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The Dreamers
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The Dreamers (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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The Dreamers (2003) -- A young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the '68 Paris student riots.
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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   22,411 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Gilbert Adair (novel)
Gilbert Adair (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Dreamers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 October 2003 (Italy) more
Genre:
Drama | History | Romance more
Plot:
A young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the '68 Paris student riots. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(27 articles)
Indie Roundup: 'Cracks,' 'Harry Brown' Deals and Trailers
 (From Cinematical. 18 November 2009, 4:03 PM, PST)
Eva Green Claims Her Shyness Almost Made Her Pass Out
 (From iCelebz. 11 November 2009, 11:00 PM, PST)
User Comments:
fine film-making overcomes flaws more (218 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Michael Pitt ... Matthew

Eva Green ... Isabelle
Louis Garrel ... Theo
Anna Chancellor ... Mother
Robin Renucci ... Father
Jean-Pierre Kalfon ... Himself
Jean-Pierre Léaud ... Himself (as Jean-Paul Leaud)
Florian Cadiou ... Patrick
Pierre Hancisse ... First Buff
Valentin Merlet ... Second Buff
Lola Peploe ... The Usherette
Ingy Fillion ... Theo's Girlfriend
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Paul Belmondo ... Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)
Aleksandra Kacprzak ... Student May 68 (uncredited)
Henri Langlois ... Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)

François Truffaut ... Himself (uncredited) (archive footage)
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Directed by
Bernardo Bertolucci 
 
Writing credits
Gilbert Adair (novel)

Gilbert Adair (screenplay)

Produced by
Hercules Bellville .... associate producer
John Bernard .... co-producer
Jeremy Thomas .... producer
Peter Watson .... associate producer
 
Cinematography by
Fabio Cianchetti (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Jacopo Quadri 
 
Casting by
Lucy Boulting 
Howard Feuer 
Juliette Ménager  (as Juliette Menager)
 
Production Design by
Jean Rabasse 
 
Art Direction by
Pierre Duboisberranger  (as Du Boisberranger)
 
Costume Design by
Louise Stjernsward 
 
Makeup Department
Antoine Amador .... additional hairdresser
Maria Dolores Avellanas .... additional hairdresser (as Dolores Avellanas)
Gérard Carrissimoux .... additional hairdresser (as Gerard Carrissimoux)
Michèle Decanini .... additional hairdresser (as Michel Decanini)
Xavier-Daniel Fagnière .... additional hairdresser (as Xavier-Daniel Fagniere)
Christophe Giraud .... additional makeup artist
Giorgio Gregorini .... hairdresser
Evelyne Larmaillard .... additional makeup artist
Christian Morales .... additional hairdresser
Régine Navaro .... additional makeup artist (as Regine Navaro)
Thi-Loan Nguyen .... makeup supervisor (as Thi Loan Nguyen)
Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen .... makeup artist
Anouk Oechslin .... additional makeup artist
Magali Ohlmann .... additional makeup artist
Danielle Palmier .... additional makeup artist
Rosa Perez .... additional hairdresser
Patricia Planche .... additional makeup artist
Aldo Signoretti .... hair supervisor
Jérôme Ventura .... additional hairdresser (as Jerome Ventura)
 
Production Management
Frederick Bovis .... production manager
Michael Saxton .... post-production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Bartonio .... co-first assistant director
Serena Canevari .... first assistant director (as Serena Canevari Merlini)
Henrique Laplaine .... second assistant director
Lola Peploe .... third assistant director
Alexandre Schmitt .... co-second assistant director
 
