The Conformist (1970)

A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.

Director:

Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers:

Alberto Moravia (novel), Bernardo Bertolucci (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	Marcello Clerici (as Jean Louis Trintignant)
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Giulia
Gastone Moschin	...	Manganiello
Enzo Tarascio	...	Professor Quadri
Fosco Giachetti	...	Il colonnello
José Quaglio	...	Italo
Yvonne Sanson	...	Madre di Giulia
Milly	...	Madre di Marcello
Antonio Maestri	...	Confessore
Alessandro Haber	...	Cieco ubriaco
Luciano Rossi	...	Biondo cieco
Massimo Sarchielli	...	Cieco
Pierangelo Civera	...	Franz
Giuseppe Addobbati	...	Padre di Marcello
Christian Aligny	...	Raoul (as Cristian Alegny)

Storyline

This story opens in 1938 in Rome, where Marcello has just taken a job working for Mussollini and is courting a beautiful young woman who will make him even more of a conformist. Marcello is going to Paris on his honeymoon and his bosses have an assignment for him there. Look up an old professor who fled Italy when the fascists came into power. At the border of Italy and France, where Marcello and his bride have to change trains, his bosses give him a gun with a silencer. In a flashback to 1917, we learn why sex and violence are linked in Marcello's mind.

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Plot Keywords:

fascist | italy | professor | assassination | political assassination | 

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Taglines:

A film that lashes out at a world gone mad... and all at once, the camera becomes an instrument of passion... a weapon of destruction... a time bomb of truth for this day and age.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy France West Germany

Language:

Italian French Latin Chinese

Release Date:

22 October 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Conformist

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$750,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mars Film, Marianne Productions, Maran Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 108 min (first release) (international)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The poem recited by Marcello while traveling on train is Gabriele D'Annunzio's "La pioggia nel pineto" (1903).

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Goofs

A radio tower appears in a flashback to Marcello's Rome boyhood in 1917.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Marcello: [to Manganiello on the phone] It's me, yes. Everything all right?
[pause]
Marcello: What do you mean, they're gone? You mean she's gone, too?
[pause]
Marcello: I'll be waiting in front of the hotel.
[hangs up]

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Alternate Versions

The "Dance of the Blind" sequence was restored for the 1994 re-issue of the film. This had been cut for the American release. Contrary to early reports, the DVD released by Paramount does include this scene.

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Connections

Featured in Renegade Cut: The Conformist (2016)

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Soundtracks

Bandiera rossa
(uncredited)
Composed by Carlo Tuzzi

User Reviews

The best cooperation of artists of cinema

This is one of few films in which every artist's performance peaks and falls into place: Trintignant (Z (1969), le Secret (1974)) at his best, Bertolucci's best picture so far, and Vittorio Storaro's best cinematography (besides Apocalypse Now). Their cooperation seems to pay off very well (Novecento (1976), Last Emperor (1987)) as they apparently enhance each other's work. With their brilliance they almost turn Marcello into a hero, while he is actually an anti-hero in this non-linear story. It's not only an entertaining personal tragedy, it's also a political thriller with very distinctive music. I couldn't imagine life without Il Conformista anymore (like Amarcord and some other masterpieces).

Always beautiful, never sentimental: poetic from minute to minute. The compositions, lighting and camera-movements made me breathless: I've never seen so much poetic power in one film. Watch for instance the camera's movement to behind the tree when Manganiello searches for Marcello in the small park @ 68 min. And for instance the hand-held scene near the end. Or the camera placements when Marcello comes approaches his mother's house. Actually the entire film is a big poem. See for yourself :-)

I was lucky enough to see this one in a theater just two months after seeing it first (dec 2000). If you have the chance, go see it on a big screen. If you like the looks of this you will probably like 'Una giornata particolare' (1977) and 'Amarcord' (1974) too.

Why o why can't we vote 11 :(