The Conformist

(I am doing away with grading. It is too arbitrary, and who the fuck am I to give something a grade, especially something artistic.)

The Conformist (Il Conformista) is a cinematic depiction of fascism, the political movement that thrust the world into turmoil in the 1930s and 1940s. It is the story of a Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintingnant) a man driven by a sense of himself as someone a-typical, a drive which is fueled by the compliant nature of fascism itself. The pressure from within and without to conform leads him to complicity in an act that he ultimately finds repugnant.

In order to take the most away from The Conformist, one must have at least a working understanding of fascism. DJ Railsplitter is here to help. Crudely defined, fascism is the subordination of the individual to the collective. Mussolini referred to fascist Italy (which he governed, as head of the singular Fascist Party) as the "corporate state. Think of it as a corporation, a collection of individual interests united in one body with one collective purpose. Everyone must do their part, working towards a common goal. It is distinct from communism in that it does not entail strict state control of the economy or total public ownership of the means of production. Communist and fascists actually didn't get along too well (see: Spanish Civil War, World War II). This explanation would get me lampooned in any history or political science class, but we're talking film here people.

The Conformist is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and was released in 1971. Bertolucci adapted the screenplay from the novel by Alberto Moravia. It was photographer by Vittorio Storaro with production design by Ferdinando Scarfiotti. I don't always make a point to credit cinematographers (and even less production designers [not that they are not integral roles in film making]) but so many scenes in The Conformist are dripping with visual meaning that they deserve accolades. This movie is a visual depiction of fascism, and I will mention three scenes: a visit by Clerici to his father, who has been committed to an insane asylum, a dance in which everyone present joins hands and dances around Clerici in a circle that gradually becomes more and more suffocating, and scene which takes place in a ballet studio. It is difficult and kind of senseless to attempt to explain photographic symbolism if you haven't seen the movie. I recommend you see it.

Visually The Conformist is a depiction of fascism. While Clerici's story takes place within the historical frame of fascism, it could be the story of any man at any time who wants desperately to be normal; to feel as if he is walking in the middle of the road that society has laid out for him. He marries a woman who he doesn't really love, and who never had to go out of her way to be a conformist. Haunted by an event in his past, he finds himself not only getting in line, but stepping into the front line of the fascist secret police. Of course, the fascists eventually lose (see: World War II) and Clerici finds himself on the wrong side of the road, yet again.

The lesson, of course, is be yourself. Also, fascism blows. Also people wore really cool looking clothes in the 1930s.

Seriously, though, this movie is seriously awesome. There is a healthy amount of humor, and I actually laughed out loud several times. I hasten to add that the cinematography is not only meaningful but innovative and beautiful in its own right. Trintignant is a revelation; a truly brilliant performance. Bertolucci is a master, and he would follow Il Conformista with his consensus masterpiece, Last Tango in Paris.

In short, I recommend this film to those who consider themselves worthy of its recommendation.