With a title that harks back to Faber’s series of books on filmmakers, dense, intimate documentary Bertolucci on Bertolucci feels squarely aimed at film buffs. Walter Fasano (best known as an editor) and Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) have compiled their tribute almost entirely from rare archive clips and interviews. The result is a rich, thematically structured essay film covering both the highlights of Bertolucci’s venerable career (The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris) and the less celebrated works with equal seriousness.
The documentary works through the course of Bertolucci’s career, from his beginnings as a poet and later Pier Paolo Pasolini’s assistant, to his most recent feature, Me and You. Strands that crop up include the director’s love of opera, his intense on-and-of-set relationships with actors, such as Marlon Brando, and his love-hate relationship with Hollywood studios. Whatever viewers might feel about the individual films, it’s hard not to warm to the erudite, forceful and self-critical man seen here, especially in the last hour where he discusses overcoming physical disability.
Leslie Felperin
Variety
With special guests Walter Fasano and Luca Guadagnino
With the support of the Italian Cultural Institute
Please note that the festival is for over 18s only
