2024 Blind Spot Series: Senso

 

Based on the novella by Camillo Boito, Senso is the story of an Italian Contessa who embarks on an affair with an Austrian lieutenant during the Third Italian War of Independence against Austria during the mid-19th Century. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti and Suso Cecchi d’Amico with dialogue by Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles and additional work by Carlo Alianello, Giorgio Bassani, and Giorgio Prosperi. The film is an exploration of a love affair during a tumultuous time in Europe’s history. Starring Alida Valli, Farley Granger, Heinz Moog, Rina Morelli, Massimo Girotti, and Marcela Mariani. Senso is a ravishing and evocative film by Luchino Visconti.

The film revolves around a Contessa, in 1866 Venice during the Third Italian War of Independence, who falls for an Austrian officer amidst a tumultuous period in Europe’s history as she is also connected to those working in the Italian resistance. It is a film that explores an affair that would have repercussions during an intense conflict where a Contessa and this Austrian officer both desire a world without war, politics, and social standings. Yet, they would endure a reality that proves to be fatal for both of them as the film’s screenplay by Luchino Visconti and Suso Cecchi d’Amico is largely told from the perspective of Contessa Livia Serpieri (Alida Villa) who is attending an opera in Venice with her husband in Count Serpieri (Heinz Moog), who has been supporting the Austrians, where a protest led by her cousin and revolutionary Marchese Roberto Ussoni (Massimo Girotti) has caused a ruckus. There, she would meet the young Austrian officer Lieutenant Franz Mahler (Farley Granger) who has a post in Venice where is challenged to a duel against Ussoni.

Ussoni would be exiled from Venice where Livia gets to know Lt. Mahler as they would also fall in love where they would keep their affair a secret until Lt. Mahler suddenly leaves with Livia suspecting that there are other lovers. Yet, the war would intensify with Ussoni returning from exile as Count Serpieri and Livia would provide funds for him while they would stay up north to be away from the conflict. The script also play into the chaos of Livia trying to hide her affair though people including her maid Laura (Rina Morelli) know about the affair and its dangers. Especially in the third act it relates to the consequences of their affair with Lt. Mahler and the effects of the war.

Visconti’s direction is grand in the way he presents the film such as the opening scene at the Le Fenice opera house where Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore is performed where Visconti’s usage of the wide and medium shots play into the scope of the Venetian building. Shot on locations in Rome and Venice including studios on those locations, Visconti creates these compositions that do have this tone as if he is creating a painting in some of the shots he made while the opening scene at Le Fenice is lively in the way the Italians react toward the Austrians. It is a lavish opening sequence that helps establish the conflict that is happening as well as the role that Livia is in as she a woman of stature and importance due to whom she is married. Visconti’s close-ups and medium shots help play into the intimacy of a room as well as the interaction between the characters. Even in scenes at Venice at night where Livia and Lt. Mahler are walking around the canals as it would be this moment that would make the two connect over the fallacies of war as well as their longing for each other. Visconti’s direction also play into this growing disconnect between those who are rich and what is happening among those in Italy who are not fond of the Austrians in this conflict that is brewing.

The film’s second half has some grand set pieces such as the Battle of Custoza where the Italians become overwhelmed by the Austrian forces despite claims that the Italians were winning. Yet, it is about what is happening outside of the battlefield, where Livia must watch from afar as she deals with her own actions due to her affair with Lt. Mahler whom she had just seen some days ago. Even as the events in the third act has Visconti putting a lot of detail for the scenes in Verona where the Austrians are preparing to leave but also get drunk and such as it is not a place for Livia to be in. Especially as she is forced to see what her own actions in trying to help her cousin would do as well as what Lt. Mahler had done. Its ending is not just about death but also anguish in a woman who had given up everything for love only to create more chaos during a tumultuous conflict. Overall, Visconti crafts an enchanting and riveting film about an Italian Contessa’s tumultuous affair with an Austrian officer in mid-19th Century Italy.

Cinematographers G.R. Aldo, Robert Krasker, and Giuseppe Rotunno do incredible work with the film’s Technicolor photography with the richness of the daytime exteriors at the villa in the North of Italy as well as the scenes set in Venice with much of the work done by Aldo and Krasker with Rotunno shooting the film’s ending. Editor Mario Serandrei does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward in its cutting as well as using rhythmic cuts to play into some of the action including fast-cuts in some of the battle scenes Production designer Ottavio Scotti and set decorator Gino Brosio do amazing work with the look of the homes that Livia lives in including her villa near Custoza and the apartment in Venice where Lt. Mahler stayed at. Costume designers Marcel Escoffier and Piero Tosi do phenomenal work with the costumes in the design of the gowns that Livia wears that plays into the feel of the times as well as the Austrian uniforms that Lt. Mahler wears.

The sound work of Aldo Calpini and Vittorio Trentino do superb work with the way cannons and gunfire sound up close and from afar in the battle scenes as well as the sparse sounds of scenes set in Venice. The film’s music by Anton Bruckner, with adaptation by Nino Rota, is brilliant for its bombastic music score with its orchestral flourishes as well as the usage of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore for the film’s opening opera scene.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Ernst Nadherny as an Austrian general in Verona, Christian Marquand as a Bohemian officer, Sergio Fantoni as a farmer who lives near Count Serpieri’s villa, and Marcella Mariani in a fantastic small role as a prostitute named Clara that Livia meets late in the film. Rina Morelli is excellent as Livia’s maid Laura who aids her in various affairs although she disapproves of Livia’s affair with Lt. Mahler despite her reluctance to hide the affair. Heinz Moog is excellent as Count Serpieri as Livia’s husband who is supportive of the Austrians to maintain his social status until the war goes into chaos where he reluctantly supports Ussoni’s group as Bruno Persa dubs him. Massimo Girotti is brilliant as Livia’s cousin Marchese Roberto Ussoni as an Italian Nationalist figure who is trying to stage a revolution against the Austrians where he would be exiled for a period as he hopes for Livia’s help financially so he can overthrow the Austrians.

Farley Granger is brilliant as Lieutenant Franz Mahler as this Austrian military officer who is filled with charm but also a sense of duty where he falls for Livia hoping for a life outside of war. While Granger is dubbed by Enrico Maria Salerno, Granger still maintains this sense of beauty and weariness of a man tired of his duties only to then succumb to his own faults that would unravel everything around him. Finally, there’s Alida Valli in a tremendous performance as Contessa Livia Serpieri as a woman who is fascinated by this Austrian officer whom she would fall for as she hopes to escape a loveless marriage while also wanting to support her cousin. Valli maintains this sense of regality as a woman that wants love but also must contend with the fact that she plays a small role in this growing conflict that is happening in Italy where she becomes desperate and lost as it is one of Valli’s finest performances of her career.

Senso is a spectacular film by Luchino Visconti that features a great leading performance from Alida Valli. Along with its supporting cast, grand visuals, a sumptuous music soundtrack, and its study of love and lust during one of Europe’s most tumultuous conflicts. It is a film that explores a love affair between two different people that would create chaos during a time of war as well as revelations of what this affair would cost. In the end, Senso is a sensational film by Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – (Bellisima) – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches-The Witch Burned Alive - The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent

© thevoid99 2024

Sandra (1965 film)

 

Based on the Greek tragedies of Electra by Sophocles and Euripides, Vaghe stele dell’Orsa (Glimmering stars of the Great Bear) or Sandra is the story of a woman who returns to her ancestral home town to celebrate the eve of her father’s death where she renews her incestuous relationship with her brother to the shock of her husband. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, and Enrico Medioli, the film is a modern take of the Greek tragedies of Electra in which a woman copes with loss but also secrets that would ruin her family as the titular character of Sandra is portrayed by Claudia Cardinale. Also starring Jean Sorel, Michael Craig, and Renzo Ricci. Vaghe stele dell’Orsa is a ravishing yet eerie film from Luchino Visconti.

The film follows a woman who returns to a small town, with her American husband, in Tuscany to commemorate her father’s passing as she also hopes to deal with some unfinished business with her funny including her brother whom she had an incestuous relationship with. It is a film that puts the Greek tragedies relating to the character of Electra and set in 1960s Italy as this woman returns home as she copes with various issues within her family as well as the need to commemorate her father who had died in a concentration camp at World War II. The film’s screenplay, that also features additional yet un-credited contributions from Giampiero Bona, is largely straightforward as its titular character is a woman who has created a new life away from her small town yet knows she has to return to that town with her husband Andrew Dawdson (Michael Craig) for her late father as well as to maintain a secret relationship with her brother that she doesn’t want Andrew to know.

Yet, the arrival of Gianni (Jean Sorel) at the family home does create confusion within Sandra as she also knows that he would arrive as he had been staying at their old home for some time. There is also tension relating to their stepfather Antonio Gilardini (Renzo Ricci) who knows about their secret as he and Sandra despise each other with Gilardini also taking care of their ailing mother (Marie Bell) who also issues with her children. Dawdson would try to settle things as he also meets a former lover of Sandra in Dr. Pietro Formari (Fred Williams) who would further the tension that is already boiling as he is also watching over Sandra and Gianni’s mother. Even as Dawdson would stage a dinner for everyone to settle matters once and for all as he would learn about his wife’s shocking secret.

Luchino Visconti’s direction is mesmerizing for the way he captures a woman returning to her hometown as it is filled with unique yet abstract visuals that play into this sense of dread and regret. Shot on location in Volterra in the Tuscan region of Italy, Visconti maintains an intimacy throughout the film though there are wide shots of these locations including the main home where Sandra’s family lived in that includes some decayed area where a bust of her father’s head is to be unveiled. Much of Visconti’s direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots as it plays into the dramatic tension and melodrama that occurs throughout the film. Notably in the scene at the decayed wall on a windy night where Sandra and Gianni reunite as there is something rich in Visconti’s compositions as well as scenes where Gianni and Andrew walk around town where the latter meets Dr. Formari for the first time as it is an awkward meeting.

