The Conformist (1970)

The Conformist
Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Written by Bernardo Bertolucci from a novel by Alberto Moravia
1970/Italy
IMDb page
Repeat viewing
One of 1001 Movies You Should See Before You Die

Italo: A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman’s bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That’s why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown…
Marcello: At Piazza Venice.
Italo: He likes people similar to himself and does not trust those who are different. That’s why a normal man is a true brother, a true citizen, a true patriot…
Marcello: A true fascist.

It took me until the third viewing to really appreciate this film.  The style and imagery are out of this world.

The story begins in 1938 Fascist Rome and in Paris.  Our anti-hero Marcello’s (Jean-Louis Trintignant) core desire is to be “normal”.  To this end he has become a Fascist and is about to marry lovely petit bourgeois airhead Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli).  We learn through flashbacks that his childhood was spent in the decadent household of a drug-addicted mother.  He is haunted by his sexual abuse at the hands of a chauffeur.

Marcello is eager to prove his devotion to the Party and is persuaded to spy on his old professor, an anti-Fascist who fled to Paris.  He marries Giulia and they travel to Paris on their honeymoon.  The professor and his exquisite young wife Anna welcome Marcello and Giulia into their circle with open arms.  Marcello is magnetically drawn to Anna but Anna is more interested in Giulia, and begins a seduction campaign on the flighty, materialistic young women.

Then Marcello gets an order to murder the Professor and things get very dark indeed.  We fast forward to Mussolini’s removal from power by the King.  How will Marcello handle the “new normal”?

I’ve seen this a couple of times before but always in a dubbed version.  This viewing was in Italian with subtitles.  This alone made a big difference in the viewing experience.  The print was also a thing of beauty.

At any rate, I think I finally understand why this film has the reputation it does.  I decided to just sit back and let Vitorio Storaro’s  images and Georges Delerue’s music wash over me.

The lighting and design are cutting edge for the period and changes constantly in mood.  With all that beauty, I no longer care much about the message.  Maybe the point is just that Mussolini’s Italy was a brutal, corrupt place or that conformists are dangerous.

If you have four minutes, this clip wordlessly shows why this film is so brilliant as I never could with words.