Quod mentem moneat: Monuments and memory in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (1970)

Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist (1970), an adaptation of the 1951 novel by Alberto Moravia, has long been recognized for its sophisticated use of both mise-en-scène and editing to explore the historical and psychological effects of Fascism. Bertolucci made significant use of locations in Rome to characterize the Fascist aesthetic, and to visualize the subjective memory of the protagonist Marcello. Concurrent with his evocative use of Fascist imagery is Bertolucci’s complex layering of ancient references, primarily in the form of monuments, to complicate and elaborate the viewer’s understanding of both Marcello’s memory and the historical context, yet this palimpsest of reference has never been comprehensively excavated. This article analyses the classical and classicizing references within The Conformist in their role as memory complexes functioning both narratively and in the cognitive experience of the audience. This exploration seeks both to contextualize Bertolucci’s specific modes of reception within contemporary Italian culture and to deepen the analysis of ancient monuments as cinematic locations more generally.