Classic Film Club: The Leopard (U)
Visconti’s The Leopard is an epic on the grandest possible scale. This elaborate family drama is one of the most beautiful films ever made.
The film recreates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italy’s Risorgimento, when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Lancaster stars as the aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by his upstart nephew (Alain Delon) and his beautiful fiancée (Cardinale). It climaxes with a spectacular ballroom sequence that captures the prevailing mood of bittersweet regret.
Awarded the Palme d’Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, The Leopard is a feast of a film that is well worth seeing on a big screen as it's truly a cinematic masterpiece.
Running time: 185 minutes
