Bernardo Bertolucci

With the 1987 release of The Last Emperor, Bernardo Bertolucci became the first Italian filmmaker to secure an Academy Award for Best Director. Spanning five decades, his career bridged the gap between traditional Italian cinema and globalized, multi-national production. He emerged from a literary background in Parma to define a singular aesthetic that integrated political subtext with profound visual exploration.

Early Influences and Beginnings

Born in Parma in 1941, Bertolucci was raised by a teacher and a prominent poet, Attilio Bertolucci. This environment fostered an early interest in writing, leading him to achieve literary success with a Premio Viareggio award as a teenager. He attended Sapienza University of Rome from 1958, though he departed before graduating. His path shifted toward cinema through a professional relationship with Pier Paolo Pasolini, for whom he served as an assistant on the 1961 film Accattone.

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Directorial Debut and Style

At age 22, Bertolucci directed his first feature, La commare secca, based on a screenplay by Pasolini. His second film, Before the Revolution, established his reputation as a vital figure in Italian cinema. Throughout his career, he frequently explored themes of history, sexuality, and class conflict, often employing a visual style defined by both richness and freedom. His 1970 work, The Conformist, remains a prominent example of his command of the medium.

International Controversy and Recognition

The 1972 release of Last Tango in Paris brought intense scrutiny and legal consequences. The film led to obscenity charges in Italy, resulting in a suspended prison sentence and the temporary revocation of his civil rights. Despite this, he maintained a productive career, later focusing on international co-productions. In 1988, he received the David di Donatello for Best Film and was appointed a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

The Oriental Trilogy and Later Years

Following his success with The Last Emperor, Bertolucci developed a series of films often categorized as an Oriental Trilogy, which included The Sheltering Sky and Little Buddha. These projects utilized scores by Ryuichi Sakamoto and demonstrated his move toward broader historical epics. He served as President of the Jury at the Cannes Festival in 1990 and received the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, the same year he released his final film, Me and You.