Review of The Conformist (1971) by Prach P — 14 May 2013

This has to be one of the most visually pleasing films I've seen. It's so beautiful that it has made Vittorio Storaro my favourite cinematographer yet.

There are two things, however, that detract from its achievement. The first is the fact that the film tries to discuss serious subjects - fascism and weakness of the will - in an unserious, playful, indulgent manner. The characters never display any serious political passions, despite the fact that some of them are political activists. This unwillingness to get serious results in its treatment of fascism and human psychology being superficial and naive.

Another thing that detracts from the film's greatness, is the fact that it tries to psychoanalyse while, at the same time, resisting getting into the mind of any of the characters. We can only infer the characters' thoughts from their outward behaviours (with only the aide, in the case of Marcello, of a few flashbacks of a single day in his childhood). But as their behaviours are so stylised (hence, unnatural), we can hardly understand what they are thinking.