Conformist (Blu-ray)

Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist returns in a stunning new restoration from the original camera negative, included on Disc 1 of this special edition release (the 2011 HD restoration is included on Disc 2 for sake of comparison). One of the enduring masterpieces of the 1970s, Bertolucci’s breakthrough film is an elegant portrait of the death throes of Italian Fascism and a triumph of pure style. Adapted by Bertolucci (an Oscar®-nominated screenplay) from Alberto Moravia’s 1951 novel, it chronicles the life of secret police functionary Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour), who is sent on a mission to assassinate his former teacher, Professor Quadri (Enzo Tarascio), a leftist activist in exile in Paris. Clerici uses his honeymoon with new wife Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli, Stealing Beauty) as a cover for the job. But he soon becomes entranced by Quadri’s sensuous, haunted wife Anna (Dominique Sanda, 1900), and the Fascist tenets he once accepted without question begin to waver in his mind. With legendary cinematography by Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), a gorgeous score by Georges Delerue and incandescent performances by a star-studded cast, The Conformist is a towering accomplishment that for the past five decades has enraptured audiences and influenced filmmakers around the world. Disc 1: New restoration of The Conformist from the original camera negative by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Minerva Pictures under the supervision of Fondazione Bernardo Bertolucci | NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic Bilge Ebiri | New Interview with Valentina Ricciardelli, president of the Bernardo Bertolucci Foundation | 2023 Re-Release Trailer; Disc 2: 2011 HD restoration of The Conformist created in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, Vittorio Storaro and Bernardo Bertolucci | In the Shade of the Conformist (57 min) | Original 1970 U.S. Theatrical Trailer | 2014 Re-Release Trailer