Visconti also maintains this dramatic tension as it includes a tense scene between Sandra and her mother that is intercut with a meeting between her and local officials including her stepfather as the tension is felt throughout the film. Even as Visconti would go into the melodrama as well as these rich compositions in a scene at an old water tower between Sandra and Gianni as it acts as the two siblings possibly rekindling their taboo relationship. Yet, their relationship is put to the test in this climatic dinner scene at the film’s third act where Sandra, Gianni, Andrew, Dr. Formari, and Gilardini are attending as Visconti definitely creates this tense atmosphere where something is about to happen. Even as its aftermath would have this sense of tragedy but also acceptance of letting go something that has been the source of discord within her family. Overall, Visconti crafts a chilling yet rapturous film about a woman returning home to celebrate her father’s legacy as well as confront her troubled relationship with her brother.

Cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it is filled with imagery with its usage of lights and shadows for the interior/exterior scenes including some really dark scenes in some of the bedrooms at night. Editor Mario Serandrei does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward to play into the dramatic tension as well as some of the melodrama that occurs with its usage of rhythmic cuts. Production designer Mario Garbuglia and set decorator Laudomia Hercolani do amazing work with the look of the rooms at the family estate including its main hall and a room full of statues and antiques as it is a highlight of the film.

Costume designer Bice Brichetto does fantastic work with the costumes in some of the suits the men wear as well as the stylish clothing that Sandra wears. The sound work of Bruno Borghi and Claudio Maielli do superb work with the sound in the way the wind sounds up close and from afar in a key scene early in the film as a lot of it emphasizes on natural sounds presented from its location as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Cesar Franck is phenomenal for its classical-based piano score that features some classical variations as it adds to the drama and tension that looms throughout the film while its soundtrack features some pop and rock music of that period.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from noted production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti as a party guest at the film’s opening scene, Amalia Tosca as the family maid Fosca, and Marie Bell (w/ the voice of Andreina Pagnani) as Sandra and Gianni’s mentally-ill mother who despises her children. Fred Williams is terrific as Dr. Pietro Formari as a former lover of Sandra who finds himself dealing with some of the family chaos as he also cares for their mother as he tries to help settle things despite the awkwardness between him and Dawdson. Renzo Ricci is excellent as Antonio Gilardini as Sandra and Gianni’s stepfather who isn’t fond of them yet loves their mother as he is trying to take care of her while he knows about their secret relationship as it is the source of his issues between his stepchildren.

Michael Craig (w/ the voice of Giuseppe Rinaldi) is brilliant as Sandra’s American husband Andrew Dawdson as he is someone trying to learn about the family as well as Sandra’s early life as he also serves as a mediator between the family and their many issues as he is largely reserved until the film’s climax. Jean Sorel (w/ the voice of Massimo Turci) is amazing as Sandra’s brother Gianni Wald-Lutazzi as a man who had maintained a mysterious life as he spends much of his time at the family estate as he hopes to renew his incestuous relationship with Sandra, despite liking Dawdson, as he becomes unhinged over the possibility that it wouldn’t continue. Finally, there’s Claudia Cardinale in a tremendous performance as the titular character as this woman who returns to her hometown to commemorate her Jewish father as well as deal with family issues including her brother as she is unsure about restarting their taboo relationship. Cardinale brings in a complex performance as a woman that is full of grief but also someone that is conflicted and full of rage as it relates to her family as it is a career-defining performance from Cardinale.

Vaghe stele dell’Orsa is a sensational film from Luchino Visconti that features a great leading performance from Claudia Cardinale. Along with its ensemble cast, riveting story of family tragedy and taboo, ravishing visuals, and an evocative music score. It is a film that explores a woman trying to settle family matters as well as confront a taboo relationship with her brother that had been the source of family drama. In the end, Vaghe stele dell’Orsa is a phenomenal film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – (Bellisima) - Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches-The Witch Burned Alive - The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2024

The Innocent (1976 film)

 

Based on the novel The Intruder by Gabriele d’Annunzio, L’innocente (The Innocent) is the story of a womanizing aristocrat who openly engages in an affair with his mistress in front of his wife until he learns that his wife is having an affair of her own. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, and Enrico Medioli, the film is an exploration into fidelity as well as a man coping with his own chauvinistic views that has gotten him into trouble. Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, and Jennifer O’Neill. L’innocente is a riveting and evocative film from Luchino Visconti.

Set in late 19th Century Italy, the film revolves around a philandering aristocrat who openly spends time with his mistress towards his wife whom he neglects until he learns that she had slept with someone as he devotes his full attention towards her. It is a film that explores a man who is married yet treats his wife terribly as he often engages in affairs as he tries to win over his mistress away from a rival. Yet, the news that his wife did have an affair only upsets him as he would try to devote his fullest attention to her until he learns more about the affair and its outcome. The film’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative as it showcases the life that Tullio Hermil (Giancarlo Giannini) has where he lives a rich life as he is married to a beautiful woman in Giuliana (Laura Antonelli) but he is also in love with his mistress in another aristocrat in Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O’Neill) whom he sees at an intimate concert. Giuliana suspects that something is going on when Tullio leaves the concert to talk with Teresa where he later confesses his relationship with Teresa but wants the marriage to continue as a way to maintain his social status.

When Tullio is out of town to pursue Teresa away from another aristocrat in Count Stefano Egano (Massimo Girotti), Tullio’s younger brother Federico (Didier Haudepin) is asked to watch over Giuliana as he invites some friends including an author in Filippo d’Arborio (Marc Porel) for dinner when Giuliana falls ill only to enjoy Filippo’s company. Tullio’s pursuit for Teresa would have issues as she is just as cruel as he is in the way he treats Giuliana until he wonders where Giuliana goes to when he’s not home as he also learns she goes to see his mother whom he would later visit with Giuliana. Giuliana’s affair would force Tullio to focus on her as he would be enamored with her until he brings her news that changes everything. The news would be exciting for Tullio’s family yet Federico becomes suspicious into Tullio’s behavior as Tullio becomes confused in his love for his wife but also wanting to be with his mistress.

Luchino Visconti’s direction definitely plays into a world that is set entirely in aristocratic society as it is shot at the Villa Mirafiori in Rome and two villas at the town of Luca with the Villa Butori being a main setting. Much of Visconti’s direction has this element of intrigue in the way he follows Tullio in this world of the privileged as well as being a man who feels like he could do whatever he wants and he can get anything he wants. Much of Visconti’s direction utilizes a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of the rooms that the characters walk into as well as this world where it is disconnected from the world of the working class and the poor as they’re never shown. Even as there are these rare moments of the rich walking into the streets such as a Christmas mass scene in the third act where everyone but Tullio attends. There is also an intimacy into Visconti’s direction in the medium shots and close-ups in the way he films Tullio’s reaction or the way he gazes into Giuliana’s face as she laments over her actions as well as Tullio’s response.

Visconti also plays into this air of masculinity that Tullio takes pride of as the revelations over who Giuliana had an affair with as he gets a look into the man as there is this air of humiliation and him being a cuckold. The film’s second act which takes place at the home of Tullio’s mother where Federico makes a visit showcases this sense of immorality that Federico notices in his brother’s behavior as he becomes concerned for Giuliana as the two would have a fencing duel that gets a little aggressive at one point. The third act relates to the film’s title where Giuliana starts to realize the emotional and mental toll her affair had yet more revelations occur following Tullio’s actions as Visconti reveals the many faults of Tullio’s masculinity and his inability to accept defeat. Even as the film’s final scene relates to result of his actions as well as the revelation of not having it all as it also relates to Teresa. Overall, Visconti crafts a chilling and intoxicating film about a philandering aristocrat trying to win back his wife after learning about her affair.

Cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its approach to natural lighting as well as its usage of light for many of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Ruggero Mastroianni does excellent work with editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of its dramatic reactions as well as in some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Mario Garbuglia and set decorator Carlo Gervasi do amazing work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as a villa that Tullio decides to make as his home as plays into his lavish personality. Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the design of the dresses and gowns the women wear as well as some of the looser clothing that Giuliana wears when she’s resting as well as some of the military uniforms that Federico wears.

The sound work of Mario Dallimonti is superb for its natural approach to sound in the way epees sound during duels as well as scenes from one room to another in some of the villas. The film’s music by Franco Mannino is incredible for its orchestral score filled with piano and string arrangements that play into the drama as well as some of the suspense that looms throughout the film while its soundtrack largely features some classical and operatic pieces from Frederic Chopin, Franz Listz, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Christoph Willibald Gluck.

The film’s remarkable cast feature some notable small roles from Enzo Musumeci Greco as the fencing master, Vittorio Zarfati as Dr. Milani, Alessandra Vazzoler as a nanny, Claude Mann as a prince who is another romantic rival of Tullio for Teresa’s affections, Roberta Paladina as Federico’s date during a dinner where Filippo met Giuliana, Marie Dubois as a princess that is part of Teresa’s social circle, and Massimo Girotti as another of Tullio’s rival for Teresa in Count Stefano Egano whom Tullio despises. Marc Porel is superb as the writer Filippo d’Arborio whom Giuliana meets at Federico’s dinner as he is someone that the opposite of Tullio in his personality as well as being someone that doesn’t say much as he has no clue who Tullio is. Didier Haudepin is fantastic as Tullio’s younger brother Federico as an officer who observes a lot into what is happening to the point where he becomes disenchanted with life at the family home as well as being around Tullio whom he feels has become a monster.

