Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist is a complex and intricate examination of Italian Fascism and psychology. Using a combination of Marxist and Freudian thought, he connects sexuality and the Oedipal complex through the character of Marcello Clerici, a man who is “different” and who becomes Fascist in part to convince himself that he will be normal. Please choose one of the following topics or themes and give a specific example from the film that relates to the film’s main issues. Make sure you do not repeat any of the examples or arguments of your classmates without first giving your own interpretation:
–the Oedipal complex (especially in relation to the mother and the father; note these can also be metaphorical, not literal, parents)
–sound design and/or music
–homosexuality in relation to Fascism
–blindness
–voyeurism
–self-reflexivity and citations of cinema
–the use of flashbacks and narrative in relation to Marcello’s psyche
–transportation (cars, trains, etc.)
–doubles/parallels in characters
–confinement/imprisonment
–borders (geographical, sexual, or ideological)
–Catholicism
–class differences and the criticism of the bourgeoisie
–the thematic use of color versus black/white
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