#235: VISCONTI, Luchino: The Leopard (1963)

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VISCONTI, Luchino (Italy)
The Leopard [1963]
Spine #235
DVD


Making its long-awaited U.S. home video debut, Luchino Visconti's The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) is an epic on the grandest possible scale. 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. Burt 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 (Claudia Cardinale). Awarded the Palme d'Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, The Leopard translates Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampeusa's novel, and the history it recounts, into a truly cinematic masterpiece. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the film in two distinct versions: Visconti's original Italian version, and the alternate English-language version released in America in a newly restored special edition.

185 minutes
Color
Monaural
in Italian
2:21:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2004
Director/Writers


From the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
Visconti was 57 when he directed The Leopard.

Other Visconti films in the Collection:

#556: Senso (1954)
#296: Le Notti Bianchi (1957)
#1098: The Damned (1969)
#962: Death In Venice (1971)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Ten-page wraparound featuring an essay by Michael Wood.

Commentary

By film scholar Peter Cowie.

A Dying jBreed: The Making of The Leopard

An hour-long documentary featuring interviews with actress Cardinale; screenwriter D’Amico, director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others.
Interview

With producer Goffredo Lombardo.
Video interview

With professor Millicent Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania on the history behind The Leopard.

Stills gallery

Of rare behind-the-scenes production photos.

New transfer

Of the 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue (including Lancaster’s actual voice).

Original theatrical trailer and newsreels

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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