Bertolucci's The Conformist

1651 Words4 Pages

In The Conformist, Bertolucci’s sheds light on complex issues such as psychological effects of fascism and why one might conform to such a government. The film follows the complicated character of Marcello, a homosexual man with a traumatic homosexual experience in his childhood, which results in him becoming ashamed of his sexuality and begins to fear being shunned by society for it. Marcello deals with this shame by shutting down any homosexual desire he may have and becomes his idealized figure of normal; which at this time was a loyal and disciplined Fascist. Marcello learns how to conform perfectly by becoming a Fascist spy, but two significant people in Marcello’s life disrupt his path to becoming ‘normal’.

Marcello became a conformist to conceal his homosexuality. He is sexually awkward with his very attractive wife and compensates for it by bragging about his sex life with male companions, such as Italo. When Italo asks Marcello why he is marrying the simple-minded woman, he tells him “normalcy, stability, and security”. When Marcello spoke with the priest about how he’s pursuing a normal life he told the priest he is marrying a woman who is “all bed and kitchen”. He knows he is different from others and this …show more content…

The film follows the complicated character of Marcello, a homosexual man with a traumatic homosexual experience in his childhood, which results in him becoming ashamed of his sexuality and begins to fear being shunned by society for it. Marcello deals with this shame by shutting down any homosexual desire he may have and becomes his idealized figure of normal; which at this time was a loyal and disciplined Fascist. Marcello learns how to conform perfectly by becoming a Fascist spy, but two significant people in Marcello’s life disrupt his path to becoming

Open Document