In her final film performance, Rina Morelli is excellent as Tullio and Federico’s mother Marchesa Marianna Hermill as a woman who adores Giuliana while is hoping to have an heir to continue the family name as she becomes baffled by her eldest son’s cold demeanor. Jennifer O’Neill is amazing as Teresa Raffo as this aristocratic beauty who is also Tullio’s mistress as a woman who is fond of Tullio but often makes him go after her as she also has other suitors that she is eager to be with as O’Neill brings a lot of great facial expressions as her voice is dubbed Valeria Moriconi. Giancarlo Giannini is brilliant as Tullio Hermill as this aristocratic man who gets away with lot and feels like he’s untouchable while neglecting and humiliating his wife. Even as he would later become humiliated himself where Giannini brings that sense of restrained fury as a man eager to get revenge while also wanting to have control of his wife in seducing her every way possible.

Finally, there’s Laura Antonelli in a tremendous performance as Tullio’s wife Giuliana as a woman who is mistreated horribly by her philandering husband as she copes with her loneliness and being neglected until she meets a friend of her brother-in-law. Antonelli has this sense of restraint and melancholia as a woman who doesn’t feel appreciated until her brief affair where Tullio devotes a lot of attention to her as she becomes troubled by his behavior as well as some news that would shake their relationship as it is a revelatory performance from Antonelli who has this radiance that is often overlooked considering that a lot of her work has been in Italian softcore erotic films as this is her career-defining performance.

L’Innocente is a phenomenal film from Luchino Visconti that features great performances from Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, and Jennifer O’Neill. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, ravishing visuals, a haunting music score, and its story of infidelity and the fallacies of male chauvinism. It is a film that is this evocative period drama that explores a man being forced to deal with his life but also maintain control of who he is as it serves as this fitting finale for Visconti. In the end, L’Innocente is a sensational film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – (Bellisima) - Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)-The Witch Burned Alive - The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece)

© thevoid99 2024

The Witches (1967 film)

 

Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Le streghe (The Witches) is an anthology film consisting of five comic stories relating to witches all starring Silvana Mangano as it mixes horror and comedy. The anthology film features the work of five different filmmakers with a different cast as it plays into the world of witches who all disguises themselves as different kinds of women. The result is a witty though messy anthology film from producer Dino De Laurentiis.

The Witch Burned Alive

Directed by Luchino Visconti. Written by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi and Cesare Zavattini. Edited by Mario Serandrei. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Annie Girardot, Francisco Rabal, Massimo Girroti, Marilu Toto, Nora Ricci, and introducing Helmut Berger.

The film revolves around an actress who stops at the home of a friend in the Austrian mountains as a party is being held yet is pursued by men at the party with women being jealous of her. It is a short that plays into an actress taking a break from work to see a friend whom she realizes is in a crumbling marriage as she wants to spend time with her but there’s a party at the home as she gets drunk and things don’t go well. It is a film that has some humor and some dramatic tension though there are moments where things drag as Luchino Visconti doesn’t do much to make the sexual tension more prominent as it relates to its protagonist Gloria. Notably as Gloria’s beauty is also the source of tension among the women at the home with Gloria’s best friend Valeria (Annie Girardot) defending her while lamenting her own issues with her husband Paolo (Francisco Rabal). Girardot is the standout in the segment as it also include some fine supporting work from Nora Ricci as Gloria’s secretary and Helmut Berger in his debut film appearance as a hotel page who brings things to Valeria’s home.

Civic Spirit

Directed by Mauro Bolognini. Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, and Bernardino Zapponi. Edited by Nino Baragli. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Alberto Sordi.

The segment revolves around a man who is injured in an auto accident as a woman offers to take him to the hospital only to drive somewhere else to her own destination. It is one of the shorter segments of the film as it is more of a comedy in which Alberto Sordi plays this man who is severely injured and is losing a lot of blood with Mangano as this woman who is in a hurry as she is driving ferociously through Rome. Featuring some amazing editing by Nino Baragli, the film is a comical short that has Mangano being this woman that is more concerned about going to a building than helping this man as it a hilarious segment by Mauro Bolognini.

The Earth Seen from the Moon

Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Edited by Nino Baragli. Music by Ennio Morricone. Starring Toto, Ninetto Davoli, Laura Betti, Luigi Leoni, and Mario Cipriani.

A man and his son both travel around the streets of Rome to find a woman for the man so he can create a new family as they chose this mysterious deaf-mute woman. It is a short that is comical but also stylish with Toto playing the father and Ninetto Davoli as his red-haired son wearing a New York City sports team sweater as Pasolini brings this sense of absurdity into the film. Notably as there’s a key scene at the Coliseum involving the mute woman known as Absurdity who takes part in a scheme of theirs. Featuring some great art direction and Baragli’s offbeat editing as well as Morricone’s wondrous music score that stands out from the rest of the music score in the film. This short is easily the best one in the film.

The Sicilian Belle

Directed by Franco Rossi. Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, and Bernardino Zapponi. Editor Giorgio Serralonga. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Pietro Tordi.

A woman has been humiliated by a man prompting her father (Piero Tordi) to find out who he is as he would massacre the entire family. It is the weakest short of the film series as it doesn’t really much of a story as it is a more dramatic story that has some dark humor but it doesn’t really give Mangano much to work with.

An Evening Like the Others

Directed by Vittorio De Sica. Written by Cesare Zavattini, Fabio Carpi, and Enzo Muzii. Editor Adriana Novelli. Music by Piero Piccioni. Starring Clint Eastwood, Valentino Macchi, and Pietro Torrisi.

The final short of the series revolves around a housewife imagining herself as a woman being swept off her feet by her husband yet the reality is that her husband is content and prefers to work and sleep though he wants to do things for her. Even as the fantasy has him becoming desperate for her attention as it plays into some comical moments but also lavish scenes of her wanting to be the center of attention towards all men with the husband unable to get her attention. It is a film that has a lot of humor though Clint Eastwood’s performance as Charlie is odd considering that isn’t known much for comedy as he’s a bit miscast though there is a brief moment of him playing a cowboy while his scenes set in reality as the husband has him playing it straight where he does manage to hold his own with Mangano.

As a film overall, it is a messy one with Pasolini’s segment being the best of the bunch while the segments by De Sica and Bolognini are strong with the latter being the shortest. Visconti’s segment is a bit dull in parts though it does feature some unique visuals with Rossi’s being the weakest as it wants to be funny but it never hits. All of the segments were shot by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno whose photography does add a lot of vibrancy to the film with some low-key work for Visconti and De Sica’s segments to more wondrous colors in Pasolini’s segments. Art directors Mario Garbuglia and Piero Poletto, with set decorators Emilio D’Andria and Cesare Rovatti, do amazing work with the sets with the design of the gravestones for the Pasolini segment being the highlight of the film. Costume designer Piero Tosi does excellent work with the many dresses that Mangano wears in her different characters including the layers of gowns she would wear for De Sica’s segment.

Makeup artist Goffredo Rocchetti does nice work with some of the makeup with the look of green hair and heightened makeup in Pasolini’s segment being the standout. Special optical effects work by Joseph Nathanson is good for the scene in De Sica’s segment in a stadium as it plays into Mangano’s character as the object of desire. The sound work of Vittorio Trentino is terrific in playing up the locations as well as some sound effects in the film. Much of the film’s music by Piero Piccioni as it has its moment in its playful music along with some low-key pieces for the dramatic work yet it is Morricone’s score for the Pasolini segment that is the real standout of the music.

Le streghe is a stellar though flawed anthology film. While it features great performances from Silvana Mangano along with some nice technical work along with standout segments from Mauro Bolognini and Vittorio de Sica as well as a great short from Pier Paolo Pasolini. It is a film where there are things to watch though there are bits that don’t make it work. In the end, Le streghe is a good film from producer Dino De Laurentiis.

Vittorio De Sica Films: (Rose scarlatte) - (Maddalena, zero in condotta) - (Teresa Venerdi) - (Un garibaldino al convento) - (The Children Are Watching Us) - (La porta del cielo) - (Shoeshine) - (Heart and Soul (1948 film)) - Bicycle Thieves - Miracle in Milan – Umberto D - (It Happened in the Park) - (Terminal Station) - (The Gold of Naples) - (The Roof) - (Anna of Brooklyn) - Two Women - (The Last Judgment) - (Boccaccio ‘70) - (The Condemned of Altona) - (Il Boom) - Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - Marriage Italian Style - (Un monde nouveau) - (After the Fox) - (Woman Times Seven) - (A Place for Lovers) - (Sunflowers (1970 film)) – The Garden of the Finzi-Continis - (Lo chiameremo Andrea) - (A Brief Vacation) - (The Voyage)

Pier Paolo Pasolini Films: (Accattone) – (La Rabbia) - Mamma Roma - (The Gospel According to St. Matthew) - (Location Hunting in Palestine) – (Love Meetings) – (The Hawks and the Sparrows) – (Oedipus Rex) – Teorema - (Porcile) – (Medea (1969 film)) – (Appunti per un film sull’India) – (Notes Towards an African Orestes) – The Decameron - The Canterbury Story - Arabian Nights - Salo or the 120 Days of Sodom

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2023

The Damned

 

Directed by Luchino Visconti and written by Visconti, Nicola Badalucco, and Enrico Medioli, Gotterdammerung/La cadula degli dei (The Damned/The Fall of the Gods) is the story of an industrial family who have begun doing business with the Nazis during the ascent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s that includes an amoral heir who would add to the growing chaos. The first film in a thematic trilogy relating to Germany, the film is an exploration of a family’s descent into greed and decadence as they sell their soul in their association with the Nazis. Starring Dirk Bogarde, Ingrid Thulin, Helmut Berger, Helmut Griem, Umberto Osini, Charlotte Rampling, Florinda Bolkan, Reinhard Kolldehoff, and Albrecht Schoenhals. Gotterdammerung is a gripping and eerie film from Luchino Visconti.

