Review of The Leopard (1963) by Ali K — 08 Jan 2010

It took 20 years for an Italian aristocrat to write the 200 page novel which was only published after his death. 6 years after his death another Italian aristocrat by the name of Luchino Visconti crafted the best film about the fading aristocracy, topping those Magnificent Ambersons because only 20 minutes of The Leopard have been lost, but it's hard to see where that extra footage could find their way into this sumptuous family drama.

The Prince of Salina (the magnificent Burt Lancaster) sits atop a hillside in the luxury of his own manor, with the reunification of Italy currently on the horizon set to sweep aside his current social status along with his family. His opportunistic nephew Tancredi (french heart throb Alain Delon) doesn't follow the loyalty of his forebears, signing up for the movement and ditching the hand of Salina's daughter in marriage for Angelica Sedara's (The beautiful Claudia Cardinale), the daughter of a wealthy Don which will guarantee his future.

The film keeps a slow pace until the final unforgettable act, the metaphorical "last waltz" of the doomed Aristocracy in the famed Ball sequence, lasting 45 minutes and filled with the regret of a man whose time is now up. "The Leopard" keeps so much underneath the surface that the first viewing will leave you in admiration, future viewings will leave you breathless in its brilliance. It can draw comparisons with "The Godfather", but Luchino Visconti's film stands on its own two feet as one of the very best Italian films ever made.