The Conformist (1970 film)

The Conformist
Theatrical release poster
ItalianIl conformista
Directed byBernardo Bertolucci
Screenplay byBernardo Bertolucci
Based onThe Conformist
by Alberto Moravia
Produced byMaurizio Lodi-Fè
Starring
CinematographyVittorio Storaro
Edited byFranco Arcalli
Music byGeorges Delerue
Production
companies
  • Mars Film Produzione
  • Marianne Productions
  • Maran Film
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 1 July 1970 (1970-07-01) (Berlin)
  • 7 October 1970 (1970-10-07) (Italy)
  • 17 February 1971 (1971-02-17) (France)
  • 16 April 1971 (1971-04-16) (West Germany)
Running time
108 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
  • West Germany
LanguageItalian
Budget$750,000[1][2]
Box office
  • 207.3 million (Italy)[2]
  • 570,149 admissions (France)[3]

The Conformist (Italian: Il conformista) is a 1970 political drama film written and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Alberto Moravia. It stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin, Enzo Tarascio, Fosco Giachetti, José Quaglio, Dominique Sanda and Pierre Clémenti. Set in 1930s Italy, The Conformist centers on a mid-level Fascist functionary (Trintignant) who is ordered to assassinate his former professor, an anti-Fascist dissident in Paris. His mission is complicated after he begins an affair with the professor's wife (Sanda).

An international co-production between Italian, French and West German companies, The Conformist opened at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival. It received widespread acclaim from critics, and appeared on several lists of the best films of 1970. Among other accolades, it won the David di Donatello for Best Film, the Sutherland Trophy, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The cinematography, by Vittorio Storaro, was also highly praised and launched his international career.[4]

Retrospective reviews have been equally positive, both towards the film's cinematic merits as well as its political content.[5] The film was highly influential towards later works, including Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy,[6] and has been cited as one of the greatest films of all time.[7][8]

In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage's 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that "have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978."[9]

  1. ^ Spilker, Eric (23 September 1970). "A Hit At N.Y. Fest, Bertolucci Wins A Sandwich And Paramount". Variety. p. 5.
  2. ^ a b Credits (booklet). RaroVideo. 2014. p. 4. BRRVD 088.
  3. ^ Soyer, Renaud (10 June 2014). "Jean Louis Trintignant Box Office". Box Office Story (in French). Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. ^ Sachs, Ben (13 October 2017). "In praise of The Conformist, one of the greatest-looking movies ever made". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  5. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (14 January 2023). "It's Time to See The Conformist Again". Vulture. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. ^ Sommerlad, Joe (26 November 2018). "How Bernardo Bertolucci inspired The Godfather and The Sopranos". The Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ Jeffries, Stuart (20 October 2010). "The Conformist: No 13 best arthouse film of all time". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  8. ^ "The 100 greatest foreign-language films". BBC. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Ecco i cento film italiani da salvare Corriere della Sera". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 28 February 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2021.

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