SCFZ Poll: Bernardo Bertolucci

[flip]

Polling the films of director Bernardo Bertolucci

The rules:

- your list can include no more than half of the Bertolucci films you've seen, up to a maximum of 5. So if you've seen seven of his films, for example, you can list only a top 3. It's only if you've seen ten or more of his films than you can list the maximum of five.

- i'll assume ballots are ranked unless you tell me otherwise. unranked ballots are fine.

- deadline for ballots: next Tuesday, in seven days, whatever day that is

- if anyone is watching films for these polls, then i'll extend the deadline up to three days, if someone requests an extension

- next poll: whoever posts the first ballot in this thread is free to nominate the director we poll next, unless you've nominated in this round already (everyone should get a chance). Already nominated this round: wba, greg x, ofrene, greennui, evelyn, bure, mesnalty, umbugbene, roscoe, st gloede, brian d, kanafani, silga, oscarwerner, dt.

umbugbene created an index on letterboxd of all of our previous polls here: letterboxd.com/umbugbene/list/index-of-all-scfz-director-polls/

one rule for nominees: at least 3 scfzers need to have seen 10+ of a nominee's films, or at least 4 scfzers need to have seen at least 8 of the nom's films, so if it isn't clear if that will be the case, we'll confirm that's true before moving forward

if 24 hours pass after a poll opens, and no one eligible to nominate has posted a ballot, then i'll nominate someone, and then we'll start over, and everyone will be able to nominate again

[Silga]

Seen 2

The Sheltering Sky

[flip]

hesitant to vote for more than one or two, because i'm indifferent to or dislike almost everything i've seen:

The Conformist
1900
Last Tango in Paris

seen six, haven't seen several that might be good

[Curtis, baby]

Seen 3, didn't care for em

[flip]

i assumed bertolucci would have the views for a poll, i'm hoping now that assumption was correct!

[greennui]

Seen 8. Not a fan really.

[ofrene]

seen 2

The Conformist

[brian d]

seen 10

the grim reaper
the spider’s stratagem
besieged
the conformist

[Roscoe]

Seen a couple. Not impressed.

[kanafani]

Seen 6. The only one I would champion is
Besieged

[mesnalty]

Seen 7, I'll vote for:

1. The Conformist
2. The Last Emperor
3. La Commare Secca

[...]

Bertolucci is a fucking mess of values, but with some interesting stuff mixed in with the slop if you can manage to separate it from what it purports to capture. As or under any kind of ethnographic or ethical examination many of his movies can be appalling but as artistic exotica they can have some pull, not worlds different than some of the other directors we've rated in that way I guess.

The Sheltering Sky
The Last Emperor
The Conformist
La Commare Secca
Little Buddha

Seen 10

[oscarwerner]

Seen 12. He has made main pictures with his unique style, when he was young.
1. The Conformist (1970)
2. 1900 (1976)
3. Last Tango in Paris (1972)
--------------
4. Luna (1979)
---------------
First 3 films i consider a masterpiece. La Luna still has the same nice Bertolucci style, but no politics, thus this movie wasn`t so loved by critics. Other films had less and less of his style. I liked to see other films as well, but will not write n5. I wan`t to underline how those 4 films are important in comparison with other films.

[flip]

it seems we'll exceed the viewing thresholds for this poll, but only by a slim margin. so it doesn't seem we'll have a lot of votes in total, and if i can encourage everyone to vote if they're eligible, and to vote for the maximum allowed if they haven't, that should probably make for a better poll overall.

[Curtis, baby]

Okay I'll vote for the one I found decent I guess

1. The Dreamers

[Curtis, baby]

i'm mostly just voting for eva green's orbital structure tho

[nrh]

wouldn't normally vote since i haven't seen these in a while but...

spider's strategem
commerce secca
before the revolution
the conformist

bertollucci's weird career makes a lot more sense when you remember he started incredibly young, barely out of his teens when he released his first few films. certainly some of the later films are exceptionally odd. out of the 3 listed i'd perhaps only pick spider. i'm not sure i can find the right words but have always found something about his collaboration with storaro deeply unappealing.

[DT.]

Come on, people! If nothing else, he was an intoxicating formalist.

1. Last Tango in Paris
2. Stealing Beauty
3. Besieged
4. La Luna
5. Little Buddha

[rischka]

Ill vote for spiders strategem

[Caracortada]

Seen 8.

1. Novecento
2. Ultimo Tango a Parigi
3. Il Conformista
4. The Last Emperor

[wba]

Not really a fan or anything.

01. Novecento "1900" (1976)

Bertolucci seen: 6

[Roscoe]

Well okay.

1. THE LAST EMPEROR

I guess. The best, if that's the word, of a pretty dull lot, and the praise is pretty faint. For what it's worth, I've sat through that dreary little CONFORMIST thing, and that horrific STEALING BEAUTY monstrosity that pops up every now and then on cable, which even Storaro's gorgeous camera can't salvage into anything but a blast of artsifartsy bullshit.

[St. Gloede]

Surprisingly I have only seen 9. He made a major impression on me when I first became interested in cinema, but for some reason that never translated into seeing his post-80s work. Never actually saw The Dreamers ... (I did see his "comeback" film You and Me though, some exception). Of his 80s and earlier work I am yet to see Partner (!) and Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man. There is also the omnibus film he did, Love and Anger, but I am not too interested in that one.

Anyways, my top 4:

The Conformist
Novecento
The Last Emperor
The Grim Reaper

I did not manage to get into The Spider's Stratagem and Before the Revolution. Competent, but fell flat. Last Tango in Paris, however, was great, and La Luna was not too far behind. I was also surprisingly pleased with You and Me.

[flip]

haven't seen these in a while but...

you can choose the director for our next poll if you like!

[nrh]

could we do lau kar-leung? i have 16.

[wba]

Got 7 Lau.

[flip]

we can definitely check if lau kar-leung (listed as liu chia-liang on letterboxd) will work - i've only seen one. if anyone has seen 8+, please post here!

[...]

13 lau kar-leung/liu chia-liangs

[flip]

that sounds promising, if we have one more person with 10+ lau, or two more with 8+, we can go ahead with that poll

[Curtis, baby]

8 Lau pour moi