His name is forever associated with the name of Luchino Visconti, for whom he played in Ludwig – Twilight of the Gods, Cursed and Violence and Passion. Helmut Berger died on Thursday, May 18, 2023. He was 78 years old.
Meeting with Visconti
The son of the owners of a hotel chain, young Helmut refuses to take over the family business and breaks away from this professional legacy. He traveled to London, where he worked odd jobs and became a waiter to pay for his drama studies. After excelling in several supporting roles in France and Italy, his career began in 1964. He got a role in Roger Vadim’s La Ronde, and then was spotted among the crowd of extras. Luchino Visconti On the sets of his film Sandra himself. According to other sources, Berger met Visconti when he was a waiter at a hotel in an Austrian winter sports resort.
“Embodies Perseverance”
Nevertheless, this meeting will change the future of Helmut Berger. Known for her beauty, she quickly became the lover of Luchino Visconti, and this relationship marked the beginning of a great career. After a small role in a sketch film, Visconti offers him perspectives on a different scale. He molds her in his own image and discovers a “demonic, insane, and sexually perverted” side of her, qualities she considers perfect to the point of “perversion incarnate.”
It was then that Berger made a string of big films, always under the direction of Visconti: disguised as Marlene Dietrich. cursed In 1969, as a homosexual and “alienated” in Ludwig – Twilight of the Gods in 1972, or even as a young gigolo in “Violence and Passion” in 1974, Berger took the lead and became famous. At the same time, he toured with other famous directors such as Vittorio De Sica at Le Jardin des Finzi Contini in 1970.
After Visconti
After Visconti’s death in 1976, Helmut Berger went through a difficult period: devastated by the loss of the one he considered his “husband”, as he later confided in his autobiography, the actor had problems with drug and alcohol addiction. Moreover, characterized by the ambiguous roles he played, his film career stagnated and he was limited to playing characters who were sexually disturbed, or even drugged, slipping in Dorian Gray, All Kinds of Gigolo (A Romantic) Englishwoman Joseph Lossie 1975 this year, Dynasty in 1980, etc.) or even Ludwig 1881 (1993) reprising the role of Ludwig II of Bavaria, who blew it in Ludwig – Twilight of the Gods in 1972.
Role in Coppola
A cinematic personality borrowed from decadence, a famous interpreter of sulphurous characters, Berger fell victim to his image as a “depraved” actor and was forced to shine in erotic films or caricatures, which he interpreted. already under the leadership of Luchino. Viscount. From the 1980s, Berger became more cautious in cinema. He appeared briefly in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part 3 in 1990, but is now mostly limited to small roles in television series. More recently, he starred in two German films directed by Peter Kern, namely Blutsfreundschaft in 2009 and Mörderschwestern in 2011.
Awarded the 2007 Ted Award for his lifetime career, he pays a final tribute to his lover in his autobiography, as he credits his qualities as an actor to the directing talent of Luchino Visconti.
Visconti’s The Damned trailer:
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
