89. The Conformist (1970) - Bernado Bertolucci

89. The Conformist (1970) - Bernando Bertolucci

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

Bernando Bertolucci's The Conformist is a complex movie about the links between poltical ideas and sexuality set around the time of Italian facism.

The Conformist has the look and feel of a great film noir and at the same time borrows heavily from the works of Fritz Lang and German Expressionism to create a unique feel which grabbed my attention from the first frame.

Although the editing of the movie and the Tarantino non-linear style makes the first viewing hard work, I was compeltely enthralled by the images of the what I was seeing. On second viewing however, you can see why the director chose to shoot it in this way and the plot makes much more sense and the movie then becomes more than just a visual delight.

Since I saw this movie, I have watched many more Bertolucci movies (one more to come in this list) and each time I been wowed by the great visuals and how he shoots the beautiful actresses he casts.

This movie clearly isn't for everybody with it's deep psychoanlaysis into the human sexual psyche but if you can manage to stick with it from the beginning to the end and not switch off then you will find a movie which carries some important messages.

And the heartbreaking climax in the woods must rival Miller's Crossing for the best way to shoot a scene in the forest.