The boom of Italian cinema, which gave Bertolucci his start, slowed in the 1970s as directors were forced to co-produce their films with several of the American, Swedish, French, and German companies and actors due to the effects of the global economic recession on the Italian film industry.
Veliki boom talijanske kinematografije, koji je pomogao Bertolucciju da se afirimira, usporio je u sedamdesetima jer su redatelji bili prisiljeni koproducirati svoje filmove nekoliko američkih, švedskih, francuskih i njemačkih kompanija i glumaca zbog globalne ekonomske recesije talijanske filmske industrije.