Overview
A young researcher uncovers the dark truths of his father's past in a small town filled with secrets.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Labyrinthine
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- eerie
- paranoid
- solitary viewing
- late night cinephile session
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a formally assured, enigmatic political mystery whose atmosphere and identity doubling outweigh its deliberate opacity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Giulio Brogi plays both Athos Magnani Jr. and his dead father, Athos Magnani Sr., creating a persistent visual and psychological double.
Athos hears the same story of his father’s fascist-era murder from Draifa, the town statue, and the townspeople, yet discovers that the account is constructed from lies.
The small countryside town of Tara sustains a unified but unstable narrative about the elder Athos and his death.
The alleged 1936 murder by a fascist and the town’s reverence for Athos transform Italian resistance memory into a contested local legend.
Films like The Spider's Stratagem, and why
The Conformist
shared enigmatic investigation, unstable identity, and politically charged small-town atmosphere
Last Year at Marienbad
shared nonlinear-feeling psychological mystery, memory distortion, and oppressive provincial atmosphere
The Passenger
shared father-son identity doubling, historical trauma, and ambiguous storytelling
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
shared Italian art cinema, political memory, and a protagonist trapped inside competing narratives
Movie Details
- Director
- Bernardo Bertolucci
- Release Date
- 1970-09-17
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (98)
Cast
- Giulio Brogi
- Alida Valli
- Pippo Campanini
- Franco Giovanelli
- Tino Scotti
- Allen Midgette
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Spider's Stratagem about?
- A young researcher investigating his murdered fascist-era father finds a provincial legend that mirrors his own identity and refuses to yield a stable truth.
- What is The Spider's Stratagem like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Spider's Stratagem as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as labyrinthine.
- Is The Spider's Stratagem violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Spider's Stratagem as mild.
- What did critics think of The Spider's Stratagem?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a formally assured, enigmatic political mystery whose atmosphere and identity doubling outweigh its deliberate opacity.
- Which films are like The Spider's Stratagem?
- Films with a similar feel include The Conformist, Last Year at Marienbad, The Passenger, and Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion.
- How long is The Spider's Stratagem?
- The Spider's Stratagem runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Spider's Stratagem?
- In United States, The Spider's Stratagem is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
