Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

How sad is this?

Beautiful, moving film.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

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.

THE LEOPARD is an epic drama about a dramatic political, economic and family turmoil on Sicily. It is based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel of the same name.Garibaldi's troops come on Sicily. Prince of Salina sees that event as an obvious threat to his current social status. However, his nephew takes an opportunistic attitude and becomes an officer in Garibaldi's army. He has returned home as a war hero. He begins a romance with the beautiful daughter of a newly appointed mayor of their city. Prince of Salina despises a new mayor as an upstart who made a fortune on land speculation during the recent social upheaval, but he supports an emotional relationship and engagement of his nephew. He, later, declines an offer from a governmental emissary to become a senator in the new Parliament in Turin. He, painfully, experiencing the downfall of the aristocracy and the birth of a new class - the bourgeoisie...This is a very emotional epic, which considering social turmoils, through a sad look of a man. A magnificent ambiance is very personal. The atmosphere is melancholic and nostalgic at the same time. The story is full of memories and sorrow, so smile and dance of young people become uncomfortable. A revolution is not marked with bloody conflicts. A slow pace fully corresponds with emotional crisis of the main protagonist.Mr. Visconti has showed us a harmonious luxury, which is limited with emotions, ambitions and desires. The surface is decorated, and the core is rotten. The changes are inevitable.The scenery and costume design is at the highest level. Characterization is also very good. The closing section, an almost hour-long ball is a spectacular sequence, which shows the culmination of social changes in a subtle way.Burt Lancaster as Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina is a solid and imperious man who has frequent attacks of melancholy. His sharp patriarchal character is softened with sarcastic interruptions and moments of nostalgia. Mr. Lancaster has offered a convincing performance.Alain Delon as Tancredi Falconeri, Don Fabrizio's nephew is a charming and handsome young man, who does not have enough self-confidence to become the hero of this story. Claudia Cardinale as Angelica Sedara / Bertiana is, in addition to her beauty, a grotesque character. She is a strange combination between an indecent bourgeois girl and a serious young woman in love. Her uneven character is an embodiment of a social change.Further, clumsy, vulgar and shy characters fit perfectly into the atmosphere.Mr. Rota has offered a very rich and vivid soundtrack.

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

Visconti'mos The Leopard, based on the novel of the same name by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is an epic that encapsulates the birth of the modern Italy and the transition from the old world of the privileged but moribund aristocracy controlling small duchies to the new era of the democratic nation-state.Burt Lancaster is surprisingly well-cast as the ageing Sicilian prince who realises his era is drawing to a close whilst Alain Delon, playing Tancredi, represents the ambitious, younger generation, fluid to adapt to a changing situation and seeking glory for their own benefit.The film does not take sides between the aristocrats and the peasants. The aristocratic class is shown to be relatively benign by this period, despite their isolation from reality and lives of privilege. As the priest notes, they are simply different, with different priorities and expectations from the rest of the people. Lancaster's prince is a fascinating mixture of honour, integrity and decadence. Having all that he can want except an exciting wife, he constantly seeks affection from other woman to make up for her dourness and extreme prudishness.Visconti's cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. Virtually every shot in the film looks as though it could come from an oil painting of the era, so perfect is the framing of the shots and so rich and exquisite is the colour.There is an interesting use of abrupt cuts to the soundtrack during the cuts from scene to scene and this reinforces the abrupt changes happening in Sicilian society.The film's pace is slow and there are times that interest lags but there are enough bursts of humour and drama to sustain one in the end. The flaws and humanity of the people who make up this dying class really do shine through. Ultimately, the film is the character study of someone who recognises the time for change has come yet and finds himself representative of the transitional generation between the two epochs.There is violence in the film and some scenes of warfare however, this reinforces the fact that soldiers are brutal opportunists and that there is no real honour in the military. Indeed, the fact that some of the aristocratic women fall for the delusion that a man in uniform is somehow a good man makes an ironic point about how divorced from the brutal reality they are. Indeed, it is frightening that someone prepared to kill can then rise to a position of power in society, a problem that democracies are still to adequately address to this day.The ball scene at the film's end shows how the classes and generations intermingle in the new life.The dialogue is excellent and seems to translate to English well on the subtitled edition this reviewer watched. Particularly insightful is the soliloquy about Sicily being a stagnating society, that only if people escape whilst young can they be revitalised and shaken out of their apathy. As someone who left another island (Tasmania) in a similar state of apathy (albeit with a much younger society and culture than Sicily), this reviewer can relate to the need to escape and revitalise if one is to have a future.The Prince, though, recognising his age, refuses to escape. He is not world-weary though, just resigned to accept his generation will fall, yet still intent on clinging to the old values of honour and integrity.Ultimately, this is a lavish spectacle on a large enough scale to encompass the saga of the birth of a new nation out of a myriad of ancient and tired kingdoms. It is also a character study of a person who fits into neither world and feels it more honourable to stand aside for the young generation to take charge. It also shows that values do not always change for the better and that something of value, however small, may have been lost when the brutal and ruthlessly ambitious younger generation took power.With some of the best cinematography ever, excellent acting and a truly historical sweep, this is one of the greatest of the studio-bound epics. Of course, like the Prince himself, these films would be a dying breed throughout the 1960s as the new generation of the nouvelle vague movement asserted themselves across Western Europe.