I have been a big fan of Bernardo Bertolucci and I finally sought out the critically acclaimed The Spider's Stratagem (1971), which was made in between two of his greatest triumphs The Conformist and Last Tango In Paris. The story was inspired by a Jorge Luis Borges story, "The Theme of the Traitor and the Hero," and concerns a young man Athas Magnai (Guilio Brogi) who returns to his father's home Tara in the Po Valley to find out about his mysterious death at the hands of fascists. His father is treated as a hero in the town which has erected a statue in his honor-he is the spitting image of his father which causes consternation among the people in the village including his ex-lover and former comrades and adversaries. Throughout the film, Bertolucci uses flashbacks with the current cast to complicate matters. This is not your typical mass entertainment film, it is something of a complex art house film that challenges the viewer. He makes great use of the ancient town and surrounding countryside. There are great images throughout the film and apt uses of classical framing throughout the film.
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