Examples Of Masculinity In The Conformist

Looking Beyond Appearances in The Conformist, by Bernardo Bertolucci: Marcello’s Walk, A Question of Masculinity.

In Bernardo Bertolucci’s film The Conformist, 1970, Marcello Clerici constructs an artifice of masculinity, walking through the Fascist headquarters, exemplified by his stature; however, loud, diagetic sound, long shots, and camera focus on his footsteps tear down this guise. Clerici’s stance provides a guise that he is a very masculine character; however, his fast gait and shuffling of his feet portray his true character. Marcello embodies the Italian term, inneto, which is a character that lacks masculinity but hides it through an artifice that does not work (Renga 10/27/2015). The masculine stature, that Marcello upholds, is a focal point for the audience through the long shots that occur in the scene. This specific camera technique accentuates the entire body, which in turn allows the viewer to see the tall stature and raised head level. This masculinity is torn down through another technique present in the film, diagetic sound. The diagetic sounds of loud, heavy footsteps coming from Marcello’s walk provide the audience with Marcello’s true character of masculinity. The footsteps are very loud and draw attention to the

In this close-up, the audience can see Marcello shuffling his feet in a hurried manner, which is contradictory to the masculine stature previously observed by the long shots. Additionally, Marcello produces a very fast gait, like he is running away from something but trying to subdue this feeling at the same time. This feeling present in Marcello is triggered by his sympathetic nervous system, his fight or flight response (James, 1). As observed throughout the movie, Marcello is a character whom would prefer the flight method, which directly relates to his actual lack of