Scalarama, the nationwide festival to celebrate cinema, continued in Nottingham with Screen 22’s presentation of Bernardo Bertolucci’s masterpiece The Conformist.
It is a rare beast to see a film that is regularly heralded as one of the greatest films ever made, and to not feel let down. Made in 1970, it tells the story of Marcello, a weak-willed coward who has spent his entire life accommodating others. Set in 1930’s Europe, it follows Marcello as he agrees to kill a political refugee on orders from the Fascist Government, despite the fact that his would-be-victim is his former college professor.
The Conformist is perfectly paced, masterfully shot and utterly compelling. It was the aesthetic inspiration for countless films that followed, including The Godfather. As a character study, it is faultless; few films provide a more comprehensive glimpse inside the conflicted mind. With its visual style straddling both the European arthouse and Hollywood neo-noir, it is not only Bertolucci’s best film, but also probably the finest film to emerge from that incredibly bountiful era of cinema. The Conformist is one of the few films that genuinely deserve the over-used moniker ‘masterpiece’.
As well as being a part of Scalarama, The Conformist was presented by one of Nottingham’s newest and most exciting film collectives, Watergate Cinematek. Having put on several films previously, including a double-bill screening of Vanishing Point and The Last Detail, this is their first foray away from American independent cinema. But as the introduction to The Conformist stated, as one of the greatest films of the seventies, it was a perfect match for Watergate, Scalarama, and the incredible Screen 22.
The Conformist was shown at Screen 22, as part of Scalarama, on Monday 8 September 2014. Scalarama continues throughout September.
Scalarama Nottingham listings
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