The epic tale of a class struggle in twentieth century Italy, as seen through the eyes of two childhood friends on opposing sides.
Acting
De Niro and Depardieu age 45 years. The prosthetics are chaos but the commitment is real.
Direction
Bertolucci at peak indulgence—every frame screams 'I went to film school AND Marxist study groups.'
Cinematography
Vittorio Storaro's golden-hour socialism. Even poverty looks gorgeous here.
Director
Bernardo Bertolucci
Robert De Niro
Alfredo Berlinghieri
Gérard Depardieu
Olmo Dalcò
Dominique Sanda
Ada Fiestri Paulhan
Stefania Sandrelli
Anita Foschi
Donald Sutherland
Attila Mellanchini
Burt Lancaster
Alfredo Berlinghieri the Elder
Francesca Bertini
Sister Desolata
Laura Betti
Regina
Werner Bruhns
Ottavio Berlinghieri
Stefania Casini
Neve
Sterling Hayden
Leo Dalcò
Ellen Schwiers
Amelia
Alida Valli
Signora Pioppi
Romolo Valli
Giovanni Berlinghieri
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bertolucci had to release it as two separate films in most countries because distributors feared audiences couldn't handle 317 minutes. They were probably right.
The original cut included explicit scenes that got it banned in several countries; the 1987 restoration added 40 minutes back in. Bertolucci never stopped tinkering.
IT
