Before making a mark in cinema with landmark films like Last Tango in Paris, 1900, and 1987's Oscar-award winning The Last Emperor, Italy's Bernardo Bertolucci was just a struggling yet promising filmmaker in the 1960s where by 1969, had already made four feature films in his native Italy with a degree of acclaim. Also in 1969, Bertolucci gained a breakthrough with another then-promising filmmaker in Dario Argento where the two wrote the story for Sergio Leone's epic western Once Upon a Time in the West. After making the acclaimed Italian TV film La Strategia del Ragno (The Spider's Strategy) in 1970, Bertolucci would release his international breakthrough with a provocative character study film set in late 1930s Fascist Italy entitled The Conformist.

The Conformist (Il Conformista)is a film based on Alberto Moravia's novel about a repressed homosexual being hired to kill a political refugee in Paris while dealing with childhood demons and the seductive attentions of his mentor's wife. With a screenplay written by Bertolucci, The Conformist is truly a character study film that plays well to traditional linear structures though it travels back and forth in time to study how a man tries to conform to the normalcy of Fascist Italy while those around him consider him a coward. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Dominique Sanda, Stefania Sandrelli, Pierre Clementi, Gastone Moschin, Jose Quaglio, and Enzo Tarascio. The Conformist is a powerful, eerie film of how a man is willing to be accepted from everyone while running away from who he really is.

It's 1938 Paris where a man named Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is on his way to the snowy mountain areas of France accompanied by a government agent named Manganiello (Gastone Moschin). His mission is to go and kill a political refugee from Italy who serves as a threat to the Fascist government of Italy. For Marcello, the chance to kill his mark would be a chance for him to belong while he looks back at his troubling past. Working in Rome, he meets his blind friend Italo (Jose Quaglio) who introduces him to a colonel (Fosco Giachetti) who notices that Marcello is trying to be accepted by the growing Fascist government.

After a meeting with a minister (Benedetto Benedetti), he was ordered to meet a contact to discuss his mission. At home, Marcello has a loving but dim fiancee in Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli) where he needs to meet his mother (Milly) so they can meet his mentally insane father (Giuseppe Addobbati) to sign the document for permission of marriage.

On the day he was to meet his mother, he meets Manganiello for the first time that wants to discuss a mission to kill a political refugee in France. After picking up Marcello's morphine-addicted mother to see her mentally-ill husband, Marcello is forced to deal with his own troubled past where as a child, he was briefly molested by his chauffer Pasqualino Semirama (Pierre Clementi) who he had killed during their affair. After confessing the incident to a priest, Marcello marries Giulia where the two decide to go on a honeymoon in Paris with Manganiello following him. On their way to Paris by train, Marcello discusses to Giulia about his dark past where upon their arrival, he learns who is the mark he's supposed to kill.

Marcello had learned that his old college professor Quadri (Enzo Tarascio) is living in France with his wife Anna (Dominique Sanda) where he meets his old mentor who left Italy because of its Fascist rule. Upon meeting the couple, both Marcello and Giulia are being seduced by the manipulative, sexually open Anna, who amazes the naïve Giulia while Marcello tries to flee from her seduction. One day during a ballet lesson where Anna was teaching Marcello learns that Anna knows what he plans to do.

With Manganiello watching Giulia, Marcello notices Anna's seduction towards his wife while having troubling getting ready for his mission. After having dinner with the Quadris where the professor wants Marcello to send a letter to people in Italy, they go to a dance where Marcello is having second thoughts. Finally, the story returns to that cold day where Marcello embarks on his mission but its aftermath and the fall of Fascist Italy would ruin him where he would be forced to confront his past.

While the film doesn't have the sexiness of Last Tango in Paris or his most recent film, The Dreamers, the film does have that Bertolucci touch of examining the flaws of humanity. What made The Conformist ahead of its time was its sexuality, notably the homosexual subtleties the film conveys particularly on its protagonist. The film's screenplay is well executed in its linear and non-linear structures while it displays a harrowing final act where the actions of Marcello are revealed with a real sense of irony in display of his cowardice.

Bertolucci, the director shows some eye-wielding visions with elements of steady, soothing one-shot camera pans in the scene with Marcello meeting his mother at her house along with shaky camera work in the film's killing scene. Bertolucci truly captures everything with his glorious vision that is enigmatic yet troubling.

Helping Bertolucci with that vision is Vittorio Storaro, who brings a lush, wondrous tone to the film with its night, morning like blue filters and orange-colorings in the train sequences. A longtime collaborator of Bertolucci, Storaro brings that dreamy, evocative quality wanted in a film that is filled with beauty while Storaro also bring in some troubling, disturbing lighting schemes in the film's killing scene. Helping Bertolucci and Storaro with its vision is production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti and art director Nedo Azzini for capturing the socialite lifestyle of the Quadris and the eerie, militaristic look of Fascist Italy early in the film that provides an eerie tone.

