Trilogy of Life

Triple collection of dramas from Italian film-maker Pier Paolo Pasolini.

In 'The Decameron' (1971), based on the stories of Giovanni Boccaccio, nine separate parts make up the drama, beginning with a young painter who comes to Naples to paint a mural and also featuring tales of young lovers, betrayed husbands and immoral nuns.

In 'The Canterbury Tales' (1972), an adaptation of Chaucer's medieval poem, eight tales are told concerning a disparate group of pilgrims making their way to Canterbury.

The tales are: 'The Merchant's Tale', 'The Friar's Tale', 'The Cook's Tale', 'The Miller's Tale', 'The Wife of Bath's Prologue', 'The Reeve's Tale', 'The Pardoner's Tale' and 'The Summoner's Tale'.

Finally, in 'Arabian Nights' (1974), based on the ancient Arabic folk tales, naïve young man Nur-e-Din (Franco Merli) becomes enamoured with a slave named Zumurrud (Ines Pellegrini), however, through his own failings she is kidnapped and he sets off on a journey to try and rescue her.

On his travels Nur meets many other travellers who share their own stories of romance and heartbreak with him.

Meanwhile, Zumurrud disguises herself as a man and manages to flee from her captors, arriving in a kingdom where she is randomly selected as the new leader.