Before the Revolution (1964)

Following the death of his friend, an Italian youth grows increasingly closer to his young aunt.

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Bernardo Bertolucci (story and screenplay), Gianni Amico (screenplay collaborator)

Stars:

Adriana Asti, Francesco Barilli, Allen Midgette

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adriana Asti	...	Gina
Francesco Barilli	...	Fabrizio
Allen Midgette	...	Agostino
Morando Morandini	...	Cesare
Cristina Pariset	...	Clelia
Cecrope Barilli	...	Puck
Evelina Alpi	...	The little girl
Gianni Amico	...	A friend
Goliardo Padova	...	The painter
Guido Fanti	...	Enore
Enrico Salvatore	...	The priest
Amelia Bordi	...	The mother
Domenico Alpi	...	The father
Iole Lunardi	...	The grandmother
Antonio Maghenzani	...	The brother

Storyline

The study of a youth on the edge of adulthood and his aunt, ten years older. Fabrizio is passionate, idealistic, influenced by Cesare, a teacher and Marxist, engaged to the lovely but bourgeois Clelia, and stung by the drowning of his mercurial friend Agostino, a possible suicide. Gina is herself a bundle of nervous energy, alternately sweet, seductive, poetic, distracted, and unhinged. They begin a love affair after Agostino's funeral, then Gina confuses Fabrizio by sleeping with a stranger. Their visits to Cesare and then to Puck, one of Gina's older friends, a landowner losing his land, dramatize contrasting images of Italy's future. Their own futures are bleak.

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Plot Keywords:

suicide | bourgeoisie | aunt nephew relationship | mental illness | incest | 

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Taglines:

Italy...is the place where they've made an art of everything - especially love!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

10 September 1965 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Before the Revolution

Filming Locations:

Palazzo della Pilotta, Parma, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineriz, Iride Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title comes from a quote by 18th century French politician 'Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord' who said that those living before the revolution are the only ones to appreciate the full benefits of liberty.

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Quotes

A friend: Remember, Fabrizio: one can't live without Rossellini.

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Connections

References Journey to Italy (1954)

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Soundtracks

Gina
Written and Performed by Gato Barbieri
e registrati su dischi RCA.

User Reviews

Turn off the left brain for this one

The overall plot deals with a young man drawn to his aunt set in Italy prior to its participation in the war.

If you watch this film looking at the plot, actor performances, whether it is well directed, etc, you will miss its beauty.

You need to relax, sit back and enjoy the juxtaposition of the visual over the music, especially in the last half. It is a wonderful experience. Bertolucci obviously decided not to conform to the intellectualism of Fellini or the structured approach of Zeffirelli.

The scene at the theatre, where the young man faces his aunt, set to the background of the opera is almost a dance.

Give the left brain a rest and enjoy.