With editor and Last Tango co-writer Franco Arcalli bringing in a nicely-paced editing style to the film, the film's melancholic, lush score by Georges Delerue helps convey the sadness of Marcello while capturing the romanticism of Paris in happier scenes involving Giulia and Anna.

Then there's the film's stellar cast of actors with small but wonderful performances from Milly, Giuseppe Addobbati, Fosco Giachetti, and Benedetto Benedetti. Jose Quaglio is excellent as Marcello's mouthpiece of sorts for Fascism who only appears in the film right at the beginning and at the end where his loyalty to Fascism gets him in trouble in its fall in a wonderful performance. Pierre Clementi also gives a wonderful performance as Lino, the chauffer who molests the young Marcello who brings an eerie presence to the film and its protagonist. Enzo Tarascio is excellent as Professor Quadri with his anti-Fascist ideals that try to help Marcello with his past only to be caught into trouble while showing the disintegration of Europe through its dictatorship. Gastone Moschin is truly the film's best supporting performance with his role of a conscience of sorts for Marcello though his intentions aren't what to expect. Moschin brings a swagger and intelligence of a man who makes sure Marcello does his mission.

Dominique Sanda is truly one of the most beautiful actresses in Italian cinema with her performance as the sexually manipulative Anna. Sanda provided a presence and power that troubles Marcello who would become obsessed with her while she seduces the more naive, dim Giulia, played with such grace from Stefania Sandrelli. Sandrelli brought a likeability to her character despite the fact that she isn't so bright yet her innocence and her somewhat blind, naive loyalty to Marcello carries depth, notably in the film's final minutes. Sanda and Sandrelli both really shine in a sexy yet evocative dance sequence that is illuminating to watch.

Jean-Louis Trintignant is the film's best performance as the troubled, humorless Marcello Clerici with his tough, brash appearance and repressed emotions. Trintignant really carries the film with his brazen performance while he displays a fearful look and sadness where in truth, he's really a coward but not because of him trying to conform but being afraid of who he really is. This is undoubtedly one of the most overlooked performances of the 1970s.

When The Conformist was released in 1970 to great reviews, it also marked an American breakthrough for Bertolucci but while the film has become praised as one of Bertolucci's masterworks. Time hadn't really helped that film despite a 1994 video re-release where Bertolucci and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro both restored the film. Unfortunately, since the film was originally made in the Italian language, many foreign film fans in the U.S. had often criticized the film's English dubbing. Since its 1970 release, the film had not been released officially in its native language and fans of the movie want it to be released with subtitles. Which is the only major flaw concerning The Conformist that because of its somewhat atrocious dubbing, the film falls short of truly becoming a masterpiece.

***Update 5/15/06***

After watching The Conformist on widescreen during a presentation of the film on Turner Classic Movies with the subtitles. I have to say the film is now vastly improved with the subtitles. The performances are more engaging, notably Jean-Louis Trintignant's Marcello where his performance reveals more of his frustrations and confusion. The performances of Stefania Sandrelli and Dominique Sanda are also vastly improved with the subtitles. While the only scene that was missing was a Blind-Dance Sequence with Jose Quaglio's Italo which hopefully will be restored in its subtitled version. Now, the film is truly the masterpiece that everyone says it is.

***

While The Conformist will soon, hopefully, be released in its original format on DVD (where as of 2006, it's rumored that it will finally be available with subtitles), it remains one of Bernardo Bertolucci's strongest films. While Last Tango in Paris and The Last Emperor are excellent starting points to the great Italian director, The Conformistreally goes up there. Thanks to an unconventional story structure, solid direction from Bertolucci, Storaro's lush cinematography, Delerue's melancholic score, and an amazing cast led by Jean-Louis Trintignant. The Conformist is everything you expect in a strong dramatic character study film from the brilliant Bertolucci.

Bernardo Bertolucci Reviews:

Last Tango in Paris (1972):

http://www.epinions.com/content_135414386308

1900 (1976):

http://www.epinions.com/content_298316238468

The Last Emperor (1987):

http://www.epinions.com/content_217375673988

The Sheltering Sky (1990):

http://www.epinions.com/content_400947711620

Stealing Beauty (1996):

http://www.epinions.com/content_231297814148

Besieged (1998):

(Coming Soon)

The Dreamers (2003):

http://www.epinions.com/content_135411764868



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age