Biography

Bernardo Bertolucci, the Italian director whose films were known for their colorful visual style, was born in Parma, Italy. He attended Rome University and became famous as a poet. He served as assistant director for Pier Paolo Pasolini in the film Accattone (1961) and directed The Grim Reaper (1962). His second film, Before the Revolution (1964), which was released in 1971, received an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay. Bertolucci also received an Academy Award nomination as best director for Last Tango in Paris (1972), and the best director and best screenplay for the film The Last Emperor (1987), which walked away with nine Academy Awards.

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As a teenager he turned to literature and poetry, adhering to realism. At a young age, Bertolucci became friends with the literary realists Alberto Moravia and Pier Paolo Pasolini. After a few short films, Bertolucci made his debut in 1962 with the feature film "La commare secca", whose script Pasolini had worked on. In the following years he expressed the conflict between youth and Italian post-war society with his films such as "Prima della rivoluzione" (1963) and "Amore e rabbia" (1967). Bertolucci experienced his first international success with the film "Il conformista" (1969/70; The Big Mistake), which discussed the past of Italian fascism.

The Italian director celebrated his international breakthrough in 1972 with "Le dernier Tango à Paris", which caused a sensation because of its erotic scenes, which were unusually revealing at the time. In 1974/75, Bertolucci presented his masterpiece, "Novecento" ("1900"), which, as a historical epic lasting more than five hours, illustrated the major themes of a century through the personal fate of love, friendship, solidarity and betrayal. In 1986, the director delivered another monumental work, "The Last Emperor", which impressively showcased the life of the last emperor of China, Pu Yi, and marked the first high point in Bertolucci's career. The director, screenwriter Mark Peploe and cameraman Vittorio Storaro each received an Oscar for the global success.

This was followed by the desert epic "The Shletering Sky" (1989) and another monumental work, "Little Buddha" (1992/93), which, despite its breathtaking photography, triggered criticism for its content. In the 1990s, Bertolucci continued to direct Stealing Beauty (1995) and L'assedio (1997). In 1998 he presented "Besieged" ("Shandurai and the Piano Player"), which was filmed in Rome and Kenya. In 2000 he contributed the short film "The Cello" to the episodic drama "Ten Minutes Older". At the beginning of 2004, "The Dreamers" was released in cinemas and was reminiscent of the scandalous film "The Last Tango in Paris" due to its masterfully staged erotic scenes in Paris. "Me and You" (2012) was his last feature film directed. In 2013 he received the Nastro d'Argento (together with the film staff).

Bernardo Bertolucci died on November 26, 2018 in Rome.

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