Film Studies: Bertolucci, sex, 1968… should we dare to hope?
Every now and then, a movie comes along that makes the potential viewer feel desperate. Why desperate? Because he or she can’t wait to see it. Yes, it’s a foolish, childish urge but I think it was a persistent pressure in every avid filmgoer’s youth. And the medium of cinema had a brilliant way of playing upon it. For just as you were about to see a film you really wanted to see, a film you were desperate to see, so here was a trailer – for a coming attraction – that was even more outrageously desirable. The whole process was like a model for growing up: just wait and see. It was also a metaphor for the best way of living a long, expectant life: concentrate on tomorrow. Every now and then, a movie comes along that makes the potential viewer feel desperate. Why desperate? Because he or she can’t wait to see it. Yes, it’s a foolish, childish urge but I think it was a persistent pressure in every avid filmgoer’s youth. And the medium of cinema had a brilliant way of playing upon it. For j
