The first of Pier Paolo Pasolini's highly acclaimed films and the winner of numerous film festival prizes, ACCATTONE uses a talented cast to present a vivid picture of the Roman slums. Based on one of the filmmaker/poet's novels, this story of a pimp, his friends, his enemies and his girls is realism at its earthiness. It is brutal, realistic, un-sentimental and bustling with life. Particularly effective is the use of Johann Sebastian Bach on the soundtrack which provides the ironic counterpoint of the world of prostitutes and street fighters. Though the source materials of ACCATTONE could certainly be better, this debut work deserves to be seen.