Review of The Leopard (1963) by Margarita M — 30 Aug 2008

Amazing. Viscontiâ??s epic watches Prince Salina as he watches the transformation of aristocratic culture during the time of the Risorgimento in Italy. The DVD is definitely worth owning because it includes some amazing and useful extras.

In particular, the documentary about the history of the Risorgimento, which I was not familiar with, and that enhances some of the plot although the filmâ??s story is fairly accessible independent of the historical background provided by the doc.

The final ball is shot incredibly, with the camera almost dancing around characters in a series of long takes as it follows Salina through the palace; probably an important influence for â??Russian Ark.

â?? It was also really interesting to see the Italian and American trailers which highlight the differences in marketing angles on the two continents. Two versions of the film are available on the DVD, Italian with English subtitles (in which Lancasterâ??s voice is dubbed by Corrado Gaipa) and English voiceover.

Having watched both, Iâ??m reminded of one of the interesting things Rohmer has said about dialogue in cinema: â??If talking film is an art, speech must play a role in conformity with its character as a sign and not appear only as a sound element, which, though privileged as compared with others, is but of secondary importance as compared with the visual element.

â?? Music by Nino Rota, who also worked with Fellini on â??Otto e mezzoâ?? as well as several others, and also with Coppola on â??The Godfather.â??