Samantha Souza

Anthony Kaufman

Intro to Cinema Studies

Spring 2010

The Conformist Reaction Paper

Bernardo Bertolucci’s visual masterpiece, The Conformist, employs elements of

mise-en-scene to further illustrate the films central themes. There are numerous instances

where the camera follows its protagonist, Marcello, in an untraditional manner for film at

the time. This mirrors the way Marcello and Manganiello are following the professor and

Anna throughout the film. The way each scene of the film is framed, the relationship

between the characters and their surroundings, gives a very theatrical quality to the film.

Each different location gives a distinctive sense of color and light. Some shots appear to

be bluer than others, some more orange. When Marcello tells the professor the story

about lights and shadows in his office when he first visits him, it is clear that not only

was light and shadow important to Marcello, but it was important to the filmmakers

behind The Conformist. Color, shadow, and light are not the only things that give this

film a distinct look and feel. From the moments when we first meet Giulia, where the

light peeks through the blinds in ribbons, to the blue overtones when she is shopping with

Anna in Paris, to the constant color changes in the train car as the countryside changes

the color of the car, there are brilliant moments of color and light alteration that are

clearly intentional by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. Camera angles, the framing of

each shot, and the fluidity of the camera as it follows its subjects are what make The

Conformist one of the most celebrated works of cinematography.