DVD/Blu-Ray Review: LET’S WASH OUR BRAINS RoGoPaG

Let’s Wash Our Brains: RoGoPaG is a socially driven anthology film directed Roberto Rossellini, Jean-Luc Godard, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Ugo Gregoretti.

The four tales in the film aren’t interconnected, but they are all high on social agenda, holding a mirror up the world at the time of its release in 1963.

RoGoPaG begins with Rossellini’s Illibatezza (Virginity), which sees an Italian stewardess harassed by an American businessman. Jean-Luc Godard’s Il nuovo mondo (The New World) takes place in an Italian speaking Paris (!) after an atomic bomb has been detonated over the city, something which makes its inhabitants become more erratic. Pasolini’s La ricotta (Ricotta) takes place on a film set while Orson Welles tries to direct a film of Christ’s Crucifixion, while Gregoretti’s Il pollo ruspante (Free-Range Chicken) follows a consumer drive family as they try to live in an increasingly complex world.

RoGoPaG is driven by its social commentary, and each director enjoys bringing their tale to the screen, however, it suffers the fate of most anthology films in that it doesn’t really gel. Rossellini and Pasolini deliver the two best efforts, mixing comedy and drama to good effect –Pasolini’s features some sumptuous colour photography. Godard’s film doesn’t have enough time to breathe (it could have been a feature), while Gregoretti’s effort lacked real bite.

Let’s Wash Our Brains: RoGoPaG isn’t the finest work from these director’s, but it is a solid introduction to their work. It goes to show that even cinematic masters can’t beat the jinx of anthology films.

Special Features
The disc comes with an in-depth booklet and a trailer.