Review of The Leopard by Visconti

Visconti's The Leopard is a historical epic with some action scenes but comes across as a slow moving depiction of mid 19th Italy. Set in the time of the risorgimento, it shows the conflicts both physically and ideologically between the revolutionaries and royalists. Lavishly decorated and shot, it is grand, but falls short with any intense conflict and is largely dialogue driven with plenty of discussion of the future of Italy. There are long discussions about the place of Italy in the Modern World, about the future of the Italian government, what form it would take, who would be in charge, and where would the nobility fit in. This centers around the major character of the film, Burt Lancaster. He plays an old aristocrat who does not adjust well to the changing political climate of Italy. There are several shots of Lancaster staring off into space or deeply gazing at himself in the mirror as tears stream down his face.

In the final sequence of the film a huge staging of a ballroom dance, Lancaster feels out of place. He feels to old and dispossessed to happily take part in the festivities. His face is stone, his emotion is total alienation. He drifts through the party like a ghost. In the final shot of the film he walks down a nameless street in an Italian barrio. Perhaps he has become like the street, just another person in Italy without any priveledged status.

This was supposed to be one of Visconti's best films. And in some ways it is a great film. I was interested in it to see how the risorgimento is depicted in film. In the beginning I was pleased there were grand battles with soldiers fighting for the republic against mounted calvary men fighting on the royalist side. Yet, I became bored with the film during the dance scenes. There was also a romance that emerged during the film which was also hard to believe. It was an arranged marriage and the lovers were just too passionately in love.

I was looking to this film to compare it to other Visconti films like Senso. Unfortunately, I was somewhat dissappointed. The Leopard is not as good as Senso. It doesn't rise to the dramatic intensity that Senso does. There is no conflict. The Leopard is too much atmosphere and not enough substance. In another blog post I will compare Senso to Doctor Zhivago, the much praised film of David Lean.