Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Thomas Schlamme made the following statement upon learning of the passing of Bernardo Bertolucci:
“Bernardo turned mainstream cinema on its ear more than once during his long and inspiring career. His films were provocative, meticulous and courageous. In The Last Emperor, for which he won the DGA Award, Bertolucci majestically captured turn-of-the-century China during a time of political and cultural transition—the result was epic filmmaking at its most masterful. Upon accepting the award, Bertolucci shared a quote about cinema that continues to inspire so many directors:
“’Maybe I’m an idealist, but I still think of the movie theater as a cathedral where we all go together to dream the dream together.’”
He will forever stand as inspiration for many generations of filmmakers to come.”
DGA Awards:
Bernardo Bertolucci won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Last Emperor (1987) and was also nominated in that category for Last Tango in Paris (1973).
Related:
- The Last Emperor was the first feature shot in China's Forbidden City. To read Bertolucci’s own description of how he staged the coronation sequence, click here for this article from the archives of DGA Quarterly.