Set in 1930s Germany, the film revolves around a steel industrial family who have decided to do business with Nazi Germany in its ascent only for the association to cause the family to unravel from the death of their patriarch as well as the activities of a few including an heir whose amoral behavior would help maintain more chaos. It is a film that explores a family who makes a deal with the Nazis which would benefit them financially and socially but it would also begin their downfall. The film’s screenplay opens with a dinner celebrating the birthday of Baron Joachim von Essenbeck (Albrecht Schoenhals) who is beloved by many in his family yet is reluctant to associate himself with the Nazis despite his conservative views. Yet, the night is shattered by the news of the Reichstag fire while son-in-law Herbert Thalmann (Umberto Osini) is another person who isn’t fond of the Nazis where the night ends badly when the baron is found dead with gunshot wounds on his body as the gun belonged to Thalmann though he is innocent yet is forced to flee knowing that he’s an outspoken critic of the Nazis.

The baron’s death sets everything in place as his daughter-in-law Sophie (Ingrid Thulin) is having an affair with the family’s executive Friedrich Bruckmann (Dirk Bogarde) who is also friends with a cousin of Sophie’s late husband in the SS officer Aschenbach (Helmut Griem) as they seek to take control of the family business with the approval of the baron’s grandson and Sophie’s son Martin (Helmut Berger) who inherits much of the share as he allows Bruckman to take control instead of the baron’s boorish nephew in Konstantin (Reinhard Kolldehoff). It would eventually cause a power struggle within the family as Herbert’s wife Elizabeth (Charlotte Rampling) asks Sophie to clear Herbert’s name unaware of her role in implicating Herbert. Meanwhile, Konstantin discovers something about Martin’s amoral lifestyle as he would use it as blackmail to get control of the family business to sell arms to the SA that Konstantin is a part of. Yet, it is Aschenbach that would stir things up as well as find ways to get Martin back on board but also find ways to do whatever he wants in order to ensure that the Nazis have a future. It all plays into a family dealing with the demands of a new world and how it would create chaos within this family as many of them scheme and do whatever they can to crave power as well as revel in decadence.

Luchino Visconti’s direction is definitely wondrous as it plays into a moment in time that is based on a real-life family known as the Krupp who would help create steel and weaponry for the Nazis only for their then-patriarch to be charged with war crimes. Shot on various locations in Austria, parts of then-West Germany, and interiors shot at Cinecitta Studios, in Rome, Italy with some of it near Dusseldorf and the Austrian village of Unterach am Attersee as Bad Wiessee. Visconti’s usage of the wide and medium shots don’t just play into the home of the von Essenbeck but also the world they live in as Visconti would create some unique compositions and framing that includes the opening party where Martin would be in drag as Marlene Dietrich as he performs in front of his family as it’s interrupted by the news of the Reichstag fire. Visconti also plays up a world that is lavish but also terrifying considering the world that this family lives in with some not wanting to be part of the Nazis. At the center of the turmoil is Martin as he is someone that has a lot of power but also does activities that are immoral as he’s also bisexual and molests children including a couple of his own cousins that Konstantin is aware of.

Visconti would also use close-ups to create some dramatic suspense as well as the sense of fear that would loom in Sophie and Friedrich as they would conspire to gain whatever power with Aschenbach being the man they turn to. Even as it means playing a role in an act of violence as there’s a key sequence late in the film’s second act that was originally cut from the film’s American release back in 1969 as it was spoken largely in German where a major event in Nazi Germany’s history takes place as much of the film is spoken in English for its American release with an alternate Italian dubbing for its European release. It is a key sequence that wouldn’t just play into this corruption that this family would be involved in but also a shift in power from within with Aschenbach stirring the pot. Yet, Visconti would create something that does feel operatic while also playing into some things that were considered taboo as it relates to the growing immorality that Martin would gain. Even as he would gain a few allies but also do things that would eventually destroy the reputation of his family. Overall, Visconti crafts a chilling yet disturbing film about a family’s fall from grace in their association with the Nazis.

Cinematographers Armando Nannuzzi and Pasqualino De Santis do amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of colorful lighting for some of the interior scenes at night as well as maintaining some vibrant and low-key colors for some of the daytime exterior scenes. Editor Ruggero Mastroianni does excellent work with the editing as it has some unique jump-cuts to play into the suspense and drama as well as some rhythmic cuts that add to some terrifying moments in the film. Art directors Pasquale Romano and Enzo Del Prato do brilliant work with the look of the von Essenbeck family estate with all of its rooms that are lavish and full of wide spaces as well as the main office of the factory that the family runs.

Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the designs of the Nazi uniforms as well as the dresses that Sophie and Elizabeth wears as well as the clothes that the men wear including the Marlene Dietrich costume that Martin wears for his performance. The sound work of Renato Cudueri and Vittorio Trentino is superb for its approach to natural sound as well as the mixing to play into some of the drama and terror with a key sequence in the film. The film’s music by Maurice Jarre is incredible for its rich orchestral score filled with sumptuous string and woodwind arrangements that play into the sense of decadence and chaos that looms throughout the film with a couple of songs from those times including songs that were sung by Marlene Dietrich.

The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Karin Mittendorf and Valentina Ricci in their respective roles as Herbert and Elizabeth’s daughters in Thilde and Erika, Irina Wanka as a young Jewish girl that Martin meets as she lives next door to Martin’s girlfriend, Nora Ricci as the von Essenbeck estate governess who runs the house, and Florinda Bolkan as Martin’s girlfriend Olga whom he doesn’t see often as well as the fact that there is no real commitment between the two towards the end as it relates to Martin’s own descent into immorality. Albrecht Schoenhals is terrific as Baron Joachim von Essenbeck as the family patriarch who is reluctant in aligning himself with Nazi Germany as well as having issues with their ideal that would unfortunately lead to his assassination. Reinhard Kolldehoff is superb as the baron’s nephew Konstantin who is also an officer for the SA paramilitary group as he wants to run the family business in the hopes of winning favor of Adolf Hitler towards the SA as he eventually becomes disillusioned with Hitler during a key moment in the film.

Charlotte Rampling is fantastic as Herbert’s wife Elizabeth who is troubled by her husband’s disappearance knowing that he didn’t kill the baron while is also someone who isn’t fond of the Nazi ideals as she asks Sophie for help only to be unaware that Sophie is the one who framed her husband. Renaud Verley is excellent as Konstantin’s nephew Gunther as a young man who is hoping to not be involved in the war as he is also close to Herbert and Elizabeth where he later succumbs to Aschenbach’s circle. Umberto Osini is brilliant as Herbert Thalmann as a man married to the family who is beloved by many though he isn’t fond of the Nazis as he is later accused of killing the baron forcing him to go into exile. Helmut Griem is amazing as Aschenbach as a SS officer who stirs the pot within the von Essenbeck family as he manipulates his way into the family’s affairs as he was a cousin of Sophie’s dead husband as he also does whatever he can to cling on to power by association.

Ingrid Thulin is incredible as Sophie as the baron’s daughter-in-law who is having an affair with Friedrich much to the baron’s disapproval as she is a woman that is hoping to have more power within the family as well as being the mastermind of killing the baron where she hopes to maintain shared control with Friedrich where she also would do anything including going against her family. Dirk Bogarde is phenomenal as Friedrich Bruckmann as a social-climbing executive of the family business who is having an affair with Sophie as he hopes to gain power only to involve himself with things that would push the family away as well as become Aschenbach’s puppet for a time. Finally, there’s Helmut Berger in a tremendous breakout performance as Martin von Essenbeck as the baron’s amoral grandson who likes to involve himself in things that are considered obscene as well as using his status to do what he wants only to find himself in trouble where he turns to Aschenbach as Berger exudes charisma but also something very dark from within as he leans towards the ideas of Nazism.

Gotterdammerung is a spectacular film from Luchino Visconti. Featuring a great ensemble cast, stylish visuals, Maurice Jarre’s exhilarating music score, and a look into a family’s descent into immorality and chaos. It is a film that explores the life of family during the early years of Nazi Germany and how everything they used to believe in crumble into a world that is full of hate. In the end, Gotterdammerung is a tremendous film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2023

2021 Cannes Marathon: Death in Venice

 

(25th Anniversary Prize Winner at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the novella by Thomas Mann, Death in Venice is the story of a composer who is entranced by the beauty of a young boy who is staying at a hotel in Venice where the composer is recovering from illness. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti and Nicolas Badalucco, the film is an exploration of a relationship between this ailing composer and a young boy that is set during the turn of the century as it explores a man’s obsession with beauty. Starring Dirk Bogarde, Mark Burns, Marisa Berenson, Romolo Valli, Silvana Mangano, and Bjorn Andresen. Death in Venice is a majestic and evocative film from Luchino Visconti.

Set in turn of the century Venice, the film revolves around an avant-garde composer whose ailing health forces him to go to the Italian city where he stays at a hotel where he is stunned by the beauty of a young boy. It is a film that explores a man coping with loss and disappointment as he is also dealing with this search for ideal beauty as he would find it in this young Polish boy while also dealing with what is happening with the city as the hotel staff and some of people in the posh areas of Venice refuse to tell him. The film’s screenplay by Luchino Visconti and Nicolas Badalucco is straightforward as it plays into the world of Gustav von Aschenbach (Dirk Bogarde) who is trying to recover from his illness as he would look back at parts of his life from his family life and his own desire to find beauty and perfection through his music that often lead to arguments with his colleague Alfred (Mark Burns).

While in Venice trying to recover from illness, Gustav sees the young Polish boy Tadzio (Bjorn Andresen) who is with his mother and sisters at the Venetian resort. Tadzio is really more of a presence and idea of what Gustav is trying to find in his idea of beauty while the script also suggests homoeroticism where Gustav often stares at Tadzio and would follow him whenever Tadzio is with his family.

