Conscience and Fractures of Dialogue in Il Conformista by Bernardo Bertolucci

Il conformista (1970) by Bernardo Bertolucci proposes a rereading of the homonymous novel by Alberto Moravia, which centres on the conscience of the protagonist Marcello Clerici. This article elucidates the originality of the narrative structure of the adaptation, articulated in a series of flashblacks which reveal Marcello's disturbed personality, and the need for acceptance that pushes him to collaborationism. The analysis concentrates on the initial sequence, showing how the protagonist's outward show of integrity results from the director's recourse to certain processes of composition that in fact give visual form to a condition of inadequacy and repression.