Though Michael Haneke’s ‘Amour dominated the European film awards last night and the Taviani Brothers walked away without anything for Cesare Deve Morire, Italy was well represented when director Bernardo Bertolucci collected his lifetime achievement award.
Using a wheelchair because of chronic back problems, Bertolucci, one of the founding fathers of the European Film Academy was honored on stage by Wim Wenders and Marisa Paredes and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
“My mouth is too dry for long speeches,” Bertolucci said. “Long life to European cinema and a long life to the European Film Academy awards,” he said. Bertolucci noted he had been at the first award ceremony 25 years ago when he “thinks” he won the best film award for The Last Emperor, a film for which he also won an Oscar.
I’m still waiting for the chance to see his latest, Io e Te (Me and You), about a teenage boy who tells his mother he’s on a school ski trip but is really hiding out in the basement, helping his step-sister with her heroin addiction.
I Love Italian Everything 