The filmmakers whose Scene By Scene episodes we’ve highlighted are, by and large, already rather prolific. If nothing else, I can hardly think of five directors who possess as much cultural cachet as Scorsese and Lynch, and while Brian De Palma isn’t very close to either in that department, you’ll find plenty of interviews where he expresses preferences and distastes. There may thus be a bit more interest in an episode where host Mark Cousins speaks with Bernardo Bertolucci, who, despite being among the most influential of voices in post-war European art cinema, may not be quite as easy to track down in the same manner.
It’s of little surprise that a director responsible for Last Tango In Paris, 1900, The Conformist, and The Last Emperor — to name only the best-known entries — ended up producing a worthwhile career retrospective. There isn’t much to say that isn’t technically said through clips and Bertolucci’s own words — and hearing, for instance, that he enjoys the work of Wong Kar-wai is hardly a great surprise — so I’ll let the discovery happen on your own terms. And why not? Were you really going to hear or see something more worthwhile in the next few hours? Give it a look right here or by clicking below.
Did you enjoy exploring Bertolucci’s career? What’s your favorite of his films?