The "conformist" of the title is Marcello Clerici, a member of Mussolini's secret police during the 1930s. He is ordered to assassinate his former college professor, Luca Quadri, who is now living in exile in Paris because of his opposition to the Fascist regime. While in Paris, Clerici pays a visit to Quadri and, even though he himself has recently got married, flirts with the professor's beautiful young wife Anna. Scenes of Clerici's stay in Paris are intercut with flashbacks to his past, including his boyhood and his courtship of his wife Giulia.
The reason why Clerici is referred to as a "conformist" is that he has an intense desire to conform to whatever are the prevailing social and political values. This desire is only partly motivated by careerism. It is also rooted in a psychological need for acceptance to demonstrate, both to the outside world and to himself, that he is "normal" and not an outsider or misfit. He is a cultivated, intelligent and educated man, and is not himself a convinced Fascist- indeed, he appears to have few, if any, political convictions- but has gone along with the regime because, in a one-party state, membership of the sole permitted party is essential to success in one's career and to social acceptance.
Clerici's need to conform goes beyond politics. He does not love Giulia, but marries her because, in the socially conservative atmosphere of Fascist Italy, a traditional heterosexual marriage is seen as the social norm. Mussolini was an atheist, but for propaganda purposes liked to pose as the defender of Catholic orthodoxy, and had his own civil marriage converted to a religious one after becoming dictator. Clerici likewise lacks any religious beliefs, but is prepared to follow his leader's example and have a church wedding. He has no personal animosity against Quadri but is nevertheless prepared to kill him to demonstrate his supposed loyalty to the system. Indeed, one could say that Clerici's conformism functions as his secret weapon. Quadri instinctively, and correctly, senses his former pupil's lack of intellectual enthusiasm for the regime he serves. Unfortunately, this leads the professor to conclude, incorrectly, that he can trust him. Had Clerici been an obvious Fascist loyalist, Quadri might have been more on his guard.
Bertolucci suggests that Clerici's conformism is rooted in his past. He was from a wealthy family but had an unhappy childhood; he was bullied at school and sexually molested by the family's chauffeur, Lino, whom he shot in revenge. His father has now become insane and his mother a drug addict. He seems to be driven by the psychological need to prove that, despite his troubled history, he is still "normal". The Lino episode is related during a scene in which Clerici makes his confession to a priest. This confession is a pure formality; it is a prerequisite to his church wedding. Clerici is not seeking forgiveness from God, in whom he does not believe, but there is an implication that he needs to seek forgiveness from himself.
I have never read Alberto Moravia's novel on which the film is based, but a story like this could have served as the basis for a fascinating movie. Unfortunately, "The Conformist" is not that movie. Jean-Louis Trintignant is not particularly convincing as Clerici; he did not, apparently, speak Italian and his lines had to be dubbed. Using a French actor might have helped the film in the international market- this was officially an Italian/French/German co-production- but I felt it might have been better with an Italian in the role.
The main problem is that too much is left unclear or unexplained. How deep, for example, are Clerici's feelings for Anna Quadri? Does she return his feelings? In a scene towards the end Clerici claims to recognise Lino, now an old man, whom he believes he killed. What is the truth? Did Lino, unknown to Clerici, survive that shooting? Or is Clerici mistaken in his belief that the old man is Lino? Throughout the film Bertolucci seems to be hinting that Clerici's desperate need for acceptance is rooted in repressed homosexuality, implying that at some deeper level he welcomed Lino's advances and shot him out of feelings of guilt, not repulsion. If Clerici were secretly gay, this would explain a number of things, such as his lack of any real affection for the attractive Giulia. This was, however, a theme which needed to be explored in a lot more detail to do it justice; possibly Italian censorship restrictions meant that it could not be.
There are some good things about the film, such as the photography of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who is able to create a sense of space recalling the monumental architecture of the Fascist era; many buildings of the time are featured. Overall, however, I felt that Bertolucci was self-consciously trying to make a masterpiece but never quite bringing it off. 6/10
The reason why Clerici is referred to as a "conformist" is that he has an intense desire to conform to whatever are the prevailing social and political values. This desire is only partly motivated by careerism. It is also rooted in a psychological need for acceptance to demonstrate, both to the outside world and to himself, that he is "normal" and not an outsider or misfit. He is a cultivated, intelligent and educated man, and is not himself a convinced Fascist- indeed, he appears to have few, if any, political convictions- but has gone along with the regime because, in a one-party state, membership of the sole permitted party is essential to success in one's career and to social acceptance.
Clerici's need to conform goes beyond politics. He does not love Giulia, but marries her because, in the socially conservative atmosphere of Fascist Italy, a traditional heterosexual marriage is seen as the social norm. Mussolini was an atheist, but for propaganda purposes liked to pose as the defender of Catholic orthodoxy, and had his own civil marriage converted to a religious one after becoming dictator. Clerici likewise lacks any religious beliefs, but is prepared to follow his leader's example and have a church wedding. He has no personal animosity against Quadri but is nevertheless prepared to kill him to demonstrate his supposed loyalty to the system. Indeed, one could say that Clerici's conformism functions as his secret weapon. Quadri instinctively, and correctly, senses his former pupil's lack of intellectual enthusiasm for the regime he serves. Unfortunately, this leads the professor to conclude, incorrectly, that he can trust him. Had Clerici been an obvious Fascist loyalist, Quadri might have been more on his guard.
Bertolucci suggests that Clerici's conformism is rooted in his past. He was from a wealthy family but had an unhappy childhood; he was bullied at school and sexually molested by the family's chauffeur, Lino, whom he shot in revenge. His father has now become insane and his mother a drug addict. He seems to be driven by the psychological need to prove that, despite his troubled history, he is still "normal". The Lino episode is related during a scene in which Clerici makes his confession to a priest. This confession is a pure formality; it is a prerequisite to his church wedding. Clerici is not seeking forgiveness from God, in whom he does not believe, but there is an implication that he needs to seek forgiveness from himself.
I have never read Alberto Moravia's novel on which the film is based, but a story like this could have served as the basis for a fascinating movie. Unfortunately, "The Conformist" is not that movie. Jean-Louis Trintignant is not particularly convincing as Clerici; he did not, apparently, speak Italian and his lines had to be dubbed. Using a French actor might have helped the film in the international market- this was officially an Italian/French/German co-production- but I felt it might have been better with an Italian in the role.
The main problem is that too much is left unclear or unexplained. How deep, for example, are Clerici's feelings for Anna Quadri? Does she return his feelings? In a scene towards the end Clerici claims to recognise Lino, now an old man, whom he believes he killed. What is the truth? Did Lino, unknown to Clerici, survive that shooting? Or is Clerici mistaken in his belief that the old man is Lino? Throughout the film Bertolucci seems to be hinting that Clerici's desperate need for acceptance is rooted in repressed homosexuality, implying that at some deeper level he welcomed Lino's advances and shot him out of feelings of guilt, not repulsion. If Clerici were secretly gay, this would explain a number of things, such as his lack of any real affection for the attractive Giulia. This was, however, a theme which needed to be explored in a lot more detail to do it justice; possibly Italian censorship restrictions meant that it could not be.
There are some good things about the film, such as the photography of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who is able to create a sense of space recalling the monumental architecture of the Fascist era; many buildings of the time are featured. Overall, however, I felt that Bertolucci was self-consciously trying to make a masterpiece but never quite bringing it off. 6/10