The Bottom Line
Pros
- Directed by Luchino Visconti, “The Leopard” is a masterpiece of world cinema
- Unforgettable performance by Burt Lancaster (with an Italian voice supplied for his character)
- Charming locations, lavish sets, sumptuous costumes, evocative music, beautiful cinematography
Cons
- Italian dialogue not synced to actors’ lip movements in most scenes
- Movie’s setting unfamiliar to most viewers (but DVD extras provide info on historical background)
- Deliberate pacing and lack of strong narrative drive may put off some viewers
Description
- Three-disc DVD set containing Italian-language masterpiece "The Leopard" (1963)
- Movie directed by Luchino Visconti and stars Burt Lancaster
- DVD provides feature-length audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
- DVD has supplements, including a making-of, a producer interview, and historical background
- As an extra, DVD set provides American version of "The Leopard" (abridged and in English)
- Excellent picture (anamorphic widescreen 2.21:1, Technicolor) and good sound quality
- MPAA Rating: Unrated
- Feature run time: 3 hours 5 minutes
- DVD release date: June 8, 2004
Guide Review - "The Leopard" DVD
I think the Italian-language version of “The Leopard” is one of the greatest movies ever made, and I am thