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the audience applauded

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

I've been on IMDb for over 10 years and I've never written a review before, but this time I was so disappointed with this film that I needed to write something. The Leopard is a film that's universally praised, even the great Martin Scorsese hails it as an essential piece, so I expected a solid masterpiece, but that wasn't the case here. I'm a big fan of Death in Venice and Rocco and His Brothers (both directed by Visconti), I usually enjoy long period films and I'm not really concerned when "nothing happens" in a film, but that's because when a film doesn't have a clear plot, it usually involves some serious character development or images that tell a story, even if it's not linear; unfortunately this film gets lost in itself, not really knowing what it wants to be, it's incredibly uneven, the political aspect that provides the context seems rather superficial even if the dialogue is mostly about politics and in the end it doesn't commit to anything, we get the main character who is the only one who seems like a real human being and not a one-dimensional statue, and Lancaster does a very good job with what he's given, but he becomes a spectator to the central couple that could not be more bland and uninteresting, they're supposed to be young and full of life but they seem to be uncapable of any real emotion (and Alain Delon is usually a great actor) and there's no way the audience could actually care about them. The production design, cinematography, costumes and music are indeed remarkable, I don't know how the book tells the story because I haven't read it, but even if it's a faithful adaptation, there should have been some sort of work in character development, pacing and finding a central line, because even in a film that's simply about "a few moments in the life of a family" there should be a theme that's fully explored, and yes, Don Fabrizio has an arc, seeing he's no longer relevant in the world but that would've worked if the people around him actually felt like real people. At last I'd also like to mention that the dubbing IS a problem, a lot of people say that it shouldn't take you out of the story but isn't a truly great film in the sound era supposed to have audio correctly synced? That's actually a problem for most (if not all) Italian films from the 60s (including La Dolce Vita, and 8 1/2) and I just can't ignore it because it is ultimately a flaw. So overall, I would never call this a terrible film or even a truly bad one, but I would say it is ineffective, flawed and definitely not a masterpiece.

I've always felt naturally inclined, drawn towards characters who, for various reasons, are caught between two worlds: one which is fading away but still pulls these characters down with it; the other, which is about to be born, tugs at the same characters but in the opposite direction, in a attempt to show them the light of the new world. There's one difference, though. We almost can feel, sense or touch the new world because, in due time, will replace the old one. It's as if we could reach out our hand and stroke its smooth surface as to reassure us of its perfection. And there are plenty of good examples of this both in literature and in cinema. The Artist, for instance, is a great French film that depicts a former actor of great success when movies were silent but who is now struggling to make a living after the arrival of sound to the cinema industry.Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, Sicilian to the bone, is yet another man torn apart between two worlds, in this case the Sicily he is so proud of and Italy, a country which has been unified thanks to Garibaldi and his red shirts. Burt Lancaster isn't Italian but I couldn't care less. To me he was born to play this role, this aristocrat that Guissepe Tomasi di Lampedusa so masterfully described in his book Il Gatopardo. So much so that, to this day, the stands as one of the more appealing and decaying characters in the history of Literature. I'm yet to read the book or to poor over it, because I'm going to dip into it and never want to come back out. Other actor such as Claudia Cardinale (Angelica) and French up and coming actor Alain Delong ( Prince of Salina's nephew) were given important roles which helped their careers take off. It's difficult to argue with the decision, isn't it?Visconti does a great job and like buskers on the street, juggles many diverse elements to show us a world where decay is ever-present, where the Prince isn't contradictory in mentioning both the damage endogamy has brought to aristocracy and the lack or fragility of ideals of the new class in power. A world where he stands alone above the rest. His intelligence enough to carry him so far, but a world he doesn't want to be a part of. The last scene is just perfect: he walks away down and dark ally, leaving the world he new behind, a world that is nothing but shreds.

Based on the best selling novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, an epic story of 1860's Sicily focusing around a rich family's dealings with war, power, love & adapting to change from the old ways to new…Starring Burt Lancaster in his career highlight performance, plus sex symbols Alain Delon & Claudia Cardinale in solid performances as always… Been wanting to watch this film for years & glad i finally have, but it requires a re-watch to truly appreciate it's depth…http://samuellbronko.tumblr.com/post/118188103817/the-leopard-1963- luchino-visconti-8-9-10

No doubt about it, The Leopard with its DeMille like opulence is a thing of sheer beauty. As subject matter for an American audience I think that unless one has a knowledge of Italian history this film might just be a bit arcane for an American audience.Burt Lancaster who was hired for American and worldwide box office clout is the lead here. He plays the head of an honored noble house in Sicily which is seeing the end of power with the end of the Kingdom of the two Sicilies which is roughly the island of Sicily with the lower half of the Italian peninsula up to around Naples. Giuseppe Garibaldi is leading a revolt against the ruling Bourbon house there. Lancaster's nephew Alain Delon has joined with Garibaldi's army purely for reasons of self preservation for himself and the family. Delon is quite the opportunist. As for Lancaster he looks over the ruins of the society he was a leader in with a dour pessimism just like Ashley Wilkes at the end of the Civil War. In fact The Leopard bears more than a passing resemblance to Gone With The Wind. For one thing it was the epic novel only published work of two authors talking about long gone societies which they were told tales about as kids.Things take a conservative twist in Italy. The House Of Savoy which ruled the island of Sardinia and Piedmont area of Northern Italy kept itself in business and now was uniting Italy under a constitutional monarchy. One of the locals who's amassed a fortune Paolo Stoppa is in tight with these folks. Alain Delon is courting Stoppa's daughter Claudia Cardinale. A marriage between the two houses will insure financial security for Lancaster and relations and Stoppa gets the prestige of an old and honored name. Lancaster isn't crazy about Delon marrying beneath him, but he sure likes what he sees in Cardinale.I saw an abbreviated version of The Leopard with battle footage and the some of the climactic ballroom scene cut out. Lucchino Visconti certainly had the skill to bring off a portrayal of Italy's past. His characters are interesting and certainly Burt Lancaster is most impressive as a man some 300 years behind the time and he knows it. Lancaster has some sad predictions for Italy's future and again a knowledge of how Fascism came to Italy is helpful.The Leopard is an impressive film, but arcane for American audiences.