Customer Reviews
One of the best movies ever made - By: James the King, 10 Jan 2008 
Sweeping statement my title may be but, in this cineaste's humble opinion, The Conformist is indeed one of cinema's most impressive & accomplished achievements.
Bertolucci has always been a hit-or-miss director for me. His first film, La Commare Secca, did not impress me. His next, Prima della Revoluzione, is a wonderful film. This is the guy who managed to make The Last Emperor but also made Little Buddha. He was also responsible for The Sheltering Sky & Last Tango in Paris so, for my money, the pros outweigh the cons. The Conformist, for me, is his masterpiece.
The story involves a man who works for the Fascist police in 1940's Italy, not because he believes in the cause but because he wants to create "the image of normality". From this simple idea, Bertolucci & Alberto Moravia (whose novel was the basis for the script) weave a masterful psychodrama about mankind's inability to think for himself.
Vittorio Storraro's cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking in terms of its capacity to mirror the protagonist's mindstate, & Jean Louis Trintignant is a miracle in the title role.
Cinematicallly, sociologicallly & politicallly, this is one of the most important films ever made. It is also a journey of personal discovery that is far from easy, but is possibly the most rewarding cinematic experience I have ever been lucky enough to have.
I waited for years for a DVD to be released & was ecstatic when this issue hit the shelves. Despite claiming to be an extended cut, this release is in fact the film as Bertolucci made it. One scene was cut for the original American release but has been reinstated for this DVD.
Cited by the great Andrei Tarkovsky as a masterpiece of political cinema (though he was considerably less complimentary about Bertolucci's next film, Last Tango in Paris), this is an invaluable piece of art which deserves to be seen by anyone & everyone with the capacity to fully embrace it.
Bertolucci's vision of fascist peer pressure - By: olofpalme63, 26 Mar 2007 So desperate is Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant who also starred as a hit-man in "The Outside Man") to lead a normal life after he suffers through the psychological trauma of a sexual confrontation with the family chauffeur (played by the bizarre Pierre Clementi) when he was a child. As an adult he eventuallly succumbs to the political upheavals of Hitler's Nazi machine during the 1930's & conforms to Prime Minister Mussolini's fascist regime of Italy. Working as an agent for the government he's assigned a mission to assassinate a college professor in Paris France whom Mussolini believes to be a threat to the fascist party. The murder is to take place while he's honeymooning with his newly wedded wife played to perfection by the lovely & charming Stefania Sandrelli (who starred in the contoversial film "Desideria" & Bertolucci's "Partner"), who also manages to steal every scene she's in.
While ploting the assassination in Paris he encounters a problem by fallling in love with the professor's wife (Dominque Sanda, who also starred in Bertolucci's "1900"). Matters are further complicated not only by his attraction to the professor's wife, but his marriage as well as his (manufactured) loyalty to the fascist regime. The eventual ending indicates what the title is & what he's always been throughout his life. Lavishly shot by the brilliant Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now & Last Tango In Paris), this is considered Bernardo (The Spider's Stratagem & The Last Emporer) Bertolucci's "breakthrough" film & perhaps his greatest acheivement in cinema as he was also nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay. This mesmerizing look at the social values of World War II Italy is not to be missed & remains one of the alll-time great films of the 70's.
olofpalme63
