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| Director Bernardo Bertolucci |
I just learned that the Italian filmmaker Bernardo
Bertolucci died today at the age of 77 after a bout with cancer. You might remember
some of his films, The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, and the Last Emperor,
to name a few. Bertolucci worked before money ruined Hollywood and the action
movie, something that required little translation and could be sold overseas,
became king. It could also be said that Bertolucci and his fellow filmmakers
were the last generation of filmmakers to tell a story where the camera played
the key role. Today, shooting a movie means shooting coverage. The art of cinema
is long gone.
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| Bernardo Bertolucci with Marlon Brando |
For me Bertolucci stood alone in his unique use and
understanding of how to tell a story with a camera. The unbelievable tilts and
pans that he used in Last Tango in Paris. The handheld chase through the woods
in the Conformist. I will never forget that bumpy ride as a man ran for his
life. Every bounce the camera made filled my gut with fear and emotion.
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| Robert Ellis |
I saw Last Tango in Paris twenty-one times in a theater. The
last screening was at a midnight show. I can remember walking outside after the
film. It was dark and cold and snow was falling out of the air. When I looked
down from the sky, I realized that the man beside me was blind. That’s the last
time I ever saw the film. Bertolucci was wonderful. Cheers to a great life well
lived!
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