Art Department
Denis Adelet .... swing gang
Bertrand Alberge .... swing gang
Philippe Auclaire .... construction manager
Valerie Berthoux .... model maker
François Billy .... carpenter (as Francois Billy)
Jean-Jacques Blanlot .... carpenter
Luc Bonjus .... construction crew
Camille Bougon-Pigneul .... prop buyer
Sylvain Bourdier .... swing gang
Thomas Broyon .... swing gang
Sylvain Cabouat .... additional art department trainee
Stéphane Cerdan .... swing gang (as Stephane Cerdan)
Jean-Michel Chartier .... carpenter
Ambroise Cheneau .... construction crew
Bernard Coispel .... carpenter
Didier Copp .... painter
Claire Coutelle .... painter
Christian David .... carpenter
Olivier Delpy .... carpenter
Benjamin Descave .... carpenter
Marie Desforge .... painter
Vincent Deslandes .... painter
Julien Draper .... additional art department trainee
Xavier Dubech .... carpenter
Catia El'Haji Tiamiou .... draper (as Catia Tiamiou El Hadj)
Olivier Fermier .... construction crew
Dominique Filliatreau .... carpenter
Yvon Fremy .... head carpenter
Alain Frentzel .... lead head painter
Christian Giambasi .... painter (as Christian Giambiasi)
Florence Girette .... painter
Francis Guibet .... prop buyer
Michel Guillou .... carpenter
Fabienne Haertling .... assistant set dresser
Peter Hammond .... stand-by painter
Philippe Harlez .... assistant art director
Yann Haugomat .... dressing props
Jérôme Hayot .... painter (as Jerome Hayot)
Hugues Herve .... carpenter
Paul Hugel .... additional art department trainee
Benedicte Joffre .... draper
Antar Khelifaoui .... construction crew
Jérôme Krowicki .... construction crew (as Jerome Krowicki)
Marie Lambert .... art department trainee
Alain Lavit .... construction crew
Philippe Legrand .... carpenter
Stephanie Lelu .... art department trainee
Arnaud Le Roch .... assistant art director (as Laurent Roch-Arnaud)
Eric Levavasseur .... carpenter
Christelle Maisonneuve .... prop buyer
Christophe Marchandet .... plasterer
Vincent Maroutian .... head painter
Loïc Masse .... carpenter (as Loic Masse)
Régis Mayot .... construction crew (as Regis Mayot)
Laurent Micheletti .... painter
Franck Miniconi .... stand-by painter
Guy-Michel Morin .... painter (as Guy Michel Morin)
Manuel Mougin .... stand-by props
Max Paget .... wood machinist
Stephane Paillard .... carpenter
Francois Pascal-Mousselard .... swing gang
Sébastien Perrenoud .... construction crew (as Sebastien Perrenoud)
Jérôme Perrin .... carpenter (as Jerome Perrin)
Marie Predieri .... painter
Georges Rigot .... carpenter
Michel Risse .... carpenter
Ivan Robles Lopez .... additional art department trainee
Thomas Rollin .... construction crew
Nathalie Roubaud .... assistant art director
Franck Scala .... head wood machinist
Samuel Teisseire .... assistant stand-by props
Eric Viellerobe .... set dresser
Jean-Noël Vincencini .... swing gang (as Jean-Noel Vincencini)
Sylvie Weidmann-Chancelade .... sculptor
Michel Weidmann .... sculptor
 
Sound Department
Timotey Alazraki .... cable person (as Timothee Alazraki)
Mark Auguste .... supervising sound editor
Sam Auguste .... assistant sound editor
Peter Burgis .... foley artist
Ed Colyer .... foley recordist (as Edward Colyer)
Andie Derrick .... foley artist (as Andi Derrick)
Matthew Gough .... sound re-recording mixer
Daniel Laurie .... adr editor
Daniel Laurie .... dialogue editor
Stephane Lioret .... boom operator
Mike Prestwood Smith .... sound re-recording mixer
Ted Swanscott .... adr recordist
Derek Trigg .... foley editor
Stuart Wilson .... sound mixer
Colin Cooper .... adr recordist (uncredited)
Peter Gleaves .... adr mixer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Anne Bergamaschi .... special effects technician
Francois Bernard .... special effects technician
Pascal Declercq .... special effects technician
Grégoire Delage .... special effects coordinator (as Gregoire Delage)
Franck Delamotte .... special effects technician
Jacky Dufour .... special effects technician
Denis Duplex .... special effects technician
Pascal Fauvelle .... special effects technician
Michel Gery .... special effects technician
Daniel Lenoir .... special effects technician
Jean Miel .... special effects technician
Serge Perillat .... special effects technician
Jean-Jacques Vassal .... special effects technician
Olivier Zenenski .... special effects technician
 
