THE DREAMERS
Italy/US, 2003, 120 minutes, Colour.
Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel, Robin Renucci, Anna Chancellor.
Directed by Bernardo Bertollucci.
Bernardo Bertollucci made a great impression during the 1960s, especially with his film The Spider Stratagem. He confirmed his abilities as a director in the 1970s with The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900. While he continued to make films and receive acclaim, it was only in 1987 with The Last Emperor that he achieved worldwide prominence and an Academy Award. After The Last Emperor, his films were popular but not great - even such films as Little Buddha not being particularly good at all. By the late 90s, he was considered in decline. He made a very small chamber piece, Besieged, with Thandie Newton and David Thewliss in 1999. With The Dreamers, he has returned to form.
The film was written by Gilbert Adair from his novel (and reissued the novel with alterations influenced by his working on the screenplay). It is a memoir of Paris in 1968, twenty-year-olds who were enthusiastic about cinema, learning French, full of idealism and living in Paris with the strike against the Cinematheque and the firing of Henri Langois from the post. What followed were more riots in Paris, especially from the students at the Sorbonne.
The central characters are one American and two French, twins. The American is naïve, an innocent in Europe. However, after being open to the temptations, even the corruption of the French, he sees that their idealism is narcissistic and theoretical and he literally turns his back on them to go home to America - with an attitude of non-violence, especially considering the Vietnam War, and to grow older and wiser and to write novels about the period. The two young French people are very self-centred, erratic, rebelling against their parents and their values, experimenting with sexuality, yet very inward-looking, cutting themselves off, theorising about film, playing sexual games, exercising power - and, when urged to go outside and break through their ideology, they act in an extravagant way, probably leading to their deaths.
Bertollucci recreates the period well, provides us with a chamber piece with three characters very effectively portrayed, especially Michael Pitt as the American. There is a great deal of music from the period. Because of the focus on cinephiles, there are many excerpts from a range of films, where real life according to these characters imitates the films.
There is plenty to think about in this film, for those who experienced it it is a memoir, for those who did not experience it it is a re-creation of a period and a challenge to look at history and idealism again.
1. The work of Bernardo Bertollucci, his career, the 90s and the transition to the dreamers?
2. The memoirs of Gilbert Adair, Bertollucci, 1968, Paris, the different interpretations, memories? The idealism of young people at the time?
3. The title, its relationship to Matthew, to Theo, to Isabelle? Idealists, the celluloid dreams of movies, actual psychological dreams? Dreams and rebellions, hope, values, experimentation? Causes and ideology? Dreams and reality? Each having to wake up in their own different way?
4. Paris in 1968, the descending of the Eiffel Tower in the credits, the streets, apartments, the cinematheque? Leading to the barricades, the protests and the violence?
5. The range of musical background?
6. The movie clips included and their impact: the French New Wave, Isabelle imitating Jean Seberg in Breathless, Greta Garbo in Queen Christina, the scenes from Scarface, Top Hat, Blonde Venus, Buster Keaton films, Mouchette? The nature of cinephiles, Matthew's explanation, sitting in the front of the cinema, many viewings, film theories, film quizzes, arguments? Keaton versus Chaplin? The significance of cinema in the 20th century, for the French, for these young people in 1968, learning about the world, seeing the icons that they wanted to imitate?
7. Matthew and his voice-over, his coming from San Diego, awkward clothes, the letters to his mother? His explanation of his family, brothers and sisters? His purpose in coming to Paris? A cinephile, studying? His being alone, sexual loneliness? His going to the cinematheque? Seeing Isabelle and her protest, the chain, coming off? Meeting Theo, being caught up in their enthusiasm, discovering friends who valued him, for the first time? The American innocent abroad in experienced Europe? The invitation to dinner and his being pleased?
8. The portrait of the parents, their age, experience, background, English mother, French father? The mother and her arrival, concerned about Matthew, dinner? Her relationship to her children? Influencing them or not? The father, his poetry, opening his books? Poetry and protest? The meal, the father and his talking theoretically, thinking that Matthew was not listening? Challenging Matthew, Matthew taking the cigarette lighter and giving a long disquisition about how it fitted into every pattern? The parent generation of this time with their children? Absence, signing cheques? Their return from holiday, the shock at seeing the trio in the tent, not wanting to disturb the children, leaving the cheque on the table?
9. The twins, Theo and his theory about Siamese twins, conjoined at the brain? The relationships, hothouse? The games, the sexual experimentation, each of them wanting to be controller, their different personalities?
10. Theo, the male twin, masculinity? His relationship with his father, rude to him at the table, ignoring him? His conduct in the bathroom, the shower, openness, nudity? Lying in bed with Isabel? The sexual games, the masturbation, his sexual demand on Matthew? Controlling Isabel or not?
11. Isabel, the female twin, her behaviour, the bathroom, the bed, her own room and keeping it secret, its control and orderliness compared with her personal confusion? Matthew, the games, demanding on Theo? The sexual encounter with Matthew, the blood, the relationship, its continuing throughout the house? The hothouse life she led?
12. Matthew, his modesty, in the rain, shutting the doors of his room, privately changing his clothes? His observing the relationship between Isabel and Theo, his puzzle, seeing them in the bedroom? Their frankness about nudity? Language? Theo's behaviour, the sexual games? His changing with the encounter with Isabel?
13. Their not going outside, glancing sometimes out of the window? The mouthing of revolutionary ideas - yet their inability to look after themselves, not having food in the house, Theo going to the pantry and finding the rotten food, Isabel and her bad cooking, yet Matthew trying to eat it?
14. Matthew's challenge to both Theo and Isabel about their own maturity, the fact that they had no other relationships, his making a demand on Isabel, taking her on an ordinary date, their going out, its effect on her? The café, going to the film, The Girl Can't Help It, going to the back row? Yet Isabel's reaction on getting home, hearing Theo with a girl in his room? Her uncontrolled jealousy? Hurting Matthew?
15. Theo getting his father's good wine, getting revenge, the three of them drinking? The three of them in the tent? Theo and Matthew not knowing about the parents' return, Isabel knowing, destroying the cheque? Previously saying she would rather die than have her parents know the truth?
16. Matthew challenging Theo about his theories of China, Mao as a film director, the Chinese as film extras? The Red Guard? Matthew's answer that it was one book, loyalty to one person? The discussions about Vietnam, criticisms of America, Matthew and his friends in Vietnam, his own attitude of non-violence?
17. Matthew finally challenging Theo, their going out, the riots and the barricades? Theo and Isabel still stuck in their ideology, getting the Molotov cocktails, throwing them, in the blasts? Potentially dying? Matthew observing, literally turning away? His surviving, growing older, reflecting and writing - and filming this kind of memoir thirty years later?
18. The effect on audiences, those who knew the 60s well, those who are older and were puzzled by the 60s, those who were younger and know very little about the 60s? Bertollucci comment about the times being idealistic and his contemporary audience of the beginning of the 21st century not having such hopes or idealism, possibilities for change?
