The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) | Jameson's Cinematic Century

A film series organized by the Franklin Humanities Institute's Future of Critical Thought initiative and Screen/Society

 

"One of the most visually ravishing films ever made, Bernardo Bertolucci’s international breakthrough was this landmark political thriller starring Jean-Louis Trintignant as a tormented intellectual in Mussolini’s Italy who is hired to assassinate his leftist college professor in Paris. Bertolucci wraps a psychosexual inquiry into the roots of fascism in a baroque palette of art deco design, expressionistic color, and dramatic noir lighting." -- Brooklyn Academy of Music

"Adapted from the novel by Alberto Moravia, The Conformist (Il conformista) is a luminous, political thriller that explores political violence, eroticism, and social conformity in Mussolini’s Italy." 
-- Cornell Cinema

"Few films feel more suited to a 4K restoration than Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist. The influence of its vibrant colours, competing light and shadow, and inventive framing can be seen in works from The Godfather series to The Sopranos. Francis Ford Coppola’s admiration was so great, he recruited the film’s cinematographer Vittorio Storaro for Apocalypse Now (which won Storaro a Best Cinematography Oscar)." -- Toronto International Film Festival