Visual Effects by
Virginie Allal .... visual effects production assistant
Stephanie Boutinaud .... visual effects digital artist
Fabien Coupez .... visual effects digital artist
Olivier Debert .... visual effects digital artist
Joyce Menger .... visual effects production
Morgan Varona .... visual effects digital artist
Valerio Bonelli .... visual effects editor (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Michel Anderson .... stuntman
Rémi Canaple .... stuntman (as Remi Canaple)
Alexandre Cauderlier .... stuntman
Patrick Cauderlier .... stunt coordinator
Laurent Coin .... stuntman
Jacques Cosma .... stuntman
Yan Dron .... stuntman (as Yaw Drow)
Alexandrine Felquin .... stunt woman (as Alexandrine Felkin)
Pascaline Girardot .... stunt woman
David Groleau .... stuntman
Vincent Haquin .... stuntman
Cyrille Hertel .... stuntman
David Julienne .... stuntman
Michel Julienne .... stunt car coordinator
Mael Lamberton .... stuntman
Emilie Lelouch .... stunt woman
Gregory Loffredo .... stuntman
John Medalin .... stuntman
Pierre Medalin .... stuntman
Jean-Loup Michon .... stuntman (as Jean-Loup Michou)
Florent Mismetti .... stuntman
Alain Pedouan .... stuntman
Teddy Pividal .... stuntman
Pierre Raveneau .... stuntman
Catherine Robert .... stunt woman
Sebastien Soudais .... stuntman
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Luigi Andrei .... Steadicam operator
Luigi Andrei .... camera operator
Cecile Angelin .... additional electrician
Laurent Audoire .... technician: Hot Head
Lubomir Bakchev .... additional electrician
Alessio Bastianelli .... focus puller
Hamia Benyekkou .... additional electrician (as Hamid Benyekkou)
Patrice Birzin .... generator operator
Franck Boussenec .... grip
Séverine Brigeot .... still photographer (as Severine Brigeot)
Guillaume Brule .... electrician
Raphaël Cauhepo-François .... focus puller: second camera (as Raphael Cauhepo-Francois)
Roberto De Paolis .... still photographer trainee (as Roberto Di Paolis)
Thibault de Saint André .... additional electrician (as Thibault De Saint Andre)
Pierre Yves Dougnac .... additional electrician
Eugène Fabcic .... additional generator operator (as Eugene Fabcic)
Claudio Frollano .... gaffer
Eugenio Galli .... second camera operator
Simon Garnier .... video operator
Christian Inizan .... additional electrician
Pascal Jobert .... additional grip (as Jean-Pascal Jobert)
Bruno Keller .... electrician
Patrick Lemaire .... additional generator operator
Antoine Lepoutre .... additional electrician
Philippe Malleck .... gaffer
Franck Maumis .... additional electrician
Pierre Morel .... camera operator: Super 16
Frédéric Mougin .... technician: Hot Head (as Frederic Mougin)
Mathieu Petit .... focus puller: Super 16
Jocelyn Poulin .... additional electrician
Nicholas Quinn .... camera operator: DVCAM camera
Marco Revello .... key grip (as Marc Revello)
Marco Santarelli .... key grip
Lilia Sellami .... clapper loader
Sergio Simoes .... additional electrician
Nick Quinn .... additional photographer (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Bertrand Amiel .... extras casting assistant
David Artur .... extras casting assistant
Vanessa Baker .... voice casting
Marie-Sylvie Caillierez .... extras casting
Michel Delfiner .... casting assistant
Brendan Donnison .... voice casting
Benjamin Dumas .... extras casting assistant
Hervé Gamondes .... extras casting assistant
Sandrine Guilleux .... extras casting assistant
Erik Jourdil .... extras casting assistant
Antoine Laurent .... extras casting assistant
Stephane Mathieu .... extras casting assistant
Lofti Mokdad .... extras casting assistant
Patrick Rufo .... assistant to extras casting director
Sonia Trabelsi .... extras casting assistant
Eleftherios Zacharopoulos .... extras casting assistant
Yann Le Boucher .... extras casting assistant (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Alabre .... additional dresser
Chloe Bartonio .... dresser (as Chloe Chambarret-Bartonio)
Nathalie Cercuel .... wardrobe supervisor: exteriors
Florence Clamond .... extras dresser (as Florence Clamond-Vidal)
Chloé Degorce Dumas .... additional dresser (as Chloe Degorce Dumas)
Natacha Diehl .... additional dresser
Julie Greux .... additional dresser
Simone Hoffmann .... additional dresser
Sandrine Kerner .... additional dresser
Marielle Robaut .... wardrobe supervisor (as Marielle-Therese Robaut)
Karine Rouchy .... additional dresser
Priscillia Van Sprengel .... additional dresser
Sandrine Bernard .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Lucinda S. Agar .... post-production coordinator
Valerio Bonelli .... first assistant editor
Aline Hervé .... co-first assistant editor (as Aline Herve)
Yvan Lucas .... color grader
Fabien Pascal .... color grader
 
