Luna (1979)

While touring in Italy, a recently-widowed American opera singer has an incestuous relationship with her 15-year-old son to help him overcome his heroin addiction.

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Franco Arcalli (story), Bernardo Bertolucci (story)

Stars:

Jill Clayburgh, Matthew Barry, Veronica Lazar

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jill Clayburgh	...	Caterina Silveri
Matthew Barry	...	Joe Silveri
Veronica Lazar	...	Marina
Renato Salvatori	...	Communist
Fred Gwynne	...	Douglas Winter
Alida Valli	...	Giuseppe's Mother
Elisabetta Campeti	...	Arianna
Franco Citti	...	Man in Bar
Roberto Benigni	...	Upholsterer
Carlo Verdone	...	Director of Caracalla
Peter Eyre	...	Edward
Mustapha Barat	...	Mustafa (as Stéphane Barat)
Pippo Campanini	...	Innkeeper
Rodolfo Lodi	...	Maestro Giancarlo Calo
Sara Di Nepi	...	Concetta (as Shara Di Nepi)

Storyline

Recently widowed American opera diva Caterina takes her teenaged son Joe with her on a long singing tour to Italy. Absorbed in her hectic work in various Verdi operas around Rome, Caterina is soon shocked to discover that her troubled and lonely son has become a heroin addict. Her desperate attempts to wean the youth off the drug result in an incestuous relationship, but also in a possibility to reunite Joe--maybe even herself--with his real father, whose existence she has kept a secret from him.

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Plot Keywords:

female pubic hair | bare butt | bare breasts | mother son incest | incest | 

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Taglines:

Catherine & her son share a desire that will shock you.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Italian producers were so outraged by this film's story line that they forbid the director to shoot the film with a local cast and as such the roles played by Jill Clayburgh and Matthew Barry had to be changed to be Americans.

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Quotes

Joe Silveri: Don't leave me alone, please.
Caterina Silveri: I'm sorry, Joe.

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Connections

Referenced in The Censor (1980)

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Soundtracks

Night Fever
Composed by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb
Performed by The Bee Gees
Courtesy of RSO Records Inc.

User Reviews

Flawed but haunting Bertolucci film

Not quite sure how I exactly feel about this film. As with a lot of Bertolucci movies, there are plenty of cringe-inducing moments, from the overblown Verdi opera scenes to Jill Clayburgh campily dancing around to rock music screeching "Oh yeah! In the 60s we believed in THINGS!!!" Taken as a whole, the movie is very uneven, psychologically muddled, heavy-handed and overlong. But there are haunting stretches in this movie which continue to resonate with me -- an opening passage where Clayburgh is biking in the night with her baby, and even smaller moments like the strangely beautiful shot of the teenagers skateboarding down the streets of Rome, or the kid dancing to "Night Fever". I would love to rewatch it and hope it get released on DVD. It's a fascinating entry in Bertolucci's work. A mess, but I think it's stayed with me more strongly than 1900 or Tango, though I think The Conformist still reigns supreme.

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

30 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Luna

Filming Locations:

Del Vascello cinema, Montverde Vecchio, Rome

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fiction Cinematografica S.p.a., Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1