Bernardo Bertolucci
He transformed cinema with operatic, politically charged epics that dared to expose the raw nerves of history and desire.
1941–2018 (age 77)·Italian film director and screenwriter·Birthday: March 16·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bernardo Bertolucci was born into poetry, the son of a noted Italian poet, but found his voice behind the camera. His early work, steeped in the political ferment of the 1960s, quickly announced a filmmaker of immense ambition and sensual power. He gained international notoriety with 'Last Tango in Paris,' a film that shattered taboos and became a cultural flashpoint. Never one to retreat, Bertolucci then embarked on a series of grand historical canvases, most famously 'The Last Emperor,' which swept the Academy Awards. His films were characterized by a lush, sweeping visual style and a relentless fascination with the collision of personal psychology and political upheaval, securing his place as a central figure in world cinema.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bernardo was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernardo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Bernardo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2018Died at 77
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
Key Achievements
- Won the Academy Award for Best Director for 'The Last Emperor,' which also won Best Picture.
- Directed 'Last Tango in Paris,' a film that became a landmark of cinematic controversy and artistic ambition.
- His film '1900' is an epic five-hour fresco chronicling Italian political strife across the 20th century.
- Received an Honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his lifetime contribution to cinema.
Did You Know?
He began his career as an assistant director to Pier Paolo Pasolini on 'Accattone.'
At age 20, he published a poetry collection that won a prestigious literary prize.
He was the first Western filmmaker granted permission to film inside Beijing's Forbidden City for 'The Last Emperor.'
He served as the president of the jury at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
“I am a born liar. I mean, a filmmaker is someone who lies in order to tell the truth.”