Music Department
Julien Civange .... music advisor
Janice Ginsberg .... music supervisor
Nick Laird-Clowes .... music consultant
Charles Henri de Pierrefeu .... music advisor (as Charles Henri De Pierrefeu)
 
Transportation Department
Stéphane Floc'h .... transportation captain (as Stephane Floc'h)
Mathieu Guez .... driver: Michael Pitt
Christophe Paris .... driver: director
Jalal Aqdim .... assistant action vehicle coordinator (uncredited)
Charles Heidet .... action vehicle coordinator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Lucinda S. Agar .... assistant to director
Matthew Baker .... business affairs: Recorded Picture Company
Kaoutar Ben Aissa .... additional location trainee
Gonzague Bernard .... additional location trainee
Catherine Boizard .... production assistant
Antoine Brice .... additional location trainee
Flora Elisa Algeri Bricoli .... film assistant
Gilles Castera .... location manager
Mathilde Cathelin .... floor runner
Randi Chugerman .... assistant: Howard Feuer
Frederic Collomb .... additional location trainee
Stuart Cook .... accountant: UK
Neal Cooper .... additional dialogue coach
Ginger Corbett .... international publicity: Premier
Alan Coric .... cashier
Antonin Depardieu .... location scout
Andrea De Sica .... set runner
Corinne Devaux .... choreographer
Fabrice Devevre .... floor runner
Gaetan Dinon .... location trainee
Alain Dominiecki .... accountant
Suzanne Durrenberger .... script supervisor
Antonio Etzi .... personal assistant to director
Franco Fantini .... accountant: Italy
Ingy Fillion .... additional location trainee
Florence Forney .... production coordinator
Samuel Fuller .... director: Shock Corridor (1963 ) (as Sam Fuller)
Fabien Gerard .... assistant script supervisor
Marco Giacalone .... assistant location manager
Philippe Girardeau .... assistant location manager
Constantine Gregory .... dialogue coach
Jean-Louise Grousset .... caterer: Locafete (as Jean-Louis Grousset)
Roberto Guerra .... archive material provider
Jocelyn Jones .... assistant to producer
Arnaud Kaiser .... additional location trainee
Veronique Lambert de Guise .... stock footage researcher (as Veronique Lambert De Guise)
Florence Larsonneur .... business affairs: Recorded Picture Company
Vincent Lefeuvre .... office production assistant
Stephan Mallmann .... business affairs: Recorded Picture Company
Chantal Malrat .... financial controller (as Chantal Malrat Atanassian)
Virginie Marchesseau .... location trainee
Benjamin Morand .... additional location trainee
Richard Morrison .... title sequence
Jessica Palud .... additional location trainee
Pier Francesco Paredes Choto .... floor runner
Samuel Renollet .... additional video operator
Melanie Robot .... location trainee
Laurent Sarazin .... additional location trainee
Jeanine Sculier .... nurse (as Janine Scolier)
John Shearlaw .... archival film researcher
Robyn Smith .... special license: Mr. Fred Astaire's appearance (as Mrs. Fred Astaire)
Jean-Pierre Vincent .... unit publicist: France
Josef von Sternberg .... director: Blonde Venus (1932 ) (as Joseph Von Sternberg)
Kalinka Weiler .... location scout (as Kalinka Carrasco)
Julia Willis .... business affairs: Recorded Picture Company
Thierry Zemmour .... assistant location manager
Chris Paton .... unit publicist (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Monsieur Andriot .... thanks: Service Navigation de la Seine
Brigitte Brauner .... thanks: Marie de Paris (as Madame Brigitte Brauner)
Robert Bresson .... acknowledgment: director of Mouchette (1967 )
Tod Browning .... acknowledgment: director of "Freaks" (1932 )
Charles Chaplin .... acknowledgment: director of "City Lights" (1931 )
J.C. Decaux .... thanks
Vittorio De Sanctis .... special thanks
Gillian Duffield .... special thanks
