Bertolucci, << behr toh LOO chee, >> Bernardo (1941-2018), was an Italian motion-picture director whose films portray the complex relationships among sex, politics, and violence. Many of Bertolucci’s best films provide deep psychological insights or describe the tensions between rebellion and traditionalism. He won an Academy Award as best director for the Chinese historical epic The Last Emperor (1987). The film won a total of nine Academy Awards.
Bertolucci was born on March 16, 1941, in Parma, Italy. He began his film career in 1961 as an assistant to the noted Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini. He made his debut as director with The Grim Reaper (1962). He gained international notice with two films, The Conformist (1970) and Last Tango in Paris (1972). The Conformist takes place during the Fascist political period in Italy in the 1930’s. Last Tango in Paris portrays a doomed love affair between a young Frenchwoman and an American businessman. The film created international controversy because of its explicit sexual content. Bertolucci also made 1900 (released in 1976), an epic about an Italian family from 1900 to 1975. His other films include Before the Revolution (1964), Partner (1968), The Spider’s Stratagem (1970), The Sheltering Sky (1990), Little Buddha (1993), Stealing Beauty (1996), Besieged (1998), The Dreamers (2003), and Me and You (2012).
Bertolucci was also a noted poet. His collection of poems In Search of Mystery (1962) won a literary prize in Italy. Bertolucci also wrote screenplays for most of his motion pictures. His younger brother, Giuseppe, was a filmmaker. Bernardo Bertolucci died on Nov. 26, 2018.
