THE CONFORMIST (1970) (IL CONFORMISTA) (1970)
A Film Review Copyright Dragan Antulov 2003
Perception of widening gap between USA and Europe was blurred yesterday, after ex-Communist countries had expressed their support for American bellicose stance against Iraq. The motive for such move had very little to do with those countries and their governments feeling threatened or particularly concerned with Iraq and its alleged weapons of mass destruction. Instead, in the escalating diplomatic conflict between USA and various West European countries, eastern part of the Old Continent took the option of least resistance and sided with the mightiest state in the world. The people who made such decision are very much like the protagonist of THE CONFORMIST, 1970 Franco-Italian period drama directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.
The plot, based on the novel by Alberto Moravia, starts in Rome 1938. Marcello Clerici (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) is the descendant of decadent aristocratic family who desperately wants to belong to the mainstream of Italian society. In 1930s Italy this means joining the ranks of ruling Fascist party, but Marcello goes even further thanks to the friendship with blind Fascist ideologist Italo (played by Jose Giaglo) he receives the job within the Secret police. His first assignment is Quadri (played by Enzo Tarascio), his old university professor who had left Italy and started working with anti-Fascist group in Paris. Marcello has recently married Giulia (played by Stefania Sandrelli), beautiful but not particularly bright girl from middle-class family, and their honeymoon trip to Paris is going to be the perfect cover for the job, allowing Marcello to befriend the unsuspecting dissident. However, once in France, he learns that his superiors want Quadri terminated and Clerici begins doubting his ability to commit such act. To make things even more complicated, he is attracted to Professor's attractive French wife Anna (played by Dominique Sanda), even while Anna starts showing strange interest towards Giulia. While he ponders his next move, he is shadowed by his more experienced and less scrupulous partner/supervisor Manganielo (played by Gaston Moschin).
THE CONFORMIST deals with the one of the ugliest periods in European countries, but this period is covered through some incredibly beautiful images that allow viewers to enjoy in magnificence of Futurist-influenced buildings in Mussolini's Italy, stunning beauty of Stefania Sandrelli and Dominique Sanda, Parisian locations and even the site of the most horrific event in the film is example of great natural beauty. This beauty, captured by Vittorio Storaro's excellent cinematography and accompanied by George Delerue's good period-influenced musical score, is, unfortunately, at odds with Bertolucci's ability to tell good story. Bertolucci experiments with non-linear story structure, especially in the beginning of the film, leaving the viewers confused. Jean-Louis Trintignant's acting also leaves much to be desired, because his performance is incoherent and the viewers can't know for sure whether Marcello is cynic, coward or man driven to lunacy by his childhood traumas. The other actors are much better, especially Gaston Mochin as no-nonsense secret agent, whose cold and professional approach to his job makes him the most normal of all the characters in the film.
THE CONFORMIST also suffers from the time in which it was made. Late 1960s and early 1970s were the age of great social and political turmoil in Western Europe, especially in Italy, where many intellectuals like Bertolucci embraced Marxism and other Radical Left ideologies. Bertolucci's script for THE CONFORMIST is in many ways combination of the old and new Marxist ideas about nature of Fascism. The old Marxist dogmas see Fascism as nothing more than ultimate form of capitalism where upper classes keep their grip over the rest of society through totalitarian state; in the film, the worst fascists come from the upper strata of the society (including Marcello's father). The new Marxist ideas, based on the work by controversial thinker Wilhelm Reich, explain the phenomenon of Fascism through sexual repression in the film Marcello becomes fascist, among other things, in order to overcome his own latent sexual perversion. This linking of fascism and sexual perversion very popular in West European cinema of 1970s is accompanied by the glorification of the common masses and Bertolucci shows sympathy to characters in reverse proportions to their social standings. So, Marcello, who belongs to upper classes, is perver and weakling; his wife from middle classes is airhead, but at least she is innocent; Manganielo comes from blue-collar background, but at least he gets his job done. The biggest affection in the film is shown towards those belonging to lower classes; beautiful street vendor shows some class conciousness by singing "International" and the downfall of Italian fascism in the epilogue is seen through masses that sing Italian Communist anthem "Bandiera Rossa".
THE CONFORMIST has some structural flaws and its plot won't be clear to viewers unfamiliar to Italian politics in first half of 20th Century, but this film nevertheless touches some issues that seem universal even today and, therefore, can be a movie even for our, seemingly apolitical and post-ideological, times.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
Review written on February 6th 2003
Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax http://film.purger.com - Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom/Movie Reviews in Croatian http://www.purger.com/users/drax/reviews.htm - Movie Reviews in English http://www.ofcs.org - Online Film Critics Society
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