For his contribution to the omnibus film RO.GO.PA.G (1963), Pier Paolo Pasolini depicts Orson Welles making a film about the crucifixion of Jesus, while he, the cast, and the crew behave very unholy. La Ricotta is a short, apocalyptic tirade against the customs of professional filmmaking and the unchristian coldness of contemporary Christianity.

La Ricotta expresses disgust for consumer society and its vulgarity and is a sharp rebuke to the Catholic Church for abandoning the poorest members of society. In the film, Christ is a starving extra who gives his own lunch to his hungry family, loses a stolen meal to a visiting movie star’s lapdog, and, after stuffing himself with ricotta cheese, dies of indigestion.

Pasolini was a prominent figure in Italian culture whose career was often silenced by lawsuits and scandals. His international fame made him a powerful contrarian in Italian politics and the art world. His films and writings were considered a real threat to the significant remnants of fascism in modern Italy. La Ricotta introduced an openly political message into his oeuvre. He was sentenced to several months in prison for contempt of religion, although the charges were later dropped.