The Conformist

  • November 16, 2016 / 19:00

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin, Enzo Tarascio, Fosco Giachetti, José Quaglio, Dominique Sanda, Pierre Clémenti
Italy-France-West Germany, 1970, 111’,  color, Italian, French with Turkish subtitles 

The story of the film takes place in the 1930s and 40s, during and after Mussolini’s time in power, and depicts the warm embrace given to fascism by the Italian bourgeoisie personified in a young man; the result is a study of the socio-psychological roots of fascist ideology.  This weak-willed “conformist” young man (Trintignant), who has bowed to social hysteria and accepted the new order without in the least questioning it, tries to come to terms with his past while becoming a hit man for his country in another country. In essence, The Conformist is a handbook for social advancement written for young men of the fascist era or an indictment against fascist collaborators. Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 1970, the film was nominated for the Golden Bear Award, receiving the “Interfilm Award” and the “Journalists’ Special Award”.

Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin

Le Mépris

Le Mépris

Rocco and His Brothers

Rocco and His Brothers

Hiroshima mon amour

Hiroshima mon amour

L’Atalante

L’Atalante

Hope

Hope

The Conformist

The Conformist

Bride

Bride

Persona

Persona

Metropolis

Metropolis

The Mirror

The Mirror

8 ½

8 ½

Salvatore Giuliano

Salvatore Giuliano

Trailer

The Conformist

The Ottoman Way of Serving Coffee

The Ottoman Way of Serving Coffee

Coffee was served with much splendor at the harems of the Ottoman palace and mansions. First, sweets (usually jam) was served on silverware, followed by coffee serving. The coffee jug would be placed in a sitil (brazier), which had three chains on its sides for carrying, had cinders in the middle, and was made of tombac, silver or brass. The sitil had a satin or silk cover embroidered with silver thread, tinsel, sequin or even pearls and diamonds.

Girl in a Blue Dress

Girl in a Blue Dress

This life-size portrait of a girl is a fine example of the British art of portrait painting in the early 18th century. The child is shown posing on a terrace, which is enclosed at the right foreground by the plinth of a pillar; the background is mainly filled with trees and shrubs. 

Chlebowski’s Sultan

Chlebowski’s Sultan

This is one of Stanisław Chlebowski’s larger canvasses dealing with themes other than battles; only Ottoman Life at the Sweet Waters now at the Istanbul Military Museum can compare with it in size.