'Hawks and Sparrows' is the most Buñuel of Pasolini's early films in both mischevious tone and religiously subversive subject matter. The film even hints at Surrealism as much as it does Marxism, featuring a talking raven (described as a 'left-wing intellectual'), which is clearly an avatar for Pasolini, and a quarrel of hungry pagan sparrows that are converted to Christianity by monks with the lure of food.
It is very light-hearted and comedic on the surface but this is dangerous, confrontational art when you understand the symbolism, the kind of filmmaking that made Pasolini many enemies. Both Italian film legend Totò and young Ninetto Davoli are excellent and have enjoyable chemistry together, the rest of the cast is mostly made up of neorealist non-actors.
It is very light-hearted and comedic on the surface but this is dangerous, confrontational art when you understand the symbolism, the kind of filmmaking that made Pasolini many enemies. Both Italian film legend Totò and young Ninetto Davoli are excellent and have enjoyable chemistry together, the rest of the cast is mostly made up of neorealist non-actors.