Fifty years ago, on July 1, 1970, at the Berlin Film Festival, the premiere of the film "Conformist" by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci took place. The roles in the tape were performed by Jean-Louis Trentignan, Enzo Tarasho, Stephanie Sandrelli and Dominic Sanda.
The picture unfolds in Europe in the late 1930s. The young aristocrat Marcello Clerici receives an order from the Nazis to shoot his former teacher, a political dissident. The hero and his wife are sent from Rome to Paris. There Marcello meets with a professor and falls in love with his wife Anna. The young man tries to avoid murder and gives the gun to his assistant, but in the end both the teacher and his wife die.
At the end, we see heroes in July 1943, on the days when the Mussolini regime fell. Marcello draws parallels between the pressure exerted on him by the state and the sexual violence that he experienced in childhood. Thus, comparing personal history with political events, Bertolucci tried to look at fascism from the point of view of psychology - the director presented it as the result of complexes and repressed sexual desires.
The plot of the film is based on the novel of the same name by the Italian writer Alberto Moravia, published in 1951. For the film adaptation of the work was greatly revised. The book is narrated by a third person, but Bertolucci decided to focus on the main character, whose memories deliberately mislead the viewer. A broken chronology of events further enhances the sensation of a stream of consciousness.
To show why the hero becomes a fascist, Bertolucci rewrote the ending of the novel. According to the director, everything happening in Moravia is destined for fate, but it was much more interesting to demonstrate the power of the subconscious.
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By the way, at first the film was assembled by Roberto Perpignani, who adhered to the traditional linear approach to editing. Later, several scenes were remounted by Franco Arkalli. It was he who suggested the director to change the structure of the film by alternating the past and the present. Bertolucci liked the idea so much that he entrusted Arkalli with the entire tape.
Speaking about filming Conformist, Bertolucci noted his love for the atmosphere of the 1930s, which he was fascinated by, listening to his parents' stories and watching his favorite films. This vision is reflected in the scenery, costumes, staging.
Three-time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro acted as the operator of the picture. He worked on Bertolucci’s previous film Spider Strategy, and in the following years he shot six more films by the director.
In Conformist, Storaro and Bertolucci, using a combination of different shooting methods, managed to recreate an amazing atmosphere, show mastery of chiaroscuro, and also emphasize the feeling of hopelessness that the hero experiences.
The film is full of custom plans. In different frames, the camera is either located in the far corner of the room, then dangles above his head at a bird's flight, then takes pictures from afar. With the help of such techniques, filmmakers were able to convey both the inner experiences of the protagonist and the state of society in which he found himself.
In his work, Bertolucci relied heavily on German expressionism with its exaggerated, distorted forms, deep, heavy shadows and sharp contrasts characteristic of noir. Such lighting is used throughout the film. It is intended to demonstrate Marcello’s internal war with himself and the depth of his conscious and unconscious desires.
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It is known that when setting the frame, Storaro and the art director of the project Ferdinando Scarfiotti were inspired by the painting of the Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, famous for the game with light and shadow.
Game with Godard
Bernardo Bertolucci was a fan of the Franco-Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard. He was inspired by his work and always listened to the opinion of the master.
“I have not talked about this for decades, but Godard was a real guru for me. I believed that the history of cinema is divided into “before Godard” and “after Godard” - both before and after Christmas. Therefore, his opinion about the film was very important for me, ”the director said.
Bertolucci in many paintings in every way quoted and mentioned Godard. "Conformist" was no exception: the film showed the real address and telephone number of Jean-Luc, in the story belonging to the professor. Bertolucci assured that it was a kind of game, and “Conformist” in a sense was a film about him and his teacher Godard.
“I’m Marcello, I’m making a movie about fascists and I want to kill Godard, a revolutionary who makes revolutionary films, from whom I studied,” Bertolucci explained.
It is known that Godard did not appreciate this "game." Bertolucci said that after the premiere, the director approached him and, without saying a word, held out a note. On the sheet was an image of Mao Zedong and a short phrase: "You must fight against individualism and capitalism." Enraged, Bertolucci crumpled and threw the note away. But years later he regretted it - decided that it was worth leaving as a keepsake.
Many levels of "Conformist"
"Conformist" is not Bertolucci's first film, but his first work, which thundered throughout the world. As the director noted, with the help of this picture he could communicate with a wide audience, because it seems simple and understandable. At the same time, Bertolucci emphasized that for him, “Conformist”, on the contrary, turned out to be the most difficult tape.
“Starting the viewing, the viewer enters the level of“ reading ”that was lacking in Before the Revolution. There were many other levels in that film, but the very first - the reading level when viewed - was not in it. In "Conformist" this first level is - when there is an "entry" into the film and then the viewer does not experience any difficulties. But in fact, many other levels are hidden behind it, ”Bertolucci explained.
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Critics praised the picture. They noted the script, a complex combination of images, as well as the emotional impact of the tape on the viewer.
Lloyd Steele of the Los Angeles Free Press wrote that Bertolucci has long been an underrated director, but after Conformist's release, he should be one of the outstanding directors.
Criticism was also delighted that a person at the age of thirty can “give rise to the idea of a film of such depth, execute it in such a unique style and so thoroughly permeate it with the scale and limits of his (author's. - RT ) vision.”
Calum Marsh of The Village Voice called "Conformist" the most daring and expressive film of Bertolucci, because his hero is immersed in fascism not for power, but for comfort.
“Such a view, a kind of quasi-satirical thesis, makes Conformist’s more caustic and harsh criticism of fascism compared to the relatively crude work Twentieth Century. Those who were influenced by fascism are not portrayed as caricaturely cruel in Conformist. There is no need for this: their weakness, according to Bertolucci, speaks for itself, ”the critic writes.
At the Berlin Film Festival, where the premiere of Conformist was held, the film received a special award from journalists, as well as an award from the international evangelical jury. In addition, the tape was nominated for an Oscar for best adapted script and Golden Globe as the best foreign film.
Even more important is the contribution that Conformist has made to the global film industry. He set the direction for a new wave of Hollywood cinema, and also popularized a number of previously unreleased tricks.
"Conformist" had a strong influence on the work of many aspiring directors who took Bertolucci's picture as a revelation. Among those inspired by the Conformist are Francis Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. The complex structure of the film, symbolic shooting and some masterfully posed scenes are reflected in many films of subsequent years.