The Conformist (Il Conformista)

Release Year: 1970

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

Review:

One of Bernardo Bertolucci's early works, 'The Conformist' is a beautiful, rich and dynamic political drama. It's based on a novel about an Italian secret police agent during WWII who is sent to murder his former college mentor.  The story is told in an unconventional way, inter-cutting flashbacks throughout.  It was challenging to establish any sort of timeline starting out and I was confused on what was happening for a good portion of the first half of the film.  It's very similar 8 1/2 in that there is no sort of signal that a transition to a flashback is taking place.  While at first this sort of choppy story telling was confusing, it did serve to escalate the importance of the mission that the agent, Marcello Clerici(Jean-Louis Trintignat), is on.  Intertwined throughout the series of flashbacks are cuts to Clerici riding in a car.  Nothing is established as to where he is going, but as the story unfolds you gather that he is on his way to complete his mission.  As we get to know what kind of person Clerici is, and how he became who he is, there is always a sense of foreboding with cuts back to Clerici sitting ashen faced in the car.

Central to the plot is the idea of freedom.  Taking place during WW2, Italy was a Fascist government, and being in the government at the time so was Clerici.  He dutifully does his job hunting down anti-fascists and claims to be a Fascist himself. The question is, why is he Fascist?  This question is even posed to him when he is applying for the job, and its one that he doesn't answer.  His mentor, and object of his mission, confronts him and questions his fascism as well.  The reason Clerici is a fascist is what this film is about.  Clerici is striving to be normal.  An incident in his childhood made him feel as though he could never be normal; that he was different in some way. He is desperate to regain a sense of normality.  Not only does he want to be a fascist, but he wants to go beyond that and be part of the secret police, a super fascist.  He gets married to a woman who he doesn't love, because she is average and will give him a normal life.  In his quest for conformity he is tested when he meets his professors wife.  She is anything but normal, and yet Clerici is obsessed with her.  This duality of conformist(fascist) and freedom(anti-fascist) is fascinating and Bertolucci revels in exploiting the contrasts in the two wherever possible.

The acting and direction of the film are superb.  Jean-Louis Trintigant as Marcello Clerici was perfect.  His deliberate motions, and always cool exterior match the theme of the film perfectly.  He manages to play a robotic type character, but with a charisma and spark of life just under the surface.  As great as Jean-Louis was, he was out shined but the magnificent performance by Dominique Sanda, as the temptress of the story.  There is something magnetic about Sanda where every scene she is in is captivating.  Captivating is a perfect word for this film, as every scene was painstakingly framed and is a treasure in of itself.  While I did have problems with the plot, there was never a moment where I was not in awe at the beautiful scenes Bertolucci composes.

What makes this film brilliant is the cinematography.  I was in awe at the sheer beauty of the scenes.  Every scene was meticulously crafted, as if they were a painting.   Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro use color as if painting with emotion.  They do not shy away from filling scenes with vivid colors.  Signifying emotional changes, colors are introduced and are every bit as important as the actors on screen or the lines of dialog which they speak.  Whites, reds and blues frequently bath entire scenes setting an emotional climate which elevates the actors abilities creating richer drama.   

Adding to the wonderful use of colors and framing is the use of light.  Employing a noir-esque approach at times, the lighting is hard, with shadows playing a large role.  These difference between light and dark play an important role in the theme of the film, and work to signify the characters emotions.    There are several key scenes in the film which rely heavily on the use of stark lighting and these shots not only look beautiful, but add to the character of the scene.

Not satisfied in simply leaving the cinematic beauty in the visual eye candy of light and colors, Bertolucci also uses the camera to add an additional layer to the films visual allure.  The cameras fluid movements create incredibly majestic shots.  One scene has the camera start on the ground and move up as leaves blow around Clerici and his mother creating an incredibly stunning and dynamic scene from which could have been static and boring.  The movements mixed with an array of long shots, close ups and off angle shots make the camera every bit of an important character as any other in the film.

'The Conformist' is a visual feast and an enthralling look at a complex man.  It isn't without its flaws, but the cinematic beauty and cleverness far outweigh any of its weak points.  I love films that work scene to scene, and this film certainly does.  Full of incredibly beautiful moments and emotionally complex issues this is a fantastic film.
Rating: 4.5/5