One of the most famous and significant surnames in European cinema, without a doubt, is Bertolucci. The filmography of the director has about 25 films, but this is the case when it is quality that is of paramount importance. For the past 50 years, Bernardo Bertolucci has continued to shoot his paintings, and each new one always arouses the sincere interest of critics and viewers around the world.
Childhood and youth
From the moment of birth, the future director was doomed to a connection with art and culture. Bernardo Bertolucci, whose biography begins in the Italian city of Parma in 1940, was born in a creative family. His mother Ninetta was a teacher, and his father Attilio was a film critic, poet, and professor of art. All this environment that surrounded him from childhood could not leave imprints on the boy’s personality. The father enlightened his child with all his strength and was very pleased when he shot his first short films while still at school. Then Bernardo became interested in writing and even entered the University of Rome in a direction closely connected with philosophy and literature. By this time, he had already managed to become a famous poet in certain circles, and thanks to connections in 1961 he worked as an assistant to Pierre Paolo Pazolini himself.
Carier start
For Bernardo Bertolucci, filmography in big movies began in 1962, when he left the university to devote himself completely to filming. In the same year, he released his first full-length feature film called "Bony godfather." The author was very worried about how things are in modern society, especially he paid attention to his vices. The debut picture set the general tone for all subsequent ones and became a kind of example of the emergence of a unique style.
His next work is Before the Revolution, where the incest theme often touched by the director is already present. The film was adopted without much curiosity, but still became significant for the future career of the creator. Before the world will know the name of Bertolucci, his filmography has time to replenish with three more paintings, such as “Love and Fury”, “Partner” and “Spider Strategy”. Around the same time, that is, at the end of the 70s, he was filming the series “Oil Pipeline” and acting as a co-author of the cult film of his compatriot Sergio Leone “Once Upon a Time in the Wild West”.
World famous
Next, the director explores the fascist past of his native Italy, which results in a film adaptation of the work of Alberto Moravia. The painting was called "Conformist" and brought world fame to its creator. She was awarded the prestigious David di Donatello Prize, and also became innovative and set a new direction in her genre, resulting in the film The Godfather. Scandalousness and pretentiousness have always been distinguished by the films of Bernardo Bertolucci. The filmography of the director is familiar to most viewers precisely thanks to his film “The Last Tango in Paris”.
In some countries it was even banned, including the USSR, but people still found the opportunity to taste the forbidden fruit. The abundance of erotic, overly frank scenes, however, did not prevent the film from being awarded the Golden Globe nomination in 1974. The next work of the director was the military drama "Twentieth Century", in which the main roles were played by Gerard Depardieu and Robert De Niro. It was a professional take-off to the heights of success, which, unfortunately, sharply declined after the “Moon” and “Tragedy of a Funny Man”, which was perceived by many critics as purely negative.
English period
There are certain lines that permeate and subdivide Bertolucci films into groups. The filmography of the director takes a new turn after previous failed work, and he himself leaves for England, vowing not to shoot more on Italian themes. Here begins a new period of his work. Bernardo was always interested in the alluring culture of the East, which inspired him to shoot a picture entirely dedicated to China. She is called "The Last Emperor", and on her account as many as 9 Oscars. The tape instantly captivated the audience of the whole world and is considered a pearl of cultural heritage.
Then he explores Africa and Tibet in the films Little Buddha and Under the Cover of Heaven, which could not reach the level of his previous masterpiece, but anyone who is not indifferent to the work of the famous Italian director, they will still be curious. And the story of Siddhartha Gautama was approved even by the Dalai Lama.
Return to Italy
For a long 15 years, Bernardo travels and makes his films, but eventually returns to his homeland. There he begins to work on the drama “Escaping Beauty”. By that time, many actors dreamed of starring with maestro Bertolucci. The filmography of Liv Tyler, for example, was replenished with the first main role, and subsequently the actress began to receive many other offers. The picture tells about a girl of incredible beauty who, after the mother’s tragic suicide, goes to Tuscany to seek solace, as well as clues leading to the reasons for such a terrible act. The film was presented at the Cannes Film Festival, but did not receive the award. The next Italian work of the director was the film "The besieged", but it is not often remembered against the background of other masterpieces of the master.
2000s
The twentieth century was the peak of activity of Bertolucci, whose filmography is currently in decline. This is not surprising, given the old age of the director. Nevertheless, he co-authored as many as two movie almanacs (such as “Ten Minutes Older: Cello” and “Venice 70: Reloading the Future”) along with other great directors. In 2003, the film "Dreamers" was released, which instantly captivated millions of viewers around the world. It is dedicated to the Paris riots of the late 60s, and the leading roles were played by outstanding young talents: Eva Green, Louis Garrel and Michael Pitt.
Another 9 years passed before Bernardo Bertolucci released another film. They became the family drama "You and Me." However, critics perceived it controversially. So far, the story is silent about the director’s next work, but one thing is clear: no matter what it is, what topics it raises, wherever it is shot, film lovers around the world with an unquenchable feeling of hunger will wait for it to be released. After all, even if it does not become another masterpiece, it still deserves attention due to the fact that it was created by one of the greatest cinema masters who have ever lived on the planet.