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The Conformist

Original title: Il conformista
  • 19701970
  • RR
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
30K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Jean-Louis Trintignant, Dominique Sanda, and Stefania Sandrelli in Il conformista (1970)
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Play trailer1:12
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99+ Photos
  • Drama

A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.

IMDb RATING
7.9/10
30K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Writers
    • Alberto Moravia(novel)
    • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
    • Lee Kresel(written by: English version)
  • Stars
    • Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Stefania Sandrelli
    • Gastone Moschin
Top credits
  • Director
    • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Writers
    • Alberto Moravia(novel)
    • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
    • Lee Kresel(written by: English version)
  • Stars
    • Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Stefania Sandrelli
    • Gastone Moschin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 123User reviews
    • 124Critic reviews
    • 100Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 10 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos2

    Trailer originale italiano [OV]
    Trailer 1:12
    Trailer originale italiano [OV]
    The Conformist
    Trailer 1:41
    The Conformist

    Photos624

    Benedetto Benedetti and Dominique Sanda in Il conformista (1970)
    Dominique Sanda and Stefania Sandrelli in Il conformista (1970)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant, Dominique Sanda, and Stefania Sandrelli in Il conformista (1970)
    Stefania Sandrelli and Enzo Tarascio in Il conformista (1970)
    Dominique Sanda and Stefania Sandrelli in Il conformista (1970)
    Bernardo Bertolucci and Vittorio Storaro in Il conformista (1970)
    Il conformista (1970)
    Il conformista (1970)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant in Il conformista (1970)
    Il conformista (1970)
    Il conformista (1970)
    Il conformista (1970)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Marcello Clericias Marcello Clerici
    Stefania Sandrelli
    Stefania Sandrelli
    • Giuliaas Giulia
    Gastone Moschin
    Gastone Moschin
    • Manganielloas Manganiello
    Enzo Tarascio
    • Professor Quadrias Professor Quadri
    Fosco Giachetti
    Fosco Giachetti
    • Il colonnelloas Il colonnello
    José Quaglio
    José Quaglio
    • Italo Montanarias Italo Montanari
    Yvonne Sanson
    Yvonne Sanson
    • Madre di Giuliaas Madre di Giulia
    Milly
    Milly
    • Madre di Marcelloas Madre di Marcello
    Antonio Maestri
    • Confessoreas Confessore
    Alessandro Haber
    Alessandro Haber
    • Cieco ubriacoas Cieco ubriaco
    Luciano Rossi
    Luciano Rossi
    • Biondo ciecoas Biondo cieco
    Massimo Sarchielli
    Massimo Sarchielli
    • Ciecoas Cieco
    Pierangelo Civera
    • Franzas Franz
    Giuseppe Addobbati
    Giuseppe Addobbati
    • Padre di Marcelloas Padre di Marcello
    Christian Aligny
    • Raoulas Raoul
    • (as Cristian Alegny)
    Carlo Gaddi
    • Hired Killeras Hired Killer
    Umberto Silvestri
    • Hired Killeras Hired Killer
    Furio Pellerani
    • Hired Killeras Hired Killer
    • Director
      • Bernardo Bertolucci
    • Writers
      • Alberto Moravia(novel)
      • Bernardo Bertolucci(screenplay)
      • Lee Kresel(written by: English version)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    This story opens in 1938 in Rome, where Marcello has just taken a job working for Mussollini and is courting a beautiful young woman who will make him even more of a conformist. Marcello is going to Paris on his honeymoon and his bosses have an assignment for him there. Look up an old professor who fled Italy when the fascists came into power. At the border of Italy and France, where Marcello and his bride have to change trains, his bosses give him a gun with a silencer. In a flashback to 1917, we learn why sex and violence are linked in Marcello's mind. —Dale O'Connor <daleoc@interaccess.com>
    • fascist
    • italy
    • assassination
    • political assassination
    • italian fascism
    • 122 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Bertolucci's Masterpiece about Sex and Politics [re-release]
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Clerici asks the operator to connect him with Professor Quadri, the telephone number he gives is the (one-time) telephone number of Bernardo Bertolucci's idol Jean-Luc Godard. When Quadri answers the phone, Clerici recalls one of his lectures in which Quadri said "The time for reflection is over. Now is the time for action." This is the opening line in Godard's film Le petit soldat (1963).
    • Goofs
      A radio tower appears in a flashback to Marcello's Rome boyhood in 1917.
    • Quotes

