La Luna (1979 film)

La Luna
U.S. theatrical release poster (where it was titled as Luna)
Directed byBernardo Bertolucci
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced byGiovanni Bertolucci
Starring
CinematographyVittorio Storaro
Edited byGabriella Cristiani
Music byEnnio Morricone
Giuseppe Verdi
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century-Fox
Release date
  • September 30, 1979 (1979-09-30)
Running time
142 minutes
CountriesItaly
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[1]

La Luna (released in the United States as Luna) is a 1979 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay co-written with his brother Giuseppe and wife Clare Peploe. The film concerns the troubled life of a teenage boy and his relationship with his parents, including an incestuous relationship with his opera singer mother. It stars Jill Clayburgh, Matthew Barry, Tomas Milian, Fred Gwynne, Veronica Lazăr, and Alida Valli.

An Italian-American co-production, La Luna was released by 20th Century-Fox on August 29, 1979. It received mixed reviews from critics, though Jill Clayburgh's performance was widely praised, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

The film is dedicated to Bertolucci's oft-collaborator Franco Arcalli, who died of cancer during pre-production.

  1. ^ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p. 259