Bestialità was his one and only film as a director, and he insisted on complete creative control. However, a legal issue arose: to qualify for Italian production subsidies and avoid being labelled as a foreign film, the movie's official director credit had to be given to an Italian national. That man was Virgilio Mattei, a respected editor who had actually worked on the film's post-production and consented to have his name on the director's line as a favor.
Despite their ideological differences, the two movements are not entirely separate. In practice, they intersect in a strategy known as the
Unsurprisingly for a film that opened with a bestiality scene, Bestialità faced immense censorship upon its release. It was banned for anyone under the age of 18.
Ultimately, the question of animals is a question of power. They cannot vote, sign contracts, or file lawsuits. Their interests are represented only by our empathy. And empathy, as any parent knows, is not just about preventing suffering. It is about enabling flourishing.
The director of Bestialità , Peter Skerl, has remained one of the most enigmatic figures in Italian exploitation cinema. His biography is a collection of anecdotes that seem almost too perfect. Bestiality -Bestialita- - Peter Skerl 1976 -Vhs...
Maya had been working at Sunnyside Pork for six months, mostly because no one else would hire a philosophy major with mounting student debt. Her job was to walk the gestation rows and mark the cards of sows that needed artificial insemination. It required no thought. That was the point.
The story follows (played by Leonora Fani), a young woman haunted by a childhood trauma after witnessing her mother with the family's Doberman—an act that led her father to burn the dog alive. Years later, Jeanine lives on a remote Mediterranean island where she becomes involved with a visiting couple, Paul and Yvette, leading to a series of psychological and sexual entanglements involving her own dog. Key Details Director: Peter Skerl Writers: Peter Skerl and George Eastman Cast: Leonora Fani as Jeanine Philippe March as Paul Juliette Mayniel as Yvette Ilona Staller (Cicciolina) as Eva Enrico Maria Salerno as Ugo Genre: Erotic Drama / Thriller / Sexploitation Runtime: Approximately 75–85 minutes Release Date: November 16, 1976 (Italy) Reception & Controversy
The legislator introduced a bill. Not a welfare bill. A bill that would declare pigs, cows, and chickens as "non-human persons" under state law, with the right not to be confined in ways that cause psychological suffering. It was a rights bill dressed in welfare language. The pork industry fought it with millions of dollars.
The melancholic, atmospheric soundtrack was composed by Coriolano Gori , heightening the film’s dreamlike, isolated tone. Reception, Misconceptions, and Style Bestialità was his one and only film as
The figure at the center of this controversy, director Peter Skerl, is almost as mysterious as the film itself. Born in 1942, Skerl has often been described as one of the most enigmatic faces in Italian genre cinema. His background was unusually cosmopolitan: his father was born in Trieste to Slovenian parents, while his mother was born in Chișinău and was of Russian-Polish origin. Skerl began his artistic career as an actor and playwright, starting his own theater company called "I Giovani Artisti" (The Young Artists).
Whether you believe a chicken has a right to its life, or simply a right to a death without pain, you are now part of a critical conversation. And unlike the animals in the factory farms, research labs, and circuses, you have the freedom to act on your beliefs.
"Bestiality - Bestialita" by Peter Skerl, released in 1976 on VHS, represents a piece of media that engages with themes considered taboo or controversial. Its existence and distribution reflect broader trends in media and societal attitudes towards sexuality during the 1970s. The film's legacy, while potentially niche, contributes to the ongoing discussion about boundaries, consent, and the representation of sexuality in media.
Given the film's legal status, its transition to home video was fraught. For years, the only way to see Bestiality was through rare, unauthorized VHS dubs, which circulated among hardcore collectors of "Eurosleaze" and underground cinema. Several official VHS releases did exist, most notably the VHS edition in Italy. Copies of this tape have appeared on collector marketplaces like eBay, often at high prices, described as "AAA" collectors' items. Despite their ideological differences, the two movements are
For decades, Bestialità was a "holy grail" for collectors of extreme cinema, largely due to its shocking premise and the difficulty of finding unedited versions.
For decades, Bestialità was a true artifact of the video underground. The initial Italian home video release was a bare-bones, pan-and-scan VHS cassette from [5†L10] that collectors would trade for high prices.
For collectors of rare cult media, the film's legacy is deeply tied to its scarce . These tapes became highly sought-after relics during the home video boom due to heavy censorship and limited distribution. The Plot: Trauma, Isolation, and Obsession