      Italo: A normal man? For me, a normal man is one who turns his head to see a beautiful woman's bottom. The point is not just to turn your head. There are five or six reasons. And he is glad to find people who are like him, his equals. That's why he likes crowded beaches, football, the bar downtown...

      Marcello: At Piazza Venice.

      Italo: He likes people similar to himself and does not trust those who are different. That's why a normal man is a true brother, a true citizen, a true patriot...

      Marcello: A true fascist.

    • Alternate versions
      The "Dance of the Blind" sequence was restored for the 1994 re-issue of the film. This had been cut for the American release. Contrary to early reports, the DVD released by Paramount does include this scene.
    • Connections
      Edited into The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Chi È Più Felice Di Me?
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Cesare A. Bixio

      Arranged by Georges Delerue

    User reviews123

    Review
    Top review
    One of the greatest films ever made.
    I have been a fan of Bertolucci for quite a while now - his recent films like "Stealing Beauty" and "The Dreamers" make my all-time favourites' list, while his acclaimed "The Last Emperor", which I saw years ago, didn't make me a great impression: it was definitely a well-made epic, just didn't fascinate me like some of his other films. Same thing with his controversial "Last Tango in Paris": other than Marlon Brando's devastating performance, which will always be a must-see for those who admire raw acting, the film's daring (for its time) approach to sexuality is now outdated, and the film is rather dull in its apparently liberal speech (the fact that I'm not exactly a Maria Schneider fan doesn't help). And last night, I finally watched the extraordinary "The Conformist", arguably his masterpiece and undoubtedly one of the greatest films ever made.

    Based on a novel by Italian author Albert Moravia (who also wrote the novel that inspired Godard's "Contempt"), "The Conformist" is the story of a closeted homosexual, Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who becomes a fascist yes-man, marrying a clueless girl, Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli) and going to Paris for their honeymoon. Marcello's bosses ask him to kill his old college mentor, Quadri (Enzo Tarascio), an anti-fascist who fled Italy to live in Paris with his young, beautiful and idealistic wife, Anna (Dominique Sanda). Anna and Marcello are former lovers, but that's not the only pitfall in Marcello's plan, nor is it stronger than his tragic conformism to an exacerbated political regime and the fear of living as a "pederast"/having his homosexuality made public.

    The political factor is an open part of the plot, while Marcello's sexuality is very ambiguous (he seems to have real feelings for Anna, yet a childhood trauma and a homophobic attitude show his tragic character formation). "The Conformist" works as a riveting political thriller and a haunting character study, and it's impossible to praise this film without mentioning Vittorio Storaro's breath-taking cinematography, possibly his greatest (and that's saying a lot) and certainly one of the very best in film history. The whole film is so beautifully shot that every scene seems to be taken out of a painting; it could perfectly be photographed now rather than 38 years ago and it wouldn't look any better. The performances are all magnificent, particularly Trintignant, Sandrelli and Sanda, each perfectly portraying blind rage, ignorance and idealism, respectively. All in all, as close to perfection as film-making gets, and as timeless as its main themes (politics, conformism and sexuality) - if you think this couldn't happen today, take a look around and tell me how many gay Republicans you know?

    10/10.
    helpful•38
    16
    • Benedict_Cumberbatch
    • Aug 10, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 21, 1971 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • French
      • Latin
      • Chinese
    • Also known as
      • Der große Irrtum
    • Filming locations
      • Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Mars Film
      • Marianne Productions
      • Maran Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $750,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $58,657
    • Gross worldwide
      • $400,747
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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