The Illusion of Normality
The Conformist directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, shows the avant garde style, a style that can see by his odd camera angles, and exaggerated tilt of the lens.
The Conformist is a political drama showing the rise and fall of fascist Italy. It blends together the individual and his environment to create a master piece of modern cinema.
The film follows Marcello Clerici (played by Louis Trintignant) a weak minded man with the sole goal of being normal, a goal quickly forgotten after he is given a task by the secret police. Marcello is to travels to Paris with the instructions to assassinate his old college teacher professor Quadri, played by Enzo Tarascio, for his anti-fascist views.
Marcello as a person, is meant to be an analogy for the type of people that commits full heatedly to such a radical, polarizing ideology as Nazi fascism. And also, the social need of peoples for acceptance into a group, as a means of survival and normality.
The tools of fascist control based on fear and in group unification, that Barnardo portrays, could be seen as similar to the campaign of Donald Trump. Trumps stratifying ideas delivered through his charm and charisma is similar to the means and strategies used by fascist leaders to unite their citizens under one ideal and to point the citizens against the ones who are threatening the ideas and goals they have. Trump try to take away individualism for the same reason as the fascist, for the hopes that they will no longer think for themselves an rely on the thought of their leader to tell them what to do. Furthermore Trump and his parallels use scapegoats to explain root of their alleged problem, the Nazis used Jews and Trump is using Mexico. Blaming them for problems, however it could be said that trumps opinion about the Mexican crime problem as rooted more in factual evidence rather than illogical accusations
Saying things like with out them we would be great again. Getting the population of the country to unite against one common enemy, who can only be resolved through the guidance of the leader.
Marcello is the type of person that if an animal would be a coyote, a creature willing to do whatever it take, even chew through its own leg, to survive. Making, the reason for the name of the film clear based on Marcello’s behavior and character. A tragic deeply troubled man, due to the traumas of his life. You see that Marcello is looking for security. Marcello is a different type of person an image of which is, painted through a series of flashbacks, for one to see the conditions of life that must transpire to make a person like Marcello. Eventually leading the story full circle back to where the movie started, with Marcello traveling to Paris for a second try at the life of a man, who seems almost to be Marcello’s counter point. Quadri seems to be the opposite, type of a free thinking righteous person, with noble intentions.
The influence of Bernardos work is timeless. Aspects, of his films are seen in TV shows like the Sopranos and movies like The Godfather. The dark nature of his films have been nothing more than a hallmark of cinematic history that will be seen throughout the ages.
