The Conformist (1970) by Bernardo Bertolucci — The Psychology of Totalitarianism
Details
Set in 1930's Italy, a repressed, weak-willed bureaucrat has spent his life accommodating others, in search for a sense of belonging. When he is drawn into the fascist party, he agrees to assassinate a political dissident who turns out to be his former college professor.
Richly designed to reflect the fashions and imposing architecture of the Mussolini era, the film is stunningly shot by Vittorio Storaro, whose gleaming, dynamic cinematography later proved an inspiration to American directors such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.
"Illustrates a psychological and political phenomenon that is still very much with us, in which an individual surrenders his autonomy, his sense of right and wrong, and his ability to tell truth from lies, and willingly enslaves himself to a dominant ideology." (Salon)
"A commentary on fascism and beauty alike. . . Storaro and Bertolucci have fashioned a visual masterpiece in The Conformist, with some of the best use of light and shadow ever in a motion picture." (Rotten Tomatoes)
"Juggling past and present with the same bravura flourish as Welles in Citizen Kane, Bertolucci conjures a dazzling historical and personal perspective, demonstrating how the search for normality ends in the inevitable discovery that there is no such thing." (Time Out)
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Let's discuss the movie The Conformist (1970) directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, recently voted the 93rd greatest movie of all time in Sight and Sound's international survey of film directors. Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg all cite the movie as a profound influence on their films. Coppola lured Bertolucci's director of photography, Vittorio Storaro, to the Philippines to bring his talents to bear on Apocalypse Now. The film was highly influential on Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy.
Please watch the movie in advance.
You can stream it with a viewing link posted here.
We'll be joined by other participants from the Toronto Philosophy Meetup at this meeting — https://www.meetup.com/the-toronto-philosophy-meetup/
Check out other online film discussions in the group happening every Friday, Monday, and occasionally other days.