Bertolucci: Doyen of film history
While he couldn't be called overly prolific, Bernardo Bertolucci has very much gone down in film history. His works are sensual and overwhelming - some even show "delusions of grandeur." The celebrated director turns 75.
Royal themes
He loves complicated tales and spares no taboo - and his films are, as such, both poetic and monumental. Amongst his greatest successes was "The Last Emperor," a film about the life of China's Pu Yi - who was called to take the imperial throne when he was just three years of age. The impressive drama won nine Oscars, two of which were awarded to Bertolucci.
Father figures and role models
His love of film and literature is largely down to three men: his father, a respected literary and film critic, his neighbor, the famous filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, and the director Jean-Luc Godard. Each would have a profound influence over the young Bertolucci. This picture shows the three men (left to right) in 1969, at a meeting for the movie "Amore e rabbia."
World fame with erotic drama
A grieving old man has lustful, but emotionless sex with a young casual acquaintance - 1972's "Last Tango in Paris," starring Marlon Brando, would bring the director great acclaim and fame. In the US, the scandalous film was a box office hit. In Italy, however, Bertolucci and Brando were convicted of "obscenity" and sentenced to two months imprisonment on probation.
Grand vision
A half-century Italian history in five hours - on the release of "1900", critics berated the director as having "delusions of grandeur." Starring Robert de Niro, Burt Lancaster und Gerárd Depardieu, Bertolucci's 1974 cinema epic tells of the struggle between landowners and peasants in the Emila-Romagna. The film was a "monument to communism", the director later said somewhat mischievously.
From cult to popular
In the 1980s and '90s, Bertolucci transformed from an elitist filmmaker into a certified successful international director. His disillusionment with the political situation in Italy led the avowed Marxist - also fascinated with Buddhism - in search of other cultures. The result was "The Last Emperor" (1987) - the first western film production ever filmed in the Forbidden City.
Fascination with foreign cultures
The film "The Sheltering Sky" (1990) led Bertolucci to Morocco and the Sahara. Hollywood stars Debra Winger und John Malkovich play a couple wanting to 'find' one another again - but the story quickly spirals into tragedy. The film adaptation of the novel by Paul Bowles is held up by critics today as a "sensual and overwhelming" masterwork.
Big man, little audience
One of his most exotic productions is the 1993 film "Little Buddha." His first film which moves away from his usual themes of political conflict, psychology or sexuality, Bertolucci wanted to endear this work to people of all ages. After "Little Buddha," Bertolucci would only make four more films, none of which proved a significant global success.
Oscars, stars and palm trees
Throughout his career, Bertolucci received numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, the Golden Lion in Venice, the Palme d'Or in Cannes and the European Film Award. Hollywood also paid its dues, issuing him a star on its notorious "Walk of Fame." Although he remains active, following a fall in 2003 the director has been confined to a wheelchair.