BEGAN PROJECTING TO AN ALREADY SPARSE CROWD. 
 IN LOS ANGELES, FEW WERE INTERESTED IN THIS FILM. 
IT WAS ARTHOUSE, SUBTITLES, EXPLICITE.
WHEN IT ENDED I WAS THE ONLY ONE LEFT IN THE THEATER.

SALO:120 DAYS OF SODOM AFFECTED ME DEEPLY.

 I SAW THE MOVIE, BEFORE I READ THE  CLASSIC BOOK BY THE MARQUIS DE SADE~ DONATIEN ALPHONSE FRANCOIS, (1785).  

 PIER PAOLO PASOLINI'S INVERSION OF AN ALREADY INVERTED TALE

 FASCINATES ME TO THIS DAY.
 I ALWAYS SAY~

"SALO SEPARATES THE MEN FROM THE BOYS"

AS AN OBSESSIVE PERSON I CONSUMED ANY INFO I COULD FIND ABOUT SALO. 

THIS OF COURSE WAS PRE-INTERNET.

MOST NON ITALIANS DON'T REALISE SALO THE LOCATION  DOES EXIST.
 THE PRODUCTION WAS FILMED MOSTLY IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF ROMA, BUT THE OPENING EXTERIOR IS A WIDE SHOT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SALO IN NORTHERN ITALY.

 ON MY LAST EVENING IN ITALY MY ITALIAN DREAMBOYS- 
LUPIN DOLCIN & NICOLA BONANDRINI SURPRISED ME BY DRIVING ME TO SALO!

I WAS SO EXCITED I COULDN'T CONTAIN MYSELF... 
I WAS SCREAMING THE ENTIRE DRIVE THERE,

SUDDENLY THERE WE WERE..... 

IT WAS PITCH BLACK, IT WAS RAINING,  I DIDN'T HAVE MY CAMERA, 

I DIDN'T HAVE THE COSTUME I PLANNED TO WEAR, 

BUT I WAS HOME. 

I WAS IN SALO.

GRAZIE~ LUPIN~NICOLA & DOUGLAS FERN