Review of The Leopard (1963) by Max M — 21 Aug 2008
Luchino Visconti's lavish and fascinating adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel about an aristocratic family adapting to Italy's political upheavals of the 1860's.
Burt Lancaster gives yet another extraordinary performance as the family patriarch Don Fabrizio Corbera. His thoughtful and troubled portrayal of a man out of time who is stuck in between eras perfectly conveys the thematic elements of the picture.
Like Corbera, the film conveys neither a "fond reminiscence of the good old days" nor a "the future looks bright" attitude (looking back now, politically, we know that neither of those sentiments would be in the least bit true - and Visconti, a former liberal aristocrat himself, wanted to take no sides and make no assumptions about his character's past or present), but a preoccupation with the moment at hand.
An absolutely magnificent film.
This review of The Leopard (1963) was written by Max M on 21 Aug 2008.
The Leopard has generally received very positive reviews.
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