In Fascist Italy in 1944, four wealthy noble men meet to discuss their
macabre plan, which will begin with the capture of nine young boys and
nine young girls from the nearby villages. With an army of
servants and four prostitutes, the four noblemen - a duke, a bishop, a
president and a judge - lock themselves away in a palace near to
Marzabotto in the Republic of Salò. The proceedings begin
with the noblemen marrying each other's daughters...
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.