The Leopard (Il Gattopardo)
Directed by Luchino Visconti
Released 1963
Based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel “The Leopard”
Cast-
Burt Lancaster- Prince Don Fabrizio Salina
Claudia Cardinale – Angelica Sedara / Bertiana
Alain Delon- Tancredi Falconeri
Paolo Stoppa – Don Calogero Sedara
Rina Morelli – Princess Maria Stella Salina
Romolo Valli- Father Pirrone
Awards
Cannes Film Festival Winner: Palme d'Or - Luchino Visconti
Academy Awards Nominated: Best Costume Design, Color - Piero Tosi
While this film has an amazing story line, I found it hard to stay concentrated on the film throughout the movie. Visconti uses so many long, slow shots that the film seems to drag on. (Also, I’m not a very patent person; I don’t like to sit through long films). The imagery in the film was beautiful, but whereas the film was shot in 1963, the colors are faded. I wish that the movie was shot using today’s technology. The scenes would have been even more breath-taking. Honestly I didn’t really like this film because of the length, like I mentioned earlier, I found it hard to stay focused on the film and I missed important parts of the movie because I grew so bored with it. In a communications class that I took last semester, we discussed how movies were being cut shorter and shorter so that it didn’t take as long to produce and so that the theaters could show the movie more frequently. While most people are annoyed by this, I personally like it. I like movies that get to the point, not ones that continue for almost 3 hours.
(MORE TO COME!)
1 comment:
I admit I also kept looking at the clock in shock that it was lasting so long. I definitely felt that a lot of scenes could have been done away with while still maintaining the message of the movie. I would be especially interested in how these played out in the book. I wonder if in trying to make a film from the novel that they lost the energy in transition. I also liked your note of seeing it with modern technology and coloring because I felt my version was kind of bland.
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