Athos Magnani visits Tara, the city in which his father, also named Athos, died murdered by the Fascists in 1936. Called by his father's lover, Draifa, Athos begins a search to find the man who killed the local hero. No one knows, but Draifa is sure he's a local person.
So far the story seems pedestrian, but the script, loosely based on Jorge Luis Borge's short-story "Tema del traidor y del héroe", soon turns into an examination of truth, ethics and hero-worship. The pacing is slow and hardly thrilling, like many of the thrillers of this age, but intellectually riveting.
Giulio Brogi plays father and son, even though it doesn't look like at first. As Athos senior he's a confident, defiant of the black shirts. As Athos junior, he's a confused man caught in a web of past events and lies, trying to make sense of his father's legacy.
This is a great companion piece to Bernardo Bertolucci's other 1970 thriller, The Conformist. Although apparently opposites - one is about a Fascist, the other about a anti-Fascist - they both follow weak men who can't uphold their lofty political and moral ideals.
Aiding Bertolucci is the great cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. His camera work is always a joy to watch, whether for the way it moves or for the way he captures vivid colors. And then if he weren't good enough, he draws inspiration from Giorgio de Chirico for the shots of the sombre Tara with its decrepit buildings and desolate squares.
An interesting blend of plot and atmosphere, this is one of Bernardo Bertolucci's best movies, an obscure masterpiece of cinema.
So far the story seems pedestrian, but the script, loosely based on Jorge Luis Borge's short-story "Tema del traidor y del héroe", soon turns into an examination of truth, ethics and hero-worship. The pacing is slow and hardly thrilling, like many of the thrillers of this age, but intellectually riveting.
Giulio Brogi plays father and son, even though it doesn't look like at first. As Athos senior he's a confident, defiant of the black shirts. As Athos junior, he's a confused man caught in a web of past events and lies, trying to make sense of his father's legacy.
This is a great companion piece to Bernardo Bertolucci's other 1970 thriller, The Conformist. Although apparently opposites - one is about a Fascist, the other about a anti-Fascist - they both follow weak men who can't uphold their lofty political and moral ideals.
Aiding Bertolucci is the great cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. His camera work is always a joy to watch, whether for the way it moves or for the way he captures vivid colors. And then if he weren't good enough, he draws inspiration from Giorgio de Chirico for the shots of the sombre Tara with its decrepit buildings and desolate squares.
An interesting blend of plot and atmosphere, this is one of Bernardo Bertolucci's best movies, an obscure masterpiece of cinema.