Il Gattopardo (1963)
Film: Il Gattopardo (1963)
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale
Rating: ****
Luchino Visconti’s Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) is acclaimed as being the centrepiece of Italy’s golden era of cinema – and rightly so. Based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s same-titled novel, its spectacular sweep follows the noble Salina family as they struggle against the changes sweeping their country in the wake of the Resorgimento (the official unification of Italy).
Burt Lancaster plays Prince Salina, a man caught between his recognition of the need for change, and his dislike of the new things that will inevitably replace him. Originally brought in against Visconti’s wishes, Lancaster’s Salina draws the audience’s attention throughout the film’s three hours, capturing the delicious decadence of the film in what many have seen as a performance based on the director himself.
The famous ballroom scene is an extravaganza of visuals, sounds, and scripting. Claudia Cardinale plays Angelica to stunning perfection, and the camera languishes on her in a manner reminiscent of Victor Fleming’s techniques in Gone with the Wind. The language of the film isn’t much changed from that of the book, and consequently retains its literary sophistication. From the pervasive presence of death to the issue of the South personified by Sicily’s disabling heat and cruel landscape, the film offers itself as a veritable feast of scenes and ideas.
Despite being an avowed Marxist, Visconti’s obsession with lavish display, drama, and richness of detail often worked to the detriment of any message contained within his films. Nevertheless, Il Gattopardo can only be described as glorious, and is an absolute must see.
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