Review of The Conformist (1971) by Eric H — 05 Jul 2015

Bernado Bertolucci's strange film 'The Conformist' tells the story of a fascist assassin. Although it's set in a historical milleau, it's striking cinematography emphasises fascist architecture in such a way that makes it feel more as if it was set in the sort of dystopian future Mussolini wanted to create, instead of the world he actually presided over.

At it's centre is a man without a moral centre, torn between assassinating his former professor (for the cause) or abandoning his mission to elope with the professor's wife: the two dance their way an erotic but weary and resigned flirtation before the decision is made.

The sense of detachment is intriguing but ultimately hollow."The Conformist" is a masterpiece of Eurarctic cinema. It treats the viewer to a series of elegantly composed shots while scrupulously avoiding any degree of engagement with the characters which might prove a distraction from the aesthetic riches.

When the protagonist visits his father in a lunatic asylum, the strikingly theatrical marble backdrop is accentuated, while any sense of emotional connection between father and son is wisely kept to a minimum.

Likewise, we are permitted to know almost nothing about the character whose assassination is planned, or his past relations with the would-be assassin, so as not to lure the viewer into an imaginative involvement which might compete with the beauty of the forest scene where the climax takes place.

This, thankfully, is a film of correct values, in which architecture and composition are rightly valued above human beings and their transient problems. The eye is greater than the heart. Actors can be graceful additions to scenery, as long as they don't commit the vulgar error of making you feel something.

I can think of no more effective critique of fascism.