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Bertolucci to ‘compose’ new drama on Gesualdo da Venosa

Published on May 30, 2007

After struggling to bring to fruition his take on the American novel from Ann Patchett entitled Bel canto, Variety reports that Bernardo Bertolucci’s new project is an untitled English-language drama centered on the emotionally turbulent life of 16th-century Italo musician and murderer Gesualdo da Venosa.

Continuing his fascination with dead people and historical figures, the tale will have a substantial musical component centered on the composer — whose creativity soared as he suffered terribly over having killed his first wife and her lover.

Mark Peploe who has written a fair amount of screenplays for Bertolucci including The Last Emperor, will pen this epic tale and longtime producer Jeremy Thomas is on board as well. Bertolucci last directed The Dreamers.

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Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).