ABSTRACT
In the past, psychological analysis of the dealings between his characters often concentrated on father-son relationships, a focus justified by Berto-lucci's repeated assertions of the significance of that axis in his own life. Although politics, psychology and aesthetics have often featured in analyses of Bertolucci's work, with rare exceptions all three themes have not been scrutinised together. Bertolucci has long recognised the connection between the life of the psyche and political action. The trajectory and narrative setting of this crane shot make a striking impact on the spectator through its bravura movement. Turning to the archetypal structures underlying the film, we may note that in myths as in religions, the hero often has two fathers, one who belongs to this world, the other linked with the spiritual or divine. In the public domain, Bertolucci dramatises the anima to his audiences so that, in becoming conscious of its power.