Visconti’s direction is ravishing for the world that he creates where much of the film is shot on location in Venice as well as locations in Germany while much of the interior scenes of the hotel is shot at Cinecetta Studios in Rome. Visconti’s compositions capture so much attention to detail the world that Gustav is living in as there is this air of disconnect with all of the people living in the hotel resort with its open beaches and exquisite meals are unaware of what is happening in the city. Something Gustav would notice as Venice is having this season where the hotel manager (Romolo Valli) is claiming that it’s just rumors as Gustav doesn’t notice anything about what is happening in the newspapers as well. It adds to the atmosphere of the film where Gustav’s flashbacks are often seen as idyllic and dream-like in scenes with his wife (Marisa Berenson) but also filled with unease in scenes with Alfred including a chilling flashback of Gustav at his lowest. They’re presented largely in medium shots and close-ups to play into Gustav’s own sense of longing and despair as he is in Venice in this hotel where nothing feels real except for this young boy who represents this idealism of beauty.

Visconti’s wide shots really capture not just the scope of the beach as well as a room where the guests are waiting to be served in the dining room. It also has him creating some unique compositions and visuals that add to the atmospheric beauty that surrounds Gustav and Tadzio where the former watches the latter from afar who is playing a piano piece as it would have Gustav go into a flashback. It’s among these images that also include a band playing music to the people at the hotel with Gustav asking the singer about what is going on in the city. There are also some homoeroticism that occurs but it’s only in subtle bits in the way Gustav looks at Tadzio as there is a beautiful shot in the film’s final minutes as it play into Gustav’s own desires despite his ailing health. Especially in a brief moment where Gustav briefly meets Tadzio as he begs his mother to leave Venice because of what is happening as it plays into a man who is trying to hold on to this idea of beauty. Overall, Visconti crafts a somber yet intoxicating film about an ailing composer’s fascination over the beauty of a young boy.

Cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its sunny look of Venice in the daytime along with lush colors for a few of the flashback scenes as well as some unique lighting for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Ruggero Mastroiannni does excellent work with the editing as it does have a bit of style in a few jump-cuts yet much of it is straightforward to play into the drama of Gustav’s obsession. Art director Ferdinando Scarfioti does brilliant work with the look of the hotel interiors with its spacious dining and waiting rooms as well as the room that Gustav stays in.

Costume designer Piero Tosi does incredible work with the costumes from the sailor-like clothes of Tadzio to the suits of Gustav including a white suit he would wear in the film’s final moments. The sound work of Giuseppe Muratori and Vittorio Trentino is superb for the atmosphere that is created including scenes in the dining hall and the way the city sounds in its quiet yet unsettling moments. The film’s music from Armando Gill as well as pieces from Ludwig Van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, and Modest Mussorgsky is phenomenal as its usage of classical music with Mahler being the dominant force in the film while Gill provides some of the operatic pieces as it adds to the rapturous tone of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Dominique Darel as an English tourist, Mascia Predit as the Russian tourist, Marco Tulli as the man who faints at the train station, Leslie French as a travel agent warning Gustav about what is going on in Venice, Nora Ricci as Tadzio’s governess, Franco Fabrizi as a barber in the film’s third act, Sergio Garfagnoli as a boy that Tadzio befriends, Luigi Battaglia as a peasant performer named Scapegrace who gives Gustav a slight clue of what is happening in Venice, Carole Andre as a young prostitute that Gustav meets in a flashback, and Romolo Valli in a superb performance as the hotel manager who tries to shield the truth about what is happening in Venice from Gustav. Marisa Berenson and Silvana Mangano are fantastic in their respective roles as Gustav’s wife and Tadzio’s mother with the former being an object of simplicity and joy in the former via flashbacks while the latter is someone that is unaware of what is going on in Venice.

Mark Burns is excellent as Gustav’s colleague Alfred as a man who is seen via flashbacks as someone questioning Gustav’s ambitions and aims while also vilifying him for his faults. Bjorn Andresen is incredible as Tadzio where despite his lack of dialogue where he is just this object of beauty. Andresen is still this astonishing presence where he provides an innocence but also someone who is aware of his beauty despite not really knowing who Gustav is. Finally, there’s Dirk Bogarde in a phenomenal performance as Gustav von Aschenbach as an avant-garde composer who is coping with ailing health as he is transfixed by Tadzio while dealing with what is happening in Venice as well as coping with his own past, failures, and loss where Bogarde maintains a restraint in the way he gazes at Tadzio as a way to deal with the fact that he is possibly dying and is hoping to connect personally with this young boy.

Death in Venice is a tremendous film from Luchino Visconti that features a sensational performance from Dirk Bogarde as well as an entrancing appearance from Bjorn Andresen. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous music soundtrack, its intoxicating look, and it study of obsession and longing. The film is a somber yet exhilarating film about a man’s fascination for a young boy and his search for beauty in a city that is unraveling from afar. In the end, Death in Venice is a spectacular film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2021

White Nights (1957 film)

Based on the short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Le notti bianche (White Nights) is the story of a newly arrived city transplant who meets a sheltered young woman on a canal bridge as they begin a complicated romance that is filled with longing and unfulfilled ideas. Directed and co-shot by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Suso Cecchi D’Amico from a screen story by Visconti, the film is a look into a man trying to figure out his way in the world while falling for a beautiful yet troubled young woman. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Maria Schell, Jean Marais, and Clara Calamai. Le notti bianche is a haunting yet evocative film from Luchino Visconti.

Told in the span of a few days at a canal city in Italy, the film revolves a man who is new to the city as he meets a young woman on a canal bridge claiming to wait for a former lover whom she believes will return. It’s a film that play into the idea of longing as well as unfulfilled love as a man tries to understand what this young woman is going through just as he is in love with her. The film’s screenplay by Luchino Visconti and Susu Cecchi D’Amico does have a reflective narrative of sorts when it’s told by Natalia (Maria Schell) who is awaiting the return of her former lover (Jean Marais) who was a tenant at her family home years ago as they fell in love only to leave mysteriously claiming he would return. For Mario (Marcello Mastroianni), he would listen to Natalia’s story while isn’t sure if they’re true yet he still pursues her thinking he’s found someone he can be with as he is still new to the small town he’s at.

Visconti’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the way he captures post-war Italy at its most vibrant but also with a sense of melancholia as it relates to those who long to be part of something. Shot entirely at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Visconti uses this small town filled with canals and bridges at the center with a bar nearby as he brings a lot of attention to detail of the locations as well as where Natalia and Mario meet as they would meet again near the same bridge. Visconti’s usage of wide shots to get a scope of the location play into how vast and small the location is where there are a few regulars of this location including a white dog that Mario would meet early in the film. Visconti would also use close-ups and medium shots to play into Mario and Natalia’s meeting as well as a scene at a club where they dance with other couples as it’s one of the film’s most vibrant moments.

Visconti’s direction also has this air of style in the way he let things play out in a few long shots that include flashbacks of Natalia and her lover at the home of the former. There are moments that are intimate and full of life but there is also this sadness in the way Visconti presents Natalia’s heartbreak as he creates some unique framing devices into the way Natalia is seen in that moment and how it matches with a shot of her telling the story to Mario. Visconti would also play up the melodrama as it relates to Natalia’s own hysterics over her former lover and Mario trying to understand her though he becomes frustrated by her behavior. Even as Mario wonders if Natalia is telling the truth during the film’s third act as it would eventually lead to the possibility of a future for themselves. The scene that play into that possibility is presented with a sense of wonderment and hope yet Visconti is aware that these ideas of fantasy are just fleeting once reality would start to re-emerge. Overall, Visconti crafts an intoxicating yet somber film about a man pursuing a sheltered woman who is waiting for her lover.

Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, with additional work from Visconti, does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it play into its sense of style in how nighttime exteriors are lit as well as the scenes set in the day along with the low-key look of the dance scene. Editor Mario Serandrei does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts and other abrupt cuts to play into Natalia’s flashbacks. Art director Mario Chiari and set designer Enzo Eusepi do incredible work with the look of the scenes set at the canal bridges with so much attention to detail in how the canals look as well as the interior of the bars and the dance hall.

Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the look of the suits that Mario wear as well as the dresses that Natalia wears. The sound work of Oscar Di Santo and Vittorio Trentino is terrific for its usage of natural sounds in the dance scenes as well as well as sirens and bells from afar. The film’s music by Nino Rota is amazing for its rich and intoxicating orchestral score that is filled with lush string arrangements and textures to play into the drama as it is a major highlight of the film.

The film’s wonderful cast include some notable small roles and appearances from Maria Zanoli as a hotel maid, Marcella Rovena as the landlady at the hotel Mario is staying at, and Clara Calamai as the prostitute who is often hanging around at the bar near the canal bridges as she tries to woo Mario. Jean Marais is brilliant as Natalia’s unnamed lover as this mysterious man who arrived at her home years ago with books and so many things while being cagey in what he wants and what he does for a living. Maria Schell is phenomenal as Natalia as a woman that is longing to see if her lover will return as she also copes with the idea of him not showing up at all where she befriends Mario and later realizes there is an idea of hope with Mario as it’s a performance that is full of anguish and energy of a woman who is complicated. Finally, there’s Marcello Mastroianni in a sensational performance as Mario as man who is new to the city as he meets and falls for Natalia wanting to help her as well as be someone that she can rely on as it’s a performance filled with humility but also liveliness in the film’s dance hall scene as it is one of Mastroianni’s finest performances.

Le notti bianche is a spectacular film from Luchino Visconti that features incredible performances from Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell. Along with its gorgeous visuals, captivating story of longing and uncertainty, high-quality art direction, and Nino Rota’s intoxicating score. It’s a film that play into two people trying to find love in an intimate setting at a time where so much around them is changing. In the end, Le notti bianche is a tremendous film from Luchino Visconti.

Related: Two Lovers

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – Death in Venice – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2018

Rocco and His Brothers

Based on an episode from the novel Il ponte della Ghisolfa by Giovanni Testori, Rocco e i suoi fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers) is the story of a family in Milan who deal with their surroundings where a man tries to maintain the unity of his family who deal with their new surrounding and its vices. Directed by Luchino Visconti and screenplay by Visconti, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Massimo Franciosa, and Enrico Mediola from a story by Visconti, d’Amico, and Vasco Pratolini, the film is an exploration of the life of a family struggling to be together amidst their need to succeed and find happiness. Starring Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, Katina Paxinou, Spiros Focas, Max Cartier, and Claudia Cardinale. Rocco e i suoi fratelli is an evocative and rapturous film from Luchino Visconti.

