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Arguably Luchino Visconti's best film and certainly the most personal of his historical epics, The Leopard chronicles the fortunes of Prince Fabrizio Salina and his family during the unification of Italy in the 1860s. Based on the acclaimed novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, published posthumously in 1958 and subsequently translated into all European languages, the picture opens as Salina Burt Lancaster learns that Garibaldi's troops have embarked in Sicily. While the Prince sees the event as an obvious threat to his current social status, his opportunistic nephew Tancredi Alain Delon becomes an officer in Garibaldi's army and returns home a war hero. Tancredi starts courting the beautiful Angelica Claudia Cardinale, a daughter of the town's newly appointed Mayor, Don Calogero Sedara Paolo Stoppa. Though the Prince despises Don Calogero as an upstart who made a fortune on land speculation during the recent social upheaval, he reluctantly agrees to his nephew's marriage, understanding how much this alliance would mean for the impecunious Tancredi. Painfully realizing the aristocracy's obsolescence in the wake of the new class of bourgeoisie, the Prince later declines an offer from a governmental emissary to become a senator in the new Parliament in Turin. The closing section, an almost hour-long ball, is often cited as one of the most spectacular sequences in film history. Burt Lancaster is magnificent in the first of his patriarchal roles, and the rest of the cast, especially Delon and Cardinale, become almost perfect incarnations of the novel's characters. Filmed in glorious Techniscope and rich in period detail, the film is a remarkable cinematic achievement in all departments. The version that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival ran 205 minutes. Inexplicably, the picture was subsequently distributed by 20th Century Fox in a poorly dubbed, 165-min. English-language version, using inferior color process. The restored Italian-language version, supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, appeared in 1990, though the longest print still ran only 187 minutes.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Product Details
Actors: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale
Directors: Luchino Visconti
Format: Blu-ray, Widescreen
Language: Italian
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 2
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)
DVD Release Date: November 4, 2014
Run Time: 185 minutes
Special Features
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES
Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue, including actor Burt Lancaster’s own voice
Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
A Dying Breed: The Making of “The Leopard,” an hour-long documentary featuring interviews with actress Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Amico, Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others
Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo
Video interview with film scholar Millicent Marcus on the history behind The Leopard
Original theatrical trailers and newsreels
Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Michael Wood
Cast & Crew
Burt Lancaster Prince Fabrizio Salina
Alain Delon Tancredi
Claudia Cardinale Angelica Sedara, Bertiana
Paolo Stoppa Don Calogero Sedara
Rina Morelli Maria Stella
Serge Reggiani Don Ciccio Tumeo
Romolo Valli Father Pirrone
Ottavia Piccolo Caterina
Ivo Garrani Col. Pallavicino
Lucilla Morlacchi Concetta
Leslie French Cavalier Chevalley
Pierre Clémenti Francesco Paolo
Carlo Valenzano Paolo
Ida Galli Carolina
Mario Girotti Count Cavriaghi
Olimpia Cavalli Mariannina
Marino Masé Tutor
Brook Fuller Little Prince
Giuliano Gemma Garibaldino General
Vittorio Duse
Tina Lattanzi
Giovanni Materassi
Marcella Rovena
Alberto Carlo Lolli
Alina Zalewska
Dante Posani
Stelvio Rosi
Carlo Palmucci
Marie Bell
Amalia Troiani
Technical Credits
Luchino Visconti Director, Screenwriter
Pasquale Festa Campanile Screenwriter
Suso Cecchi D'Amico Screenwriter
Alberto de Rossi Makeup
Franco Ferrara Musical Direction/Supervision
Massimo Franciosa Screenwriter
Mario Garbuglia Production Designer
Goffredo Lombardo Producer
Enrico Medioli Screenwriter
Nino Rota Score Composer
Giuseppe Rotunno Cinematographer
Mario Serandrei Editor
Piero Tosi Costumes/Costume Designer
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