Before the Revolution

For a film called "Before the Revolution" and centres around a young man grappling with whether he should conform to his bourgeois life or let his rebellious zeal — further triggered by his friend's death — take over him, pursuing a life of political radicalism, I was genuinely surprised how almost apolitical this turns out to be. Adopting an abstract approach to zero in on Fabrizio's struggle is more than welcome by me, since this should allow his emotional turmoil to be more universal. But themes of cowardice versus rebellious tendencies are barely there, and those related to the central illicit affair as well as conflicted ideals are drowned out in Bertolucci's indulgent influences. Before the Revolution is loaded with febrile energy for its own good. With discombobulating non-stop mobility of camerawork, tonnes of tracking shots and frequent zooming in and out, and rapid-fire editing and jump cuts that rendered some scenes nearly vignette-like, I found the story so hard to follow and my interest tapped out about 15 minutes in. Plus, none of these devices amount to much really, and neither is the frivolous and histrionic dialogue. Only some incredible aerial shots of Parma and Ennio Morricone's feverish and emotive score are what kept me from giving this an even lower rating.

I imagine that the Venn diagram that shows the well-to-do with a passion for social causes compared to those who enjoy vintage world cinema is approaching a circle, so it makes sense that Bertolucci's Before the Revolution would have grown in esteem as the years go by. A rarely covered character archetype that transcends generations - those born into comfortable circumstances who empathize with social causes, causes that often clash with the circumstances that led to their own status. It's a difficult relationship to manage, being indebted to a system that one is ideologically opposed to, but one that nevertheless gave you advantages in life that others sorely lack. Some throw away everything but are typically criticized as 'faux rebels', while others grow jaded or indifferent and sink back into their birthright. Barilli's Fabrizio is left to try to pick apart his personality, to differentiate what is truly sincere from simple youthful passions. More thematically refined than should be expected from a filmmaker of his age, it's not necessarily the greatest Italian masterpiece of its era, but it doesn't have to be - the film has enough strength to stand on its own merit, with an exploration of disaffected youth that goes beyond the limits of oft-explored urban streets alone. (3.5/5)

1001 movies to see before you die. A romantic drama about a young couple in Parma Italy that was a little incestous. It was a good look at their culture, but had an odd ironic socialist undertone with the man being an elite socialist coming from privilege. It did resonate, but then the woman seemed a bit loony. It was interesting. RUS.

Bernardo Bertolucci's first groundbreaking masterpiece? Indeed it's full of his visions and ideals, but I just don't give a damn about them thanks to the tedious dialogues.

Absolutely gorgeously shot - especially since it was an apprentice effort from Bertolucci. A real tension between wanting to be a rebel and almost accepting that you are just as bourgeois as everyone else.

Bertolucci was still developing his technique when he made this flawed, imperfect attempt at an Italian Nouvelle Vague film that is in fact more about style than substance, made by someone full of ideas but who would still need time to mature his vision of things.

OK but why all the incest? Those wacky Italians.

Bertolucci's second feature 'Before the Revolution' is a cinematic opus of style much like french new wave film's 'Breathless', "Jules and Jim', etc. Centering around the Revolution of 1948, the film follows a young man, Fabrizio, from an upper class family who is on the brink of adulthood. He struggles with his beliefs on church vs. state, rich vs. poor, etc. After his good friend drowns, Fabrizio meets his Aunt Gina, and they begin to fall in love with each other. Yea, this sounds uncomfortable and weird, but Bertolucci never plays it up or even addresses it to the point that its never awkward at all. This film features lots of sophisticated dialogue about class struggles, relgion, etc. but the real thing about hte film is they visual style in which Bertolucci just goes nuts with. Bertolucci plays around with editing, framing, opticals, etc to really create film that is always fresh and interesting. Gina, played by Adriana Asti, is such a fascinating character. She is a bundle of anxiety, energy and emotion. Really a fantastic film about the journey to adulthood and it perfectly captures the young idealistic nature that exists when discovering the world on a more complex level. With themes of revolution, conformity, fascism, etc.. this is quite a loaded features, but it should not be missed.

An extremely personal passion odyssey that displays much of what would come in Bertolucci's further career while also being wholly original unto itself. Being much less showing than his latter repertoire, Asti provides a great sexual presence. Like always, very politically juxtaposed.

Early Bertolucci. A bit dated, not as good as the new wave films it attempts to emulate.