The film follows a family from Southern Italy who travels to Milan to join their eldest son to live in a new environment hoping they wouldn’t struggle yet they would deal with the demands of the modern world and the vices it would bring that would shake the unity of the family. It’s a film told in five parts as it feature five brothers who are from Southern Italy as they all try to make it in Milan with the youngest being a child with their mother Rosaria Parondi (Katina Paxinou) hoping the move would be a good change for the family. The film’s screenplay does have this structure that is told in five parts as it goes from the eldest son in Vincenzo (Spiros Focas) to the youngest in Luca (Rocco Vidolazzi) with the titular character Rocco (Alain Delon) in the middle. The first act revolves around Vincenzo being engaged to a young woman in Ginetta (Claudia Cardinale) and the second eldest in Simone (Renato Salvatori) trying to make it as a boxer where he falls for a prostitute in Nadia (Annie Girardot). The second act is about Rocco while the third is about the younger brother Ciro (Max Cartier) and Luca.

When the Parondi family arrives to learn about Vincenzo’s engagement to Ginetta, it is a surprise where things don’t exactly go well forcing Vincenzo to be with his family and help them find a home and work for his brothers. When Ginetta becomes pregnant, Vincenzo would marry her as he would make the decision to be with Ginetta and their growing family leaving his mother and brothers to fend for themselves despite wanting to help them. It’s around this time that Simone becomes fascinated by boxing due to his physique but also wants more as he isn’t interested in doing menial work like Vincenzo and Rocco where he would meet Nadia and would do whatever to please her. Even if it means stealing from the laundromat that Rocco works at which would be the start of his own downfall from someone that was loyal to his family to becoming selfish and lazy. Simone’s development is crucial to the story as is Rocco who is this saintly figure of sorts that is doing whatever he can to help his family. Even if it means sacrificing his own happiness for the good of his family where the second act is about him doing his military service where he would meet Nadia a few years after their arrival in Milan.

The second act wouldn’t just play into Rocco searching for his own place in life which also means having to reluctantly become a boxer as Simone’s trainer realize that Rocco has a lot more to offer to the sport than Simone. It’s also for the fact that Rocco is willing to help his family as well as try to mend fences between his mother and Vincenzo in order to meet his growing family. Yet, Rocco’s time with Nadia, who sees him as a way out of prostitution and immorality, would cause problems with Simone. The third act which begins with Ciro, who grows into a responsible young man with a steady job and a girlfriend, who begins to be the one providing for himself, Luca, and their mother as he would be forced to deal with Simone’s self-destructive lifestyle with Nadia that becomes too much for Rosaria to deal with. Ciro’s development is crucial in the third act as he started off as a teenager focusing on his studies and then become a man with responsibilities watching everything around him. Even as he has to be the one to guide his youngest brother Luca about the struggles they all have to deal with.

Luchino Visconti’s direction is definitely intoxicating for the way he captures life in early 1960s Milan as this epicenter of post-war modern Italy. Also shot on location near Lake Como, Visconti would create this world which would seem foreign to a family like the Pardoni who come from the rural landscape of Southern Italy where they had land that was their own despite the struggles they endure. In the city, they had to work harder to get a home and the things needed in a home. While there are a lot of wide shots that Visconti would use to capture the world of Milan and areas that represent this world that is modern as it’s filled with pool halls, boxing arenas, and posh hotels. Visconti creates something where it is a world that is enthralling but also a little off for characters like Rocco who had lived most of his life in the countryside which is a world Visconti doesn’t show at all. Instead, he opens the film with the Pardoni family, minus Vincenzo, arriving on a train station in Milan where they’re in awe of their new surroundings.

While the setting of the film is quite vast, there is still an element of intimacy into the characters that Visconti is interested in as he would use close-ups and medium shots to get a glimpse into the life they have. Especially in the apartments where there’s a scene of Rocco coming into Vincenzo’s apartment late in the second act as it show the kind of life Vincenzo has which is what Ciro is aiming for while still living with his mother and Luca. The film’s third act is about this desire to return to the South as it’s something Rocco wants where he copes with all that he tries to do for his family including Simone who would constantly put the family into shame. Especially in the film’s climax where all of the goading he gets for his troubles would finally test Rocco in his desire to help and forgive with Ciro having to tell Luca about what he would face as well as the realities of what is to come if the family ever returns to the South. Overall, Visconti creates a ravishing yet visceral film about a rural family dealing with modernism, sacrifice, and major challenges in the big city.

Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno does incredible work with the film’s black-and-white photography to capture the look of modern Italy from the sunny look of the scene outside of the hotel to low-key approach of lighting for the boxing scenes as well as a scene where Simone confronts his former manager. Editor Mario Serandrei does brilliant work with the editing as it emphasizes on a lot of the dramatic elements with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into some of the intense moments as well as stylish montage of sorts for a key sequence in the third act. Production designer Mario Garbuglia does excellent work with the look of the apartment that the Pardoni family would live in as well as some of the places the brothers would work at and the gym where Simone and Rocco would train.

Costume designer Piero Tosi does terrific work with the costumes as it play into the ragged look of the men early on and the clothes they would wear in the coming years to the fabulous dresses that Nadia would wear to play into the lifestyle of decadence that she craves for. The sound work of Giovanni Rossi is superb in capturing the atmosphere of the city from the things heard from afar as well as some of the raucous sounds at the gym and the apartment building Rosaria would live in. The film’s music by Nino Rota is phenomenal for its lush orchestral score as it play into the melodrama while creating themes that range from being upbeat to using more heavy strings for the eerie moments in the drama as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Alessandra Panaro as Ciro’s girlfriend, Corrado Pani as Simone’s friend Ivo, Claudia Mori and Adriana Asti as a couple of laundromat workers who flirt with Rocco, Suzy Delair as the laundromat manager, and Paolo Stoppa as Simone’s manager Cerri as a man who discovers Simone and sees his potential only to find himself into trouble when Simone descends into alcoholism. Claudia Cardinale is fantastic in a small role as Vincenzo’s fiancée Ginetta as a young woman that is willing to be part of Vincenzo’s family despite the mistreatment they received from her family. Rocco Vidolazzi is terrific as Luca as the youngest of the five brothers who is often with his other as he would observe everything around him while having to bear the responsibility of what he will need to do when he gets older. Spiros Focas is superb as Vincenzo as the eldest of the five brothers who is trying to create a family of his own while doing whatever he can to help his mother and brothers. Max Cartier is superb as Ciro as the second youngest of the five brothers who spends much of the film observing his older brothers while trying to make his own mark in his life where he also voices his opinions about what to do.

Katina Paxinou is excellent as Rosaria Pardoni as the mother of the five brothers who frets over the situation of the family while hoping they would get a good life as she wonders if the move to Milan was a good idea. Annie Girardot is brilliant as Nadia as a prostitute who is a woman that lives a decadent lifestyle that has her bringing in some bad vices to Simone until she would fall for Rocco where she hopes to make some changes in her life until Simone wants her back. Renato Salvatori is amazing as Simone as the second eldest brother who is eager to succeed in the city where he becomes a boxer but succumbs to his infatuation with Nadia that would eventually be his downfall as he becomes selfish, lazy, and destructive in the shame he would bring to his family. Finally, there’s Alain Delon in a tremendous performance as Rocco Pardoni as the middle brother who is trying to do what is right for his family as well as maintain order including helping Simone with his troubles as it’s a very restrained performance from Delon that is filled with anguish and humility.

Rocco e i suoi fratelli is an outstanding film from Luchino Visconti. Featuring a great cast led by Alain Delon as well as great visuals, Nino Rota’s sumptuous score, and a heartbreaking story on family dealing with the modern world. It’s a film that explores the life of a family trying to start over in a new world that demands so much and filled with vices that would test their unity. In the end, Rocco e i suoi fratelli is a magnificent film from Luchino Visconti.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) – (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – Death in Venice – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

© thevoid99 2017

The Leopard

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/25/08 w/ Additional & Re-Edited Content.

One of Italy's finest directors, Luchino Visconti helped take part in Italy's postwar cinema into the venture of neo-realism with other contemporaries like Vittorio de Sica and Roberto Rosselini. Visconti's contributions in the 1950s helped shaped Italian cinema as he also marked the arrival of other important directors like Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni. By the 1960s, Visconti remained revered for his take on realism while also dabbling into other themes of filmmaking. In 1963, Visconti made one of his most personal films based on a novel by Guiseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa about the decline of the Sicilian empire just as Italian unification was to happen in the mid to late 1800s. The film adaptation would become one of Visconti's finest films of his career simply entitled Il Gattopardo (The Leopard).

Directed by Luchino Visconti with an adapted script written by Visconti, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, and Suso Cecchi d'Amico. The film is the story of a Sicilian prince whose life of prestige and royalty is coming to an end during the period of Risorgimento for Italian unification. Forced to deal with change around him, he becomes aware that his time is up with a new world starting to emerge. With an all-star cast starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Serge Reggiani, Mario Girotti, and Pierre Clementi. Il Gattopardo is an epic, fascinating, and beautiful film from Luchino Visconti.

Prince Don Fabrizio Corbera of Salina (Burt Lancaster) is living a great life of nobility and prestige as he is praying with his family and Father Pirrone (Romolo Valli). Yet, when they hear noises about a dead soldier near their garden, he gets word of a new revolution taking place for the unification of Italy. With is wife Maria Stella Corera (Rina Morelli) distraught, Corbera is convinced that the revolution will be short-lived. Often turning to Pirrone for spiritual counsel, he receives a visit from his beloved nephew Tancredi Falconeri (Alain Delon), who is taking part of the revolution for the middle class led by Garibaldi. Corbera suddenly becomes aware that times might change after all with his old order of nobility, royalty, and everything else is fading away.

