An epic on the grandest scale, Luchino Viscontis THE LEOPARD (Il gattopardo) re-creates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italys Risorgimento, when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster (The Killers, Brute Force) stars as an aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by the gorgeous Alain Delon (Purple Noon, Le samoura) and Claudia Cardinale (8 , Once Upon a Time in the West). The Criterion Collection is proud to present THE LEOPARD in two distinct versions: Viscontis original and the English-language one released in America.With this magnificent Criterion DVD release, Luchino Visconti’s 1963 historical drama The Leopard will finally earn widespread recognition as one of the most beautiful epics ever produced. In adapting the popular novel by Giuseppe Tomassi di Lampedusa (an Italian equivalent to Gone with the Wind, set during the tumultuous Garibaldi revolution of 1860-62), Visconti was initially reluctant to cast Burt Lancaster as the melancholy Prince of Salina–the aging aristocrat “leopard” of the title–who accepts change as inevitable during the struggle for a unified Italy. But Lancaster (even with his voice dubbed in the fully restored Italian release) delivered one of his finest performances, modeled after Visconti himself, and reacting to political and familial upheavals with the wisdom and whimsy of a man who knows that his way of life–and all he holds dear–must change with the times. You won’t find a more intimate epic, and Giusseppe Rotunno’s masterful cinematography represents the pinnacle of painterly beauty, matched only by the authentic splendor of the film’s impeccable production design. The climactic hourlong ballroom scene–which even the hard-to-please Pauline Kael called “one of the greatest of all passages in movies”–is utterly breathtaking. Anchored by Lancaster’s performance and the romantic pairing of Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, The Leopard is sheer perfection, fully restored to its 185-minute glory. –Jeff Shannon
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June 30, 2010
#1
Review by Bruce Frier
Rating:
It is incomprehensible to me why this movie has not yet made it to DVD. I think it is easily Visconti’s greatest work, and one of the masterpieces of Italian film from a great era in general; and it is also a flawless adaptation of one of the finest Italian novels of the twentieth century. The film is a close study of a noble Sicilian family, and especially of its Prince (played by Burt Lancaster in what I think is also his best role), as they interact with the new middle-class parvenus of revolutionary Italy. The cinematic values of the film itself are stunning, from the vast panoramas of the desolate Sicilian countryside, to the stifling intimacy of the final ball (which lasts nearly an hour on film without once being boring). What is most amazing is the depth of the film. Even small gestures are carefully observed and capture the nuances of an aristocracy in decline. I loved “Death in Venice” as well, but this film should justly be considered Visconti’s most tightly controlled and haunting.
June 30, 2010
#2
Review by valediggler
Rating:
criterion gives a real royal treatment to this movie and it is higly earned by it…in some reviews people say that the movie is cut and italian version is better blah blah…what they dont know is this 3 disc set has all two of them…check that out yourself:
DISC ONE
*The Film – Visconti’s original Italian version (185:52)
Audio commentary by Peter Cowie (film scholar)
English HoH subtitles (removable)
2.21:1 Anamorphic NTSC (Super Technirama OAR)
Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
DISC TWO
“A Dying Breed: The Making of The Leopard”, a new documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Amico, cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others (61:31)
Interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo (19:30)
Video interview with professor Millicent Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania on the history of the Risorgimento (13:36)
Promotional Materials:
- Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos
- Italian newsreel footage (3:11)
- Italian theatrical trailer (3:40)
- American theatrical trailers (2) (3:46)
DISC THREE
*The Film – alternate American release (161:23)Subtitles:NonePicture format:2.35:1 Anamorphic NTSC Soundtrack(s):English Dolby Digital 1.0 MonoCase type:Special CaseNotes:Black Triple Alpha case
Disc 1 is region-free (R0); discs 2 and 3 are encoded R1
June 30, 2010
#3
Review by Vicente P. T. Adorno
Rating:
I waited for years to see the director’s cut of this magnificent movie. In the early 80′s, after Visconti’s heirs regained possession of the rights to it, they ordered it to be edited according to the master’s wishes. I had then the privilege of watching “Il Gattopardo” in a movie theater in all its splendor, exactly as Visconti wanted it to be. Forget the ugly and stupid English-dubbed version that was released before. The true meaning of this movie can only be completely grasped when you see the Italian-spoken version, in spite of a central character, the one played by Burt Lancaster, having to be dubbed in Italian. I hope that when this is released on DVD we get the real thing, with its full lenght and the delightful cinematography by the great Giuseppe Rotunno. Please don’t be insensitive to those who love true cinema: give us the real “Il Gattopardo” in its original widescreen format, its entire lenght and the melodious sounds of the original Italian dialogue. And, last but not least, the stunning beauty of the young Claudia Cardinale…
June 30, 2010
#4
Review by Jorge Goded
Rating:
I saw this film twice in Spain, the first time at least fifteen years ago, in its original version and length, not, as I have read here, an American dubbed-abreviated version. I think this is the best movie by Visconti, although to be fair I have not seen all of them. It seems amazing, however, its relative obscurity, compared for example to the somewhat overhyped Death in Venice, which I consider to be much inferior to Il Gatopardo. It is also one of my favourite films of all time. Lancaster’s performance is unforgetable, the ambience, the music, the story and the painful ending, all amount to a masterpiece difficult to match. The Sicilian landscape is captured in all its magic and grandiosity and dominates my memories of the film. Comparing it to Gone with the Wind is, I think, a bit frivolous, as, with due respect, the estethics of both films – one Italian-European, the other American – are light years apart, without at all questioning the merits of the American film. Sadly, the pervasive notoriety of GWTW is also light years apart from the obscurity of Il Gatopardo. Il Gatopardo truly deserves to be taken out from that obscurity and get a much higher recognition as an all time classic. Will that ever happen? I doubt it, but at least I join the fans of this film in begging for its integral and original release in DVD, asap please.
June 30, 2010
#5
Review by Linda Linguvic
Rating:
Several years ago I read this book and then discovered that it was made into a movie in 1963. I searched for the video or DVD and was not able to find it at that time. Therefore, I was really delighted when I found out that the film had recently been released on DVD.
This is the story of the decline of aristocratic power in the late 19th century in Italy, and the effects of this on one particular family. The film was made in Italy and stars Burt Lancaster as the Prince of Salina and Claudia Cardinale as young lady from the emerging middle class who wins the heart of the prince’s nephew. The film is a full 185 minutes long. But it held my interest throughout and I was even sorry there wasn’t more because I remember the book covered a larger span of time.
There certainly is pageantry here. We see the palatial estates in all their glory. We get an understanding of the family dynamics as well as the influence of the Church. There are wars and glory and disappointment in love. There is pomp and pageantry and a glimpse into the privileged life of the privileged few. Mostly, the wars take place off screen but we do feel their impact. We see the first elections and the competition for power. And, most of all, we watch Burt Lancaster, in a role that calls for a wide variety of subtle emotions, as he watches his structured world fall apart and is forced to make compromises.
I learned a lot about the history of Italy as the film transported me to Italy for a very personal glimpse of an era I knew little about. And, it spite of it being made more than 40 years ago, the cinematography is excellent, even by today’s standards. Definitely recommended.