History Literature / TheConformist

* {{Bishonen}}: In his teenage and adult years, several comments are made about Marcello's good looks and feminine appearance.

* PrettyBoy: Marcello

* KillEmAll: The assassination is successful, Lina dies attempting to save Quadri, and all the Clericis are killed by a spitfire during their escape from Rome in the epilogue.

* VillainProtagonist: Marcello is '''NOT''' a hero or even a decent person by any stretch of the imagination.

* UsefulNotes/FascistItaly
* [[NaziProtagonist Fascist Protagonist]]

* [[spoiler: KillEmAll: The assassination is successful, Lina dies attempting to save Quadri, and all the Clericis are killed by a spitfire during their escape from Rome in the epilogue.]]

* [[spoiler: ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Lino's obituary turns out to have been an error, as an astounded Marcello discovers when he chances upon Lino near the end of the book.]]
* PrettyBoy: Marcello

* TheGenericGuy: Marcello tries very hard to be this, it's [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin right there in the title.]]

* PragmaticAdaptation: The film streamlines the novel's different plotlines and characters, cutting things like the extended prologue depicting Marcello's unhappy childhood and his father's slow decent into madness, his multiple encounters with Lino the Chauffer, as well as several minor characters and plot points, while keeping the novel's themes and complex character interactions intact. Most notably, the film added an InMediasRes framing device to help tie the different plot threads together, and altered much of the third act, including the ending.

* DecompositeCharacter: The character Agent Orlando is split into Manganiello, a close colleague of Marcello who tails him and eventually leads the assassination of the Quadris, and Raoul, a contact based in a brothel who gives Marcello his assignment. The former ultimately has a more prominent role in the story than his book counterpart.

* LoveTriangle: Marcello is in love with Lina, who is in love with Giulia, who is in love with Marcello, who is . . . er . . .

* VillainProtagonist

* FakeNationality: The eponymous conformist Marcello is played, ironically, by Frenchman Creator/JeanLouisTrintignant.

* BiTheWay: Lina/Anna

* BiTheWay: Anna and Giulia, if only very, very heavily hinted at.

The film is notable for its beautiful cinematography, and forms the second half of the "Kinky Fascist" art-house double feature with Visconti's ''Film/TheDamned''. Directed by Creator/BernardoBertolucci with cinematography by Creator/VittorioStoraro.

* FakeNationality: The eponymous conformist Marcello is played, ironically, by Frenchman Jean-Louis Trintignant.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Anna is, at the very least, more sympathetic than her book counterpart.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The film streamlines the novel's different plotlines and characters, cutting things like the extended prologue depicting Marcello's unhappy childhood and his father's slow decent into madness, his multiple encounters with Lino the Chauffer, as well as several minor characters and plot points, while keeping the novel's themes and complex character interactions intact. Most notably, the film added an InMediaRes framing device to help tie the different plot threads together, and altered much of the third act, including the ending.

* AdaptationalSexuaity: In the novel, Giulia expressly rejects Lina's advances toward her. The film, while nothing ever really comes of the latter's attempted seduction, there's clearly more unrequited feelings between the two that evidently go unresolved.

* InMediaRes: The majority of the film takes place during a series of extended flashbacks as Marcello and Manganiello pursue Quadri into the mountains.

Set during the era of UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini's [[UsefulNotes/FascistItaly dictatorship in Italy]] before WorldWarII, Marcello Clerici has spent his life doing everything he can to conform. He marries a pretty, rich girl named Giulia. Unknown to his new wife, Marcello is working for the fascist SecretPolice and is sent on an assignment to kill an outspoken, anti-fascist intellectual now living in France. Marcello is conflicted when he finds out the target he is being sent to kill is his friend and former college professor, Professor Quadri. Marcello travels with Giulia to Paris for their honeymoon (and to take care of that pesky assassination) but there is another snag in his plan. Marcello falls in love with his target's beautiful wife, Lina (named Anna in the film). Lina knows Marcello is with the secret police but things are further complicated when she develops feelings for his wife.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_conformist_7748.jpg
[[caption-width:280: [[GirlOnGirlIsHot That's how you tango]]]]

Set during the era of UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini's [[UsefulNotes/FascistItaly dictatorship in Italy]] before WorldWarII, Marcello Clerici has spent his life doing everything he can to conform. He marries a pretty, rich girl named Giulia. Unknown to his new wife, Marcello is working for the fascist SecretPolice and is sent on an assignment to kill an outspoken, anti-fascist intellectual now living in France. Marcello is conflicted when he finds out the target he is being sent to kill is his friend and former college professor, Professor Quadri. Marcello travels with Giulia to Paris for thier honeymoon (and to take care of that pesky assasination) but there is another snag in his plan. Marcello falls in love with his target's beautiful wife, Lina (named Anna in the film). Lina knows Marcello is with the secret police but things are further complicated when she develops feelings for his wife.

Set during the era of BenitoMussolini's [[UsefulNotes/FascistItaly dictatorship in Italy]] before WorldWarII, Marcello Clerici has spent his life doing everything he can to conform. He marries a pretty, rich girl named Giulia. Unknown to his new wife, Marcello is working for the fascist SecretPolice and is sent on an assignment to kill an outspoken, anti-fascist intellectual now living in France. Marcello is conflicted when he finds out the target he is being sent to kill is his friend and former college professor, Professor Quadri. Marcello travels with Giulia to Paris for thier honeymoon (and to take care of that pesky assasination) but there is another snag in his plan. Marcello falls in love with his target's beautiful wife, Lina (named Anna in the film). Lina knows Marcello is with the secret police but things are further complicated when she develops feelings for his wife.

The film is notable for its beautiful cinematography, and forms the second half of the "Kinky Fascist" art-house double feature with Visconti's ''Film/TheDamned''. Directed by BernardoBertolucci with cinematography by Vittorio Storaro.

The film is notable for its beautiful cinematography, and forms the second half of the "Kinky Fascist" art-house double feature with Visconti's THE DAMNED. Directed by BernardoBertolucci with cinematography by Vittorio Storaro.

* ObfuscatingStupidity Giulia acts like a ditz, but she's actually quite clever.

Set during the era of BenitoMussolini's [[FascistItaly dictatorship in Italy]] before WorldWarII, Marcello Clerici has spent his life doing everything he can to conform. He marries a pretty, rich girl named Giulia. Unknown to his new wife, Marcello is working for the fascist SecretPolice and is sent on an assignment to kill an outspoken, anti-fascist intellectual now living in France. Marcello is conflicted when he finds out the target he is being sent to kill is his friend and former college professor, Professor Quadri. Marcello travels with Giulia to Paris for thier honeymoon (and to take care of that pesky assasination) but there is another snag in his plan. Marcello falls in love with his target's beautiful wife, Lina (named Anna in the film). Lina knows Marcello is with the secret police but things are further complicated when she develops feelings for his wife.

The novel was directly inspired by Moravia's experience of FascistItaly. His own cousins were murdered by the secret police in 1937 for their part in the founding of an anti-fascist organisation, and he himself was blacklisted both on this account and for his Jewish ancestry.

* FascistItaly

* IJustWantToBeNormal: Marcello, throughout the story. However, considering [[FascistItaly the time he's living in]], it backfires spectacularly, and the book as a whole denounces the sheep-like abandonment of ideals which made fascism possible.