Cinema Tuesdays Review

Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa, Duke of Palma and Prince of Lampedusa, wrote only one novel, late in life, Il Gattopardo. The story takes place in Sicily in 1860; Italy as a nation is in the throes of being born and the war of unification is divisive. Garibaldi's troops have landed and the fighting is as real as the issues that separate the populace. It is in this unsettled time we meet the family of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina (Burt Lancaster). A clear-eyed, older man in a loveless marriage, he knows that whatever happens there is change in the air and things will never be the same for him and his family again. In contrast is his nephew, Tancredi Falconeri (Alain Delon). Young, brash, of good name and no money, he is fighting on the side of the revolutionaries (for now). One would expect disagreements between uncle and nephew, and we are surprised at the serenity of Don Fabrizio. He is understanding of the young, and this quiet thoughtfulness pervades the entire film of Il Gattopardo. There are no “bad” guys, there are just people, some with more failings than others. All trying to carve out a life for themselves.

If the Prince is the noble past and Tancredi youth, it is the character of Angelica Sedàra

(Claudia Cardinale) that represents the future of the new nation. Her mother is beautiful and so wild and without pedigree that she is not allowed out of the house except to attend mass. Tancredi falls in love with the beautiful Angelica and it is a celebration of their pending marriage that results in a formal dinner and ball that climaxes the story and brings most of the characters in the film together as we literally see the glittering end of an age.

What a delight this film is: Burt Lancaster with his calm and deliberate demeanor, his leonine head and noble bearing is perfect as a Sicilian Prince. Alain Delon is impetuous youth and Claudia Cardinale is ravishing as the headstrong beauty Angelica. Nino Rota composed the original music and, unlike most movie music from the sixties, this score is timeless and is still performed as a concert piece. The period costumes are so correct that a new standard was set in Il Gattopardo. The look and feel of this film were determined by artists and not influenced by the popular culture of the time. Again, this is very rare. This is a Technicolor production, and Visconti treats the medium as a landscape painter’s canvas, and we are presented with sprawling vistas that pull us into the story unfolding before us.

Watching this three hour plus long film, I came to realize that context means more than we think.

Could I have enjoyed this film ten years ago, twenty? I doubt it. As my wife pointed out we are now Prince Salina’s age. Maybe we too are looking for a compromise with the future where as few people as possible are sacrificed. This film is a work of genius and that is only the beginning. Comparing Luchino Visconti’s masterpiece to contemporary film tells us more about the age we live in than the early sixties when The Leopard was made. Today’s movies are efficient, their directors want us in a particular mindset and they don’t care how they get us there. In contrast, Visconti trusts us. He presents this epic view of Italy’s history with an even-handedness that allows us to perceive, weigh and balance the political issues that are still relevant today. Not everyone watching this film will arrive at the same conclusion and that bothers this director not one bit.

The film is beautifully restored and I am happy to say the sound is as vibrant and clear as one could hope of a forty year old production. There is a commentary track and a choice of sub-titles. It was a bit disconcerting to hear another man’s voice come out of Burt Lancaster’s mouth, but one gets used to it. And how does this film get its name? When Prince Salina has turned down a post in the new senate he is summing up the history of the Risorgimento, “we were the leopards, the lions. Those that will take our place will be jackals, hyenas. And all of us - leopards, lions, jackals and sheep, we’ll go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth”.

06/16/04

Criterion's new three-disc version of "The Leopard" boasts a number of extra features that offer insight into how the film was made, and its subsequent release in America. Let's start with disc three, featuring the American version of the film. The film's American producers at 20th Century Fox, perhaps fearing audiences would dread sitting through a three hour film with little action, cut 24 minutes from the film, and at Burt Lancaster's urging, and under the supervision of a young Sydney Pollack, an English-language track was dubbed onto the film.

Having seen both the Italian version of the film (at Texas Public Radio's Cinema Tuesdays presentation in 2002) and now the American version, I must admit my preference for the former, and not for the reasons you may think. The cut scenes affect the film, but not so much that the original intent and feeling is lost. What I missed most was the Italian language.

"The American version was lousy," Pollack says in a documentary included on disc two. "And I can say that because I did the [sound] mixing. Somehow, watching this period picture of Italy, and hearing American voices coming out of their mouths is just incongruous. We've come to accept Italian cinema as post-synched."

Burt Lancaster's original voice can be heard on the American version of "The Leopard," and though it's not bad, it doesn't have the booming, authoritative sound of the Italian actor who post-synched the voice for "Il Gattopardo." Furthermore, at least two of the American voices are so badly chosen that they border on the irritating; unfortunately one of these belongs to the important role of Angelica. So while the American version makes an interesting comparison piece, and I am thankful to Criterion for including it on this marvelous set, it does not merit repeat views.

The aforementioned documentary on the making of "Il Gattopardo" covers all the bases, including the casting, production, and release of the film. Interview subjects include actress Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Cecchi D'Amico, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and others.

Two of the "extras" merit special attention. First is an interview with the film's producer, Goffredo Lombardo. In this very entertaining and lively conversation, Lombardo reveals how Lancaster came to be cast in the film, and how nervous he was introducing the American "cowboy" to director Luchino Visconti. Lombardo also relates tales of Visconti's "maniacal precision" in recreating period details for the film. According to Lombardo, such behavior led to delays in shooting; the ballroom scene at the end of the film took four weeks to film, rather than one. But the payoff is on the screen.

A second interview of note is one with professor Millicent Marcus of the University of Pennsylvania. In this 13-minute featurette, Professor Marcus does an excellent job of briefly explaining the history of Italy's Risorgimento. It is not necessary to know of the Risorgimento to enjoy "Il Gattopardo," but if you are unfamiliar with this period in history, watching this interview before the film will greatly enhance the experience.

In all, from the restored version of the film from disc one, to the valuable extra features on disc two, to the American version of the film on disc three, this is one DVD set for the ages. It has been a long wait for "The Leopard" to arrive on home video, but it was well worth it. The Criterion Collection has done a stellar job in presenting this film.

6/16/04

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