The Spider's Stratagem

Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy, 1970, 93 minutes

Loosely based on Borges' "Theme of the Traitor and the Hero", this is perhaps Bertolucci's best film to date. Set outside Parma, it involves the return of Athos Magnani (Giulio Brogi) to his hometown where his father is regarded as an anti-fascist hero. Athos, determined to investigate the conditions under which his father was assassinated, encounters his father's ex-mistress, Draifa (Alida Valli) who is willing to provide him with clues as to the personality of his parent. However, it is through Athos' conversations with his father's anti-fascist collaborators that he gets to discover the truth. And as he enters a world of disillusionment, his identical resemblance to his father instigates erotic desires which lean on the threshold of madness.

Bertolucci constructs here a mysterious web of cryptic hints which Athos is led to discover, a strategem which is so cunningly conceived that its effectiveness is corroborated by the conformism of the person to solve the riddle. This is another exploration into conspiracy theory which wants the oppressed as the users of the same techniques as the oppressors. As the identity of Athos is constantly juxtaposed with one of his father through a series of flashbacks, the Freudian psychology becomes triumphant over Marxist politics.

With The Spider's Stratagem, Bertolucci reaches the climax of his career and provides the conclusion he himself has reached in a nonetheless ambivalent way. The glorious cinematography by Vittorio Storaro has made this film one of the most beautifully photographed in the whole of cinematic history. The perfectly symmetrical shots of a town inhabited exclusively by old people, another indication of the victory of the past over the present, and the strong naturalistic element with an incredible fusion of colours make this one a truly cinematic spectacle.

Review by Spiros Gangas
Taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93