Review of The Leopard (1963) by Daniel K — 08 Jul 2010

4: Just as The White Ribbon - which I watched the day prior - is one of the most beautiful black and white films I've ever seen, The Leopard is without a doubt one of the most stunning color pictures I have ever have the pleasure of viewing.

Epics don't get much more lush, vibrant, and grand than this. The opulence of the dinner scenes, the villas, the costumes, etc is absolutely incredible. Seeing it on Blu-Ray I sometimes felt as if I should have stood up and walked right into the scene it as it was so pristinely clear and enticing.

The production values are absolutely through the roof. Every detail seems right. Despite the films brilliance, and it is brilliant, hence the 4 stars indicating it is a masterpiece, it is not quite what I had hoped for in some respects.

This is likely due to the fact that I'm simply not terribly familiar with the events and time period depicted in the film. Unlike with American or British epics, I have little to no connection to this world.

This makes it a bit more difficult to make out precisely what is happening and why. Plus, it's a Visconti picture, which means it isn't entirely straightforward to begin with. Perhaps I won't have this issue the second time around, but I found myself a bit disoriented at times.

Lancaster is perfect in the role, even if it isn't his voice; he can certainly credibly play a leopard. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, with Cardinale and Delon perfectly suited to one another.

The worst part of the film was probably the battle scenes. They are not staged particularly well and are definitely exposed for what they are in this pristine print and to this more sophisticated (meaning contemporary) viewer.

However, the story is timeless, the beauty is breathtaking, and the themes are poignant and moving. Bravo.