Guadagnino's Bertolucci Doc Is a Sprawling, Self-Indulgent Tribute
Luca Guadagnino's documentary on Bernardo Bertolucci runs over seven hours and features conversations with directors like Martin Scorsese and Alfonso Cuarón. The film is described as equal parts exhilarating and infuriating, with a great four-hour documentary hidden inside. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
The two-part director's cut spans seven hours and 25 minutes, premiering out of competition at the Venice Film Festival. Its future likely involves a streaming platform splitting it into segments, or museum film departments acquiring it for specialized screenings.
Guadagnino deliberately gives minimal attention to popular titles like *The Dreamers* and *Stealing Beauty*, even admitting a dislike for the latter. Instead, he revives four largely forgotten works, including *La Luna* and *Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man*, aiming to appeal to younger generations with these obscure choices.
This unusually long tribute could influence how cinematic retrospectives are packaged for modern audiences, potentially encouraging streaming services to embrace multi-part, highly personal documentaries. It may also spark renewed interest in Bertolucci's overlooked films, while frustrating viewers expecting a comprehensive career overview. The format could set a precedent for director-driven projects that prioritize subjective passion over encyclopedic coverage, affecting how film institutions and platforms curate historical content.