The Hawks and the Sparrows

The film opens with Ennio Morricone's score accompanying the credits as Domenico Modugno sings. The music and imagery establish Pasolini's playful, satirical tone. This opening frames Totò and Ninetto's world before the narrative truly begins.

Totò and his son Ninetto roam the streets around Rome and wander into the surrounding countryside. They observe a body being removed from a house after a murder, reacting with curiosity rather than fear. The scene blends everyday life with a sense of societal violence and absurdity.

A crow talks to them, introduced by intertitles that declare it a left-wing intellectual of the old school. The bird becomes a guide through the film's satire and fables. Its antics mix political commentary with surreal humor.

The Crow recounts a tale in which two Franciscan friars are sent by Saint Francis to preach to hawks and sparrows. The parable explores language, love, and social division with a Marxist-inflected lens. It sets up a critique of power and solidarity that threads through the movie.

The friars manage to communicate with both hawks and sparrows by discovering their language, and they preach the commandment of love to each group separately. Yet hawks and sparrows remain divided, continuing to prey on one another. Saint Francis offers a hopeful, but unresolved, path toward reconciliation.

Saint Francis explains the relationship between hawks and sparrows from a Marxist perspective and urges the friars to keep preaching. The scene bridges religious symbolism with social critique. It reinforces the film's provocative melding of spirituality and politics.

After the tale, Totò and Ninetto continue their journey and the Crow remains by their side. The episodic road trip unfolds with a mix of street comedy and political satire. The Crow's presence keeps a running thread through the film.

They are chased off by landowners who order them off their land when caught defecating. The scene uses crude humor to critique property relations and social power. It sharpens the film's edge against hypocritical authority.

The duo encounters a family living in absolute poverty with no food. Totò threatens to drive them out if the rent isn't paid, turning on the audience with a satirical portrayal of economic desperation. The moment highlights vulnerability within the social order.

A group of traveling actors representing marginalized groups persuades the pair to push the group's Cadillac car along the road. The sequence satirizes social labels and solidarity through comedic collaboration. It also underscores the performative nature of societal roles.

They meet a wealthy man who waits for the money Totò owes him, in contrast to the rent-demand earlier. The encounter critiques capitalist relations and the randomness of debt in the duo's surreal journey. It adds another social type to the film's panorama.

The film interrupts with news footage of Palmiro Togliatti's funeral, juxtaposing the travelers' light episodes with a real-world political moment. The moment anchors the satire in contemporary Italian history. It disrupts the episodic flow with a stark, ceremonial image.

They encounter a prostitute, and the Crow remains a companion in their wandering. The encounter adds another layer of social observation to the film's mosaic. It foreshadows the Crow's fate as the path grows harsher.

Following the prostitute episode, Totò and Ninetto kill and eat the Crow, ending the bird's presence in their journey. The act underscores the film's bleak, surreal humor and the duo's ultimate moral drift. The ending emphasizes Pasolini's provocative, boundary-pushing storytelling.