Visitors to the 52nd International Film Festival FEST, which runs from 23 February to 3 March, have the opportunity to enjoy the film ‘The Dreamers’ by Bernardo Bertolucci, which is back at FEST after 20 years.
The Belgrade audience saw ‘The Dreamers’ for the first time in 2004, when it was shown at the 32nd FEST. It has now been restored in 4K resolution and the audience will have a chance to see the film as part of the FEST Classic selection. ‘The Dreamers’ is a romantic drama film starring Eva Green, Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. The screenplay was written by Gilbert Adair based on his own novel and, as the critics decided a long time ago - the film represent Bertolucci's cinematic ode to the provocative, rebellious and libertarian spirit of the sixties of the 20th century, as well as a celluloid ode to world cinema.
Screened out of competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2003, this film by the legendary filmmaker Bertolucci was described as his love letter to the seventh art. In the film, there were numerous references to well-known works of the seventh art such as ‘Queen Christina’, ‘Blonde Venus’, ‘Band of Outsiders’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘Scarface’ and many others, and ‘books, not guns; culture, not violence’ is one of the quotes in it.
At the time of the stormy events of 1968, Bertolucci was several years older than the protagonist of his film ‘The Dreamers’, and it should not be surprising that he wonderfully incorporates inserts from a series of cult classics such as ‘Freaks’, ‘Breathless’, inserts from the films of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, but also French melodies, such as: ‘La mer’ by Charles Trenet or ‘Tous les garçons et les filles’ by Françoise Hardy, as well as the rock greats of that time - Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
Critic's opinions about ‘The Dreamers’ were divided, some jokingly called the film ‘First Tango in Paris’ and some called Bertolucci a great painter of the cinema screen.
‘For me, the creative process does not end with writing the script, but creation is an interactive process between the location, my actors and the crew,’ the director once said about the impulses and ideas related to the creation and realization of the film ‘The Dreamers’.
‘This film gave me the opportunity to pay special attention not only to the spirit of young people from the end of the sixties, but also to the May Revolution of 1968 itself, as well as the "golden age"; of French cinema, together with all the New Wave filmmakers. Many of my films have been described as "epic". However, the film ";The Dreamers" is significantly more intimate than its predecessors,’ the cult director pointed out.
‘My camera will slowly reveal the central character - Matthew, and the world of passion in which the other characters, represented by Théo and Isabelle, find themselves. By the end of the film, Matthew and his two seducers acknowledge events and influences from the outside world, all through a painful journey through confused adolescence. The events in the streets can be seen as a double metaphor - at the same time they represent France and the world of adolescents in the struggle with growing up and responsibility,’ concluded Bertolucci.
After it was shown at the Venice Film Festival, ‘The Dreamers’ caused a scandal, not only because of the explicit depiction of sex, but also because of its controversial political context, and in America and France it was banned from being shown to people under 18 and 13, respectively.
The audience will have the opportunity to see the film on 27 February at the Yugoslav Film Archive (Makavejev Hall) at 6.30 p.m. and the next day, 28 February at 11 a.m. at the same venue.
The film ‘The Dreamers’ is the penultimate film by Bertolucci, after which he shot ‘Me and You’, which had a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.
The celebrated Italian filmmaker (‘Last Tango in Paris’, ‘1900’, ‘The Last Emperor’, ‘The Sheltering Sky’, ‘Little Buddha’, ‘Stealing Beauty’) established himself in the world of filmmaking in the sixties, and he himself emphasized that going to the French Cinematheque had been crucial for his development as a filmmaker.
Bertolucci started his career in 1961 on the set of the film ‘Accattone!’ as an assistant to director Pier Paolo Pasolini. He directed his first film ‘The Grim Reaper’ (La commare secca) the following year, when he was 21 years old.
He became famous all over the world thanks to the romantic-erotic ‘Last Tango’, with Marlon Brando in the lead role, for which he won an Oscar. It was followed by ‘1900’, ‘La luna’ and ‘The Last Emperor’ - awarded with as many as nine Oscars. Among his many awards are the honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2011 and the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2012. Bernardo Bertolucci is considered one of the giants of world cinema, and Belgrade had the honor of hosting him in 1977, when the cult classic ‘1900’ was shown at FEST. He came again in 1980 with the film ‘La luna’.