During a battle in Palermo where Tancredi received a wound in his right eye, he returns home as he accompanies his relatives to their holiday home. Father Pirrone is suddenly becoming aware of the changing times as he joins the family for a holiday in Sicilian countryside of Donnafugata while Tancredi chats with his older cousins Concetta (Lucilla Morlacchi) and Francesco Paolo (Pierre Clementi). With the family choosing to meet Don Ciccio Tumeo (Serge Reggiani) and Don Calogero Sedara (Paolo Stoppa) for church service, Father Pirrone later tells Fabrizio about Concetta falling for Tancredi. Yet, later at a dinner Tancredi meets Sedara's daughter Angelica (Claudia Cardinale) as the two become attracted to each other much to Concetta's dismay.

During a hunt wit Don Ciccio, Ciccio admits to having problems with Sedara's plans for an Italian unification convinced that it will do nothing for Fabrizio. Fabrizio is aware of Sedara's scheming yet when Tancredi has interest in Angelica. He realizes that Tancredi's marriage to Angelica might help him in power much to Ciccio's pleas to not have it happen. After negotiating with Sedara over land and such, Fabrizio realizes that it might not be an easy alliance after all. When Tancredi returns wearing a uniform for the King's army, he's accompanied by Count Cavriaghi (Mario Girotti) who hopes to court Concetta. Angelica is surprised by her engagement to Tancredi, Concetta is more dismayed as she ignores Cavriaghi. Then comes the arrival of Cavaliere Chevelley (Leslie French) who reveals what future role Fabrizio might play politically.

Realizing his role, stature, and prestige might no longer be of use after all, Fabrizio and his family arrives at the ball of Don Diego (Howard Nelson Rubien) which is also Angelica's society debut. Realizing that he no longer fits in with anything or anyone, Fabrizio is saddened by his newfound loneliness despite being asked to waltz with Angelica. With Tancredi set for his own future, Fabrizio ponders everything he's lost as the world around him is changing.

The film is essentially about the last days of a Sicilian prince's reign as he tries to deal with the changing world around him only to realize he's unable to adapt to the changes while everyone and everything around him is. While the script and story is less-plot driven and more about character and its historical surroundings. It definitely tells of how a man is trying to hold on to this world that he's been living in for all of his life and then when everything is changing. He couldn't really adapt to it and when he tries to, for his gain, he realizes that it's only for his nephew who is clueless about all of these revolutionaries and political revolts. The character of Tancredi is someone who wants to change but only to realize that he's blinded by his youth where in the beginning, he believes in one thing and by the end of the film. He's into something else as if he's following some political faction for his gain and role in society.

The script is wonderfully structured with the first act opening in a quaint, serne countryside to the chaos in Palermo before the family goes on holiday at Donnafugata. The second act is about the arrival of Angelica and Fabrizio trying to hold on to his role as Prince only to get himself into these negotiations with Don Sedara who wants a lot of things while attaining an important, political role. The third act is Fabrizio's revelation and the alienation he goes through as he tries to cope with the changes that is in front of him. Not just the new generation of people he couldn't relate to but his old order who are conforming to the times.

Luchino Visconti's direction is very fluid and mesmerizing in every scene he's shooting. From its wondrous, epic scope in the film's exterior settings in the country to the intimacy and atmosphere in the film’s interior sequences. Visconti's framing of the ball scene is wonderful in how he captures everything that goes on in the frame. The compositions later on are truly superb to capture the emotion of what is happening to the character of Fabrizio. The presentation and the way the dances are choreographed and capture show Visconti's talent in the directing front. The Don Diego ball sequence at forty-five minutes is truly mesmerizing with Visconti revealing everything that goes on. The result is truly a solid, engrossing, and certainly enchanting film that just doesn't stay true to the period but brings it to life in front of the audience.

Cinematographer Guiseppe Rotunno does amazing work with the film's look in its Technicolor, 35mm film stock with gorgeous coloring in every frame from the yellow, wheatfields in the countryside exteriors and hill tops on location in Sicily. Rotunno's camera work in the interiors with its use of day light for it sense of aura to the nighttime scenes in the interiors are filled with an array of color and richness that is exquisite in every frame shot. Rotunno's work is truly one of the film's highlights. Editor Mario Sarandrei does an excellent job in the transitional cuttings from scene to scene with the use of fade-outs and dissolves to help structure the story and most of all, maintain a meditative pacing style for the audience to get to know the characters and its surroundings.

Art director Mario Garbuglia along with set decorators Laudomia Hercolani and Giorgio Pes create exquisite interior set pieces for the homes that the character live in with authentic detailing of the furniture and silk for the look of the beds and such. The art direction in this film is truly divine for its attention to detail of the period of the mid-1800s in Italy. The costume design of Piero Tosi is just gorgeous to look at for its attention to detail and the sense of fluidity to the period. Notably in the ball scene where the dresses the women wear are jaw-droppingly beautiful for its coloring and stitching that is another highlight in its technical work. The music score of Nino Rota is truly mesmerizing from its sweeping arrangements, somber melodies, and orchestral power. The score is truly one of Rota's best work as he also arranged an old composition by Guiseppe Verdi in the waltz sequence as Rota's work is really one of the film's most memorable moments.

The casting of the film is superb with notable small performances from Howard Nelson Rubien as Don Diego, Ivo Garrani as Colonel Pallavicino, and Pierre Clementi as Fabrizio's son Francesco Paolo. Mario Girotti aka Terrence Hill is wonderfully dashing as the charming Count Cavriaghi who tries to woo Concetta with little success. Leslie French is great as Cavaliere Chevelley who tries to help out Fabrizio in his upcoming role while being clueless to his metaphorical line about his role and the world. Serge Reggiani is excellent as the loyal Don Ciccio who tries to warn Fabrizio about Sedara as he's forced to watch in horror the deal Fabrizio makes. Rina Morelli is good as Fabrizio's wife and princess who is trying to deal with the changes while being distraught towards Tancredi's rejection over her daughter Concetta. Paolo Stoppa is great as the scheming Don Sedara who hopes to gain everything from his deal despite his lack of manners and taste.

Romolo Valli is brilliant in his role as Father Pirrone, Fabrizio's spiritual guide who is one of the few trusted allies Fabrizio has while also wanting to speak matters of the heart when he wants some confessions from Fabrizio. Lucilla Morlacchi is excellent as Concetta, Fabrizio's eldest daughter who has fallen for her cousin Tancredi only to become cold by his rejection and his changing persona as she becomes bored by her own surroundings. Claudia Cardinale is superb in her role as Angelica, a beautiful woman who is touched by the kindness of Fabrizio while being aware of Concetta's feelings for Tancredi. Cardinale's sincere performance is lovely to watch, especially in her waltz with Burt Lancaster that shows how compassionate her character is to the man who is about to leave the world. Alain Delon is great as the charming Tancredi, a young man whose youthful ideals and enthusiasm is met with great love by his uncle despite his opinions. Yet, when he trades one faction for another, it becomes clear that he's merely a follower who is willing to try and maintain a position of power no matter where it comes from. It's a truly amazing performance from the French actor in his glory days in the early 1960s.

Finally, there's Burt Lancaster in what is truly one of his best performances in his legendary career. Lancaster's understated, world-weary performance is definitely one for the ages. Though in its full, uncut 185-minute Italian version, his performance is dubbed by another actor. Lancaster makes the most of it with his restraint and glorious presence as a prince who is trying to adapt to the changing time. Lancaster is most touching when he's not speaking or doing anything as he delves into all the emotions into what he's losing. It's a truly mesmerizing and powerful performance from the late yet legendary actor who even at the height of his fame is willing to take risks as an actor.

***The Following is DVD Content Relating to Il Gattopardo that was Written & Added on 11/2/10***

The 2004 3-disc Region 1 Criterion Collection DVD for Il Gattopardo presents the film in its two different versions in its two different discs.  The first disc is the definitive 185-minute cut of the film with a new high-digital transfer that is supervised by the film’s cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno.  The film is also is presented with the its original Super Technirama letterboxed/widescreen aspect ratio of 2:21:1 along with restored sound and image.  The first disc also includes a new English subtitle translation and a full-length commentary track by film scholar Peter Cowie.

Cowie’s commentary reflects on many of the film’s themes, its historical setting, and on the life of Luchino Visconti.  Cowie also discusses what scenes were cut from the original film for the U.S. release which also included scenes where Don Fabrizio and Don Ciccio at the hunting scene is shortened in the America version along with a scene where Father Pirrone is talking about faith at an inn.  Cowie reveals Visconti’s own background as he grew up in an aristocratic family where during his time in Paris, he met Coco Chanel.  This would later him get some work for Jean Renoir where Renoir taught him the world of films.  Cowie says that during the early 60s, the most important Italian directors at that time were Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni, Vittorio de Sica, and Federico Fellini.

Cowie also revealed that despite the fact that Burt Lancaster was the bigger star, Alain Delon was the only actor who got his own private dressing room which seemed insulting.  Though Lancaster remained professional throughout the film despite not speaking Italian with the rest of the cast.  Cowie also dwells on Claudia Cardinale, who was becoming one of Italy’s premier actresses at that time as she was breaking out internationally thanks to this film along with Fellini’s 8 ½.  The work of cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno is widely discussed as he became a prominent cinematographer for the Italian industry, and a regular collaborator of Visconti.

For many of the historical aspects about the film, Cowie believes that the period of Italian reunification of the 1860s would spark the groundwork for the world of the Mafia in Sicily.  Cowie also dwells on the music of Nino Rota during the ballroom scene.  Even as he revealed that when worked with Francis Ford Coppola for a 2001 DVD release for The Godfather, they found audio tapes of Rota improvising various themes.  Cowie also goes deep into the discussion of the characters in the film while revealing many of the film’s themes that involve Don Fabrizio.  Cowie’s commentary is truly delightful and very informative with its relaxed and rhythmic tone.