Frédéric Dupuch .... thanks: Prefecture de Police de Paris (as Monsieur Le Commissaire Dupuch)
Gabrielle Fastman .... special thanks
Samuel Fuller .... acknowledgment: director of Shock Corridor (1963 ) (as Sam Fuller)
Jean-Luc Godard .... acknowledgment: director of À bout de souffle (1960 and Bande à part (1964))
Antony Gostyn .... special thanks
Roberto Guerra .... acknowledgment: director of Henri Langlois (1970 )
Howard Hawks .... acknowledgment: director of "Scarface" (1932 )
Elia Hershon .... acknowledgment: director of Henri Langlois (1970 )
Robin Hilton .... special thanks
Monsieur Hurtrel .... thanks: Prefecture de Police de Paris
Buster Keaton .... acknowledgment: director of "The Cameraman" (1928 )
Marie-José Lambert .... thanks: Marie de Paris (as Mademoiselle Marie-José Lambert)
Carol Levi .... special thanks
Rouben Mamoulian .... acknowledgment: director of Queen Christina (1933 )
Madame Martial .... thanks: Ecole de Medecine - Universite Paris
Monique Plantade .... thanks: Direction de la Voirie et des Deplacements (as Mademoiselle Monique Plantade)
Roberto Rinalduzzi .... special thanks
Mark Sandrich .... acknowledgment: director of Top Hat (1935 )
Michael Simkins .... special thanks
Alexandra Stone .... special thanks
Frank Tashlin .... acknowledgment: director of "The Girl Can't Help It" (1956 )
Christian Valsamidis .... special thanks
Josef von Sternberg .... acknowledgment: director of Blonde Venus (1932 ) (as Joseph Von Sternberg)
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Innocents (France)
Paris '68 (UK) (working title)
The dreamers - I sognatori (Italy)
more
MPAA:
Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content.; Rated R for strong sexual content and graphic nudity, language and some drug use. (edited version)
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
115 min | USA:112 min (R-rated version)
Country:
France | UK | Italy
Language:
English | French
Color:
Black and White | Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
Peru:18 | Taiwan:R-18 | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:R (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Hungary:18 | Israel:18 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Brazil:16 | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (cut)
Filming Locations:
Paris, France
Company:
Recorded Picture Company (RPC) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
To make the actors feel comfortable and natural in the film's nude scenes, the director Bernardo Bertolucci would encourage them to be nude long before the actual shot. Source: Director's commentary on DVD more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the end of the movie, inside the tent, Matthew was lying almost naked covered only by the flower robe between his legs. When he woke up, the robe somehow was already on his left arm. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Matthew: The first time I saw a movie at the cinématèque française I thought, "Only the French... only the French would house a cinema inside a palace."
more
Movie Connections:
Features Queen Christina (1933) more
Soundtrack:
Night in the Throne Room more

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User Comments

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179 out of 196 people found the following comment useful.
fine film-making overcomes flaws, 3 October 2004
Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

'The Dreamers' is Bernardo Bertolucci's bizarre and fascinating (if not altogether successful) distillation of the radical '60's mentality. Since the film is set in Paris in 1968, the radicalism naturally takes the form of perverted sexuality and extreme cinephilia. Leave it to the French to be exploring l'amour in all its myriad possibilities!

