The Conformist (1970), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, is one of the most influential political dramas in cinema history. Blending psychological depth, surreal visuals, and political critique, the film explores how a man sacrifices morality for a sense of belonging. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the movie across all the requested categories.
Detailed Summary
Marcello’s Early Trauma and Desire to “Fit In”
The story follows Marcello Clerici, a man desperate to appear normal in a society obsessed with fascist ideologies. His need to conform stems from a traumatic childhood event involving a predatory chauffeur. This incident leads Marcello to seek a life defined by order and obedience, fearing anything that might label him as deviant or abnormal.
Marcello’s Recruitment by the Fascist Secret Police
As an adult, Marcello is recruited by the Fascist secret police. Eager to demonstrate loyalty, he agrees to infiltrate and ultimately assist in eliminating his former professor, Quadri, an outspoken anti-fascist intellectual living in exile in Paris. Marcello rationalizes his involvement as a mere bureaucratic duty, but the film gradually reveals his internal moral collapse.
Marcello’s Marriage and the Façade of Normal Life
Marcello marries Giulia, a woman he doesn’t truly love but believes will make him appear stable and respectable. These sections expose the emptiness of bourgeois life under Fascism. The honeymoon trip to Paris becomes the setting for intersecting political and emotional tensions.
Anna: The Alluring Disruption
In Paris, Marcello meets Quadri’s wife, Anna, who instantly fascinates him. Her confidence, boldness, and sex appeal represent everything Marcello represses. Anna sees through Marcello’s fragile identity and mocks his devotion to conformity. Their unsettling flirtations reveal his deep conflict between desire and obedience.
The Assassination Plot
Marcello becomes instrumental in planning Professor Quadri’s murder. The film’s tension builds as Marcello’s moral paralysis grows. He says little but observes everything, silently torn between his conscience and his desire to remain accepted by the regime. His passivity becomes an even greater crime than action.
Movie Ending
The final act is one of the most chilling endings in political cinema. Marcello, fully aware that Anna and her husband are targets, refuses to warn them. In one of the film’s most iconic sequences, set in a snowy forest, Fascist agents ambush the couple. Anna screams for Marcello, recognizing him as the only person she might convince to intervene. Marcello stands still, watching silently as both are brutally murdered.
This moment reveals the core tragedy of the film: Marcello’s obsessive need to appear normal leads him to participate in extraordinary cruelty. His conformity becomes an instrument of violence.
Years later, after the fall of Fascism in 1943, Marcello wanders the streets of Rome and runs into the chauffeur from his childhood, who he thought he had killed. In an attempt to distance himself from his past, Marcello publicly denounces the chauffeur as a fascist and murderer. But his hypocrisy is overheard by a young man nearby.
In the final shot, Marcello stares at the young man illuminated by firelight—a symbolic reminder that the cycle of repression, desire, and conformity continues. This closing image underscores the film’s bleak message: the psychological roots of fascism do not disappear with political collapse.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No. The Conformist (1970) contains no post-credits scenes. Its ending is complete, self-contained, and artistically final.
Type of Movie
The Conformist is a psychological political drama infused with arthouse sensibilities. It blends historical commentary with surreal, dreamlike cinematography to explore the psychology of fascism and conformity.
Cast
- Jean-Louis Trintignant as Marcello Clerici
- Stefania Sandrelli as Giulia
- Dominique Sanda as Anna Quadri
- Enzo Tarascio as Professor Quadri
- Gastone Moschin as Manganiello
Film Music and Composer
The soundtrack is composed by Georges Delerue, whose haunting, lyrical themes enhance the film’s blend of tension, melancholy, and political dread.
Filming Locations and Their Importance
- Rome, Italy
- Paris, France
- Turin, Italy
These cities serve as symbolic landscapes. Rome represents rigid Fascist architecture and authoritarian oppression. Paris, portrayed with warm, fluid lighting, symbolizes intellectual freedom and repressed desire. Turin’s stark, geometric settings give the film its iconic visual austerity. The contrast between these locations deepens the narrative’s psychological symbolism.
Awards and Nominations
The film received multiple international accolades, including:
- 1971 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director
- Nastro d’Argento for Best Cinematography
- It later became a fixture on numerous “Greatest Films of All Time” lists and heavily influenced directors like Coppola and Scorsese.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- Bertolucci drew extensively from his own political awakening during Italy’s Fascist and post-Fascist periods.
- The film’s acclaimed cinematography by Vittorio Storaro used innovative lighting techniques, including deliberate geometric shadows representing political repression.
- Jean-Louis Trintignant initially found Marcello difficult to interpret because the character hides everything beneath a calm surface.
- Many scenes were improvised to emphasize emotional spontaneity, especially those between Marcello and Anna.
- Bertolucci instructed actors to “act with their bodies, not just their voices,” contributing to the film’s dance-like visual rhythm.
Inspirations and References
- Based on Alberto Moravia’s 1951 novel, The Conformist.
- Influenced by European modernist art, including German Expressionism.
- Storaro drew inspiration from Fascist-era architecture to heighten the film’s oppressive visual symbolism.
- The film’s structure echoes psychoanalytic theory, especially ideas surrounding repression and authoritarian psychology.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
No official alternate ending is known. However:
- Several character-centric scenes were shortened to maintain the film’s dreamlike pacing.
- An extended version of Marcello’s childhood trauma was shot but removed for being too explicit.
- A longer scene with Anna confronting Marcello existed in script drafts but was never filmed.
Book Adaptations and Differences
The film is an adaptation of Moravia’s novel, but Bertolucci introduced significant changes:
- The novel is more focused on Marcello’s psychology; the film emphasizes political and visual symbolism.
- Bertolucci removed several philosophical monologues to keep the story more ambiguous and cinematic.
- Anna’s character is more complex and charismatic in the film than in the novel.
- The snowy assassination scene—arguably the film’s most iconic—is only lightly referenced in the book and expanded dramatically for the screen.
Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- Marcello’s psychological confession session with the blind priest.
- Anna dancing in the Paris apartment, symbolizing freedom and temptation.
- The forest assassination sequence, one of the most visually stunning murders in film history.
- The final confrontation by the ruins in Rome, marking Marcello’s total moral collapse.
Iconic Quotes
- “You think you’re normal? Everyone dreams of being normal.”
- “I want to be like everyone else.”
- “Conscience is a luxury only for those who can afford it.”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- Storaro uses blue and amber lighting as a visual metaphor for Marcello’s internal conflict.
- The blind fascist functionaries symbolize the willful blindness of authoritarian societies.
- The recurring geometric patterns echo the rigid order Marcello craves.
- Anna’s first appearance mirrors a famous still from Jean-Luc Godard’s films, referencing the French New Wave’s political cinema.
Trivia
- Bertolucci was only 29 when he made the film.
- Coppola hired Storaro for Apocalypse Now partly because of this movie.
- The film is frequently studied in film schools for its lighting and set design.
- It’s considered one of the most influential films in shaping modern visual storytelling.
Why Watch?
Because it’s one of the greatest political and psychological films ever made, blending surreal beauty with chilling moral commentary. The film is visually striking, intellectually provocative, and emotionally haunting. If you enjoy cinema that challenges your mind as much as your senses, this is essential viewing.
Director’s Other Movies
- Before the Revolution (1964)
- Last Tango in Paris (1972)
- 1900 (1976)
- The Last Emperor (1987)
- The Sheltering Sky (1990)
- Little Buddha (1993)
- Stealing Beauty (1996)
Recommended Films for Fans
- The Last Emperor (1987)
- Z (1969)
- Blow-Up (1966)
- The Passenger (1975)
- The Battle of Algiers (1966)