The second disc of the DVD is filled with special features and documentaries relating to the film.  The first is a one-hour making-of documentary called A Dying Breed:  The Making of The Leopard.  Featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriters Suso Cecchi D’Amico and Enrico Medioli, and cinematographer Giuseppe Rutunno, plus several others including the late American filmmaker Sydney Pollack.  The six-part documentary recalls on everything that lead up to the making of the film and its release.  The first part talks about the contrast of backgrounds between Luchino Visconti and Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.  Even as some wondered if Visconti’s approach to the novel were too much since di Lampedusa died before the film ever came out.  By the time it was in the adaptation stage, it was very difficult since Visconti’s take on the book was much different from di Lampedusa.  Cut out of the story from the book were the last two chapters, the epilogues, where Visconti wanted to focus more on the Prince in his final moments for the third act of the film.  

Even the characterization of Tancredi and Angelica were different from what they were in the book as Visconti wanted them to be a more joyful, loving couple unaware of what will happen to them.  The casting of the film proved to be very difficult as they needed a big name to headline the film.  After the idea of casting a Russian actor to play Don Fabrizio didn’t work, they went to Laurence Olivier to see if he could go for the part.  The problem was that Olivier wasn’t available as producer Goffredo Lombardo made a real breakthrough in getting Burt Lancaster involved.  Though Visconti didn’t initially liked the idea of Lancaster as Don Fabrizio, he reluctantly agreed to the casting as the relationship between Lancaster and Visconti didn’t start out well.  

Yet, as the filming went on with Rutunno being the messenger for both men.  Lancaster and Visconti became the best of friends until Visconti’s death as Pollack revealed that the film proved to be a real acting breakthrough for Lancaster.  Even as Claudia Cardinale helped smooth out whatever issues Visconti and Lancaster had early on as she acted with Lancaster in English and with Alain Delon in French.  Cardinale had worked with Visconti in other film as did Delon as they were able to help things move quite seamlessly.  With the actors cast, production was set as costume designer Piero Tosi talked about the design of the costumes.  Notably the look of the soldiers where they wore early versions of blue jeans as their uniform while Rutunno and art director Mario Garbuglia talk about the look of Sicily and locations which were difficult to find.

Once the locations were found, Garbuglia and Rutunno went to great detail to recreate the interior designs of the home from the way it should be lit to the look of the walls.  For the ballroom sequence, it was a very difficult shoot due to the fact that there were several mirrors inside of the rooms.  Yet, Rutunno and Visconti were able to find ways to get the camera angles without the mirror showing the camera.  Tosi also talked about the costumes, notably the dress that Claudia Cardinale had to wear which was difficult to make.  Cardinale recalled the one thing she didn’t like about wearing the dress was the corset because it was half her size.

The fifth part of the documentary discusses about Visconti’s personality and his approach to making films.  Garbuglia and Tosi revealed that despite having a bad temper, Visconti was caring towards his collaborators and actors.  Cardinale also recalled about guiding her during her first dinner scene and got her to laugh in such a way.  The final part of the documentary recalls the American release where the people involved the film revealed how the Americans got it wrong.  Even as they had trouble with Visconti, who didn’t speak English and wasn’t very kind with the American producers at 20th Century Fox.  While Burt Lancaster was involved by dubbing his own voice with Sydney Pollack directing Lancaster during the syncing.  Pollack confesses that the American version of the film was lousy.  While he revealed that Lancaster ranked the film as his best role, the only qualm Lancaster had was that in the definitive version.  It wasn’t his voice while Pollack contended that it was the silent moments and graceful movements that gives reasons into why it’s one of Lancaster’s greatest roles of his career.

The second big feature is a 20-minute interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo.  Lombardo discusses about getting the film made because of the novel’s popularity as he went through early developments for the film until getting Luchino Visconti attached to the project.  Lombardo was responsible for getting Burt Lancaster involved as he had a hard time trying to talk to American producers, who treated the Italian producers with indifference.  Lancaster talked with Lombardo and decided to be involved after seeing a Visconti film called Rocco and His Brothers.  Though he knew Visconti wasn’t a fan of Lancaster, a meeting in Rome with Lancaster changed things.

Lombardo also discussed the production of the film as well as its release.  The reception for the film was good but in the way the film has been received many years later as a classic.  Lombardo also revealed that the film came out during a troubled period for Italian cinema because of a financial crisis.  Lombardo ends the interview talking about the idea of the DVD as he believes it’s a great thing so that it can be seen by people at their home.

The third and final big special feature is a fourteen-minute video interview with University of Pennsylvania professor Millicent Marcus about the Risorgimento period in Italy during the 19th Century.  Marcus revealed that the fall of the Roman Empire led to a separation of Italy where various sections of the country were run by different countries.  By the 1800s, there was a movement to reunify the country which finally happened in the mid-1800s.  Marcus revealed that the character of Chevelley was based on Camillo Benso, one of the leading figures of the Risorgimento.  Marcus talks about Giuseppe Garibaldi, a military figure who helped lead many battles that would lead to Italy’s reunification as Marcus reveals that he was seen as a romantic hero.

Marcus talks about the battle of Palermo, which was the big battle scene in the film as she talked about everything that was happening in that scene.  Even as it relates to the character of Tancredi where the battle would have a major effect on his views.  He starts out being a member of the revolution and then becomes part of the anti-revolution.  The Risorgimento was viewed as a failure because of power plays involving politics though there was an eventual reunification of the country though the real winner was the middle class.  Not the revolutionaries nor the aristocracy.  Marcus also talks about the idea of revolution in its various meanings while her last statement revolves around Don Fabrizio’s love of astronomy about how things would often go back.

Additional special features include a stills gallery that features rare pictures of Visconti on set, film posters, and scenes that didn’t make it to the final film or were in the original 205-minute cut of the film.  Also included in the promotional section of the special features are three trailers.  The original Italian trailer and two American trailers, the first of which featured Burt Lancaster presenting the trailer.  Finally, there’s two Italian newsreels that relates to the premieres of Il Gattopardo in Rome, where it was also an award ceremony for some of the finest in the Italian film industry including the film’s producer Goffredo Lombardo as well as Dino de Laurentiis and actress Gina Lollobrigida.

The third disc of the DVD is a remastered transfer of the 161-minute American release of the film from 20th Century Fox.  The film is presented in the widescreen aspect ratio of 2:35:1 with a remastered sound as it features the voices of Burt Lancaster and Leslie French in their respective roles as Don Fabrizio and Chevelley.  While the print of that version of the film does look great though doesn’t carry as much depth of field as the original did.  It’s not a bad version of the film as the differences isn’t what was cut from the original film as the only thing added was a text that appears after the opening credits about the Risorgimento.  The problem with the American version are in two factors.  First is the dubbing which affects the performances as they don’t have the same sense of regality in the original.  

Though there’s some moments where Lancaster is in great form as he dubs himself, the scenes where he displays some high emotions don’t seem right.  The other issue in the film is that the pacing, in some parts of the film, is off where things move slower in some parts including the ballroom scene while other scenes, notably the sequence where Don Fabrizio and his family go to their summer home where the scene at the inn was cut along with another scene of Tancredi talking to some soldiers.  It’s where some things become confusing because the audience has no idea what is happening.  To compare it to the original version, it would be a decent, adequate film.

Accompanied with the Criterion DVD set is an essay by film historian Michael Wood about the film.  Wood talks about the similarities between Visconti and novelist Giuseppe di Lampedusa.  Even as they have a fascination with the history of Italy as they both came from different ideas of aristocracy.  Wood also goes into the psychological aspects of the characters, notably Tancredi whose motivations are more to do with power as he’s unaware of the bleak future he and Angelica would have.  Yet, Wood reveals that the film is about a man of the old order trying to find a place in a world that is rapidly changing as he would make his way towards death.

The 3-disc DVD for Il Gattopardo is definitely one of the Criterion Collection’s finest releases as audiences get a chance to see the film in its definitive version.  Even as it includes the shorter, American version so audiences can see what 20th Century Fox did wrong though it’s not an entirely bad film.  It’s truly a must-have DVD for film buffs and fans of great Italian cinema.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

When it first played in Italy in the spring of 1963 with a cut of 205-minutes, reviews were good though some complained about the length of the film. Visconti eventually trimmed twenty-minutes of the film for its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival which won the Palme D'or. Despite the success at Cannes, 20th Century Fox decided to release the film with a new cut of 161-minutes and dubbing that included Burt Lancaster's own voice for the American version. The American version received mixed reviews while the film by itself lost its stature with Lancaster often saying it's one of the best films he's done. For years, Il Gattopardo had been rarely seen in its full version as in 1980, four years after Luchino Visconti's death. The film's cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno supervised a restored version of the 185-minute cut that Visconti preferred to cinemas all over the world. The film was immediately hailed as a lost classic while its uncut version was seen by Americans in California in the groundbreaking pay-cable channel known as Z Channel.

Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo in its 185-minute, Italian version is a magnificent film for the ages led by a masterful and sprawling performance by the legendary Burt Lancaster. Fans of Italian cinema no doubt consider this film as essential in its full glory while it's suggested to avoid the American version since it doesn't carry the same sense of prestige and beauty of its full Italian version. With great technical work from Guiseppe Rotunno, Piero Tosi, and Nino Rota along with super supporting performances from Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale, Lucilla Morlacchi, and Romolo Valli. It's a must-see for fans of art-house cinema while traditional audiences should be patient for its pacing and epic scope. In the end, Luchino Visconti's Il Gattopardo is classic period-piece cinema at its finest.

Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Bellissima) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – Senso – White Nights (1957 film) – Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)- The Witch Burned Alive – The Damned (1969 film) – (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – Death in Venice – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece) – The Innocent (1976 film)

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