In terms of plotting, 'The Dreamers' is much like an incestuous version of Truffaut's menage a trois classic 'Jules and Jim,' with the new film's subject matter as shocking today as was the earlier film's in its own time. Time and culture sure do march on, and it always seems to be the French leading the way. In 'The Dreamers,' Isabelle (Eva Green) and Theo (Louis Garrel) are twins who have developed a rather 'unnatural' attraction to one another, becoming 'one' in virtually every way imaginable - physically, spiritually, psychically. Matthew (Michael Pitt, who looks for all the world like Leonardo Di Caprio) is the young American in Paris whom they pull into their strange little world of sexual intrigue and emotional games. Matthew is a product of his time, a young man who is not very experienced in the ways of the world but who is willing to partake in the moral relativism that is permeating the culture. Thus, he becomes the perfect candidate for Isabelle and Theo to work their magic on. Their power of attraction proves overwhelming and irresistible for Matthew, for they are both exotically beautiful creatures, seemingly in tune with the trendy radicalism swirling around them. Yet, Mathew eventually discovers that they are really only passive observers paying little but lip service to the cause, too obsessed with their own twisted relationship to actually step out and participate in those grand social movements they talk so freely about. Isabelle and Theo are 'radicals' to be sure, yet their radicalism seems to be channeled in a self-destructive, ultimately futile direction. Only over time does Matthew awaken to this realization.

Due to the extremely sensitive nature of the subject matter, Bertolucci often seems more interested in shocking than enlightening us. Isabelle, Theo and Matthew are so insulated and cut off from the outside world that the points Bertolucci seemingly wants to make about the times - as reflected in protesters marching in the streets, the references to Vietnam, Mao and Jimmy Hendrix - feel tacked on and superfluous, not particularly integral to the film as a whole. He is never quite able to bring these background elements and the foreground story together in any meaningful way. What Bertolucci does capture well is the obsessive love the French have always had for the cinema as both entertainment and art form. His characters live, breathe and think films, often acting out favorite scenes while the director intercuts snippets from the movies themselves. The beautiful thing about the French is that they have always had such an eclectic taste in film, embracing both American studio and French New Wave products with equal passion. And this artistic open-mindedness Bertolucci captures with gleeful abandon. The film, in many ways, becomes an homage to Chaplin and Keaton, Astaire and Rogers, Samuel Fuller, Truffaut, Godard, Greta Garbo and many other icons of movie history.

'The Dreamers' doesn't entirely hold together and the sum of its parts is better than the whole. Still, the acting is excellent and Bertolucci has lost none of his skills as a director, making each beautifully composed shot stand for something - a real treat for audiences bored to tears by the kind of by-the-numbers film-making we get so often today. Bertolucci is a true film artist and it is a joy just to sit and watch what he does with his actors and his camera, like a master painter working wonders with his canvas.

As for the much-vaunted sexual content of the film (it is rated NC-17), certainly those who are easily offended by nudity and provocative sexual themes had best avoid subjecting themselves to this film. Those, however, with a more open mind will find little that is overtly offensive about what is shown here. In fact, if Isabelle and Theo weren't brother and sister, there would be little controversy at all generated by the film. My suspicion is that Bertolucci and writer Gilbert Adair made their film about incest because an ordinary love triangle would have seemed just too commonplace in this day and age to serve as a successful plot device for a film whose very theme centers around radicalism. They really needed to shake the audience up and this was as effective a way as any to do that. Whether it repels more people than it compels is something only time will tell.

As it is, 'The Dreamers' is not an entirely successful film, but those impressed by fine film-making had best not pass it up.

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