Download (12MB) - University of Salford Institutional Repository
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school's adjoining room where Anna offers herself to Clerici, a stylistic effect related to the fact that 'she is going to the slaughterhouse> (Goldin, 1972: 65). In general, reiterating the auteurist influence that Bertolucci considers himself to have on his work, a notion to which this study generally subscribes while also highlighting the assistance of other professionals in certain productions, the director unambiguously declared his involvement in controlling the lighting of The Conformist 'in the old, truly professional classical sense' (Goldin, 1972: 65). A good example of the colour scheme and lighting is featured in the sequence portraying a dramatic moment of truth for Clerici, during which the colour scheme is nearly reduced to black and white and the low-key noir photography is used almost didactically. Set in the kitchen of the dance hall, the take depicts Manganiello aggressively questioning Clerici's ambiguous behaviour. To free himself Clerici knocks a ceiling light which swings in front of his face, so that it is kept partly in shadow; the effect continues even when the struggle has finished. This oscillation of darkness and light arguably represents Clerici's hesitation over deciding between life and death for Quadri. The scene's closure is equally symbolic, the camera lingering on Clerici who stands against the wall in complete darkness, underlining the fact that he has failed to extricate himself from the mission, and implying that his last hope for personal salvation has gone. This symbolic use of the contrast between light and dark reaches its apex in the scene which portrays the insidiousness of the Fascist regime while also conveying Bertolucci's perspective about the responsibilities of the bourgeoisie during that period. The scene is important because it features a character and narrative events entirely invented by Bertolucci: Italo, a blind intellectual who is a political commentator at a radio station, introduces Clerici to 'II Colonnello', who works for the secret police. The spatial organization of the radio station set is emblematic with two areas separated by a glass partition; one is occupied by a female trio singing a cheerful song 'Who is happier than me?\ and it is powerfully 194
illuminated as if to imply the bright future that the regime promised. On the opposite side, the area in which Italo and Clerici are initially framed, and which features Clerici and 'II Colonnello' soon after, is characterized by shadows. The three men are dressed in dark colours and talk intensely, and Bertolucci occasionally cuts to a position beyond the partition so that the sound of their voices is eliminated. At other times, it is the song that is eliminated by a reverse shot framing Clerici as he gazes through the partition at the radiant trio (see image). These contrasting visual elements represent the hidden side of the regime that was very different from its propaganda and infinitely more menacing. The scenario functions as a metaphor for the period as a whole. Italo represents the intellectuals who were blinded by the idea of Italy becoming powerful again - the marble map of the Roman Empire that was, and still is, displayed on the facade of the Ahare della Patria in Rome is emblematic of the references to the Roman period made by Fascism. Italo's blindness is emphasized by the speech that he delivers at the radio station, entitled 'Mystique of an Alliance' which refers to the alliance between Germany and Italy. The title implies something sacred to be revealed only to enlightened minds, and indeed the sacred, applied to the Party, was typical of the regime's rhetoric. In this context, there is a significant moment when, in the darker area of the radio station set, only the lower part of Italo's face is illuminated by a lamp. This lighting casts shadows of his hands and papers and adds an extra, ethereal dimension to his visual representation, making Italo a minister of the regime in a spiritual as well as a political sense. This scene, elaborated by Bertolucci, emphasizes the inability of intellectuals - such as Italo and not Clerici as Kolker assumes (Kolker, 1985: 96) - to 'see' the insidiousness of a political system that manipulated people's perspectives, a regime that plotted murders under cover of the superficially harmonious social order, 195
- Page 147 and 148: Bertolucci, B. (1967) 'Versus Godar
- Page 149 and 150: compositions; the outcome is a dens
- Page 151 and 152: Like Pirandello's protagonists, Pau
- Page 153 and 154: Winston and Julia establish a lovin
- Page 155 and 156: the character might be perceived po
- Page 157 and 158: Another scene that creates a tense
- Page 159 and 160: that the quotient of sexuality will
- Page 161 and 162: from peculiar angles, sometimes thr
- Page 163 and 164: also cue a sense of cold unresponsi
- Page 165 and 166: 2. 'Holy family, church of good cit
- Page 167 and 168: easoned, 'great movies of the past,
- Page 169 and 170: it towards the images being splashe
- Page 171 and 172: when, in voiceover, he recollects:
- Page 173 and 174: to one of the character's parents a
- Page 175 and 176: Sexuality and shifts of subjectivit
- Page 177 and 178: nudity, commodified on to celluloid
- Page 179 and 180: notion that 'Decadence cultivates a
- Page 181 and 182: engaging. Unfortunately the core of
- Page 183 and 184: Section Three: Between History and
- Page 185 and 186: II conformista/The Conformist: The
- Page 187 and 188: to the female protagonists Severine
- Page 189 and 190: constitute an example of the femme
- Page 191 and 192: despises, ranging from Fascist offi
- Page 193 and 194: the closed doors, his sense of soli
- Page 195 and 196: lying on. Bearing in mind the manne
- Page 197: Bertolucci seemed aware of the film
- Page 201 and 202: hues of bluish-grey colouring are d
- Page 203 and 204: a narrative focus means that the de
- Page 205 and 206: Notes 1. They Live by Night (1948)
- Page 207 and 208: 1985: 73) should be contextualized
- Page 209 and 210: The film's cognitive structure and
- Page 211 and 212: daily life elicits nostalgia for a
- Page 213 and 214: that periodically distances viewers
- Page 215 and 216: followers), sensitive (she relates
- Page 217 and 218: part of the film depicting the peas
- Page 219 and 220: engagement will again change from e
- Page 221 and 222: leadership, which is arguably assum
- Page 223 and 224: References Bachmann, G. (1973) 'Eve
- Page 225 and 226: The success of The Last Emperor ena
- Page 227 and 228: L 'ultimo imperatore/The Last Emper
- Page 229 and 230: out; the red of a notice on the wal
- Page 231 and 232: The intellectual implications of th
- Page 233 and 234: the Forbidden City. This, combined
- Page 235 and 236: Japanese. His personality fits the
- Page 237 and 238: the belief that whereas language ma
- Page 239 and 240: In addition, the presence of a hist
- Page 241 and 242: (2009) is one recent, successful ex
- Page 243 and 244: Gaut, B. (1999) 'Identification and
- Page 245 and 246: working class people depicted in th
- Page 247 and 248: strengthening viewers' alignment wi
illuminated as if to imply the bright future that the regime promised. On the opposite side, the<br />
area in which Italo and Clerici are initially framed, and which features Clerici and 'II<br />
Colonnello' soon after, is characterized by shadows. The three men are dressed in dark<br />
colours and talk intensely, and Bertolucci occasionally cuts to a position beyond the partition<br />
so that the sound <strong>of</strong> their voices is eliminated. At other times, it is the song that is eliminated<br />
by a reverse shot framing Clerici as he gazes through<br />
the partition at the radiant trio (see image). These<br />
contrasting visual elements represent the hidden side<br />
<strong>of</strong> the regime that was very different from its<br />
propaganda and infinitely more menacing.<br />
The scenario functions as a metaphor for the period as a whole. Italo represents the<br />
intellectuals who were blinded by the idea <strong>of</strong> Italy becoming powerful again - the marble<br />
map <strong>of</strong> the Roman Empire that was, and still is, displayed on the facade <strong>of</strong> the Ahare della<br />
Patria in Rome is emblematic <strong>of</strong> the references to the Roman period made by Fascism.<br />
Italo's blindness is emphasized by the speech that he delivers at the radio station, entitled<br />
'Mystique <strong>of</strong> an Alliance' which refers to the alliance between Germany and Italy. The title<br />
implies something sacred to be revealed only to enlightened minds, and indeed the sacred,<br />
applied to the Party, was typical <strong>of</strong> the regime's rhetoric. In this context, there is a significant<br />
moment when, in the darker area <strong>of</strong> the radio station set, only the lower part <strong>of</strong> Italo's face is<br />
illuminated by a lamp. This lighting casts shadows <strong>of</strong> his hands and papers and adds an extra,<br />
ethereal dimension to his visual representation, making Italo a minister <strong>of</strong> the regime in a<br />
spiritual as well as a political sense. This scene, elaborated by Bertolucci, emphasizes the<br />
inability <strong>of</strong> intellectuals - such as Italo and not Clerici as Kolker assumes (Kolker, 1985: 96)<br />
- to 'see' the insidiousness <strong>of</strong> a political system that manipulated people's perspectives, a<br />
regime that plotted murders under cover <strong>of</strong> the superficially harmonious social order,<br />
195
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