After its recent revival in cinemas, on 22 August the BFI releases Bernardo Bertolucci’s newly restored early film Before the Revolution in a Dual Format Edition (DVD & Blu-ray discs together) with a selection of revealing special features.
A rarely-seen early work from one of World Cinema’s most acclaimed directors, Bertolucci’s beautifully operatic film – made when he was just 22 – celebrates the passions and ideology of the 1960s.
Part autobiography, part homage to the French new-wave and Italian neo-realists that inspired him, Bertolucci’s second film is an atmospheric, ambiguous portrait of idealistic youth, which won the Cannes Critics’ Week Prize in 1964.
While young Fabrizio (Francesco Barilli) struggles with his commitment to the Communist Party, his emotional life grows ever more complex. Breaking away from his planned marriage to Clelia (Cristina Pariset), a perfect bourgeoise, he embarks on an affair with his neurotic aunt Gina (Adriana Asti), who is visiting from Milan. With extraordinary skill and honesty, Bertolucci explores the emotional and political conflicts of Fabrizio, his alter-ego.
