The Conformist by Bernardo Bertolucci, who also directed The Dreamers, which I loved, is an Italian movie from 1970.  Sometimes I have trouble getting past the oldness of a movie, and this was such a case.  The production was less than adequate for my taste (the sound barely synced up, for crying out loud).  But, realizing that Bertolucci is an important director and that The Conformist deals with themes like fascism and conformity (which are timely), so I decided to solider on.

I sort of feel like I need a cheat sheet to really get my head around all the themes, motifs, and stuff he packed in there (I found two informative reviews here and here).  I don't think I missed the point, though:  Beware those who conform without question.  They are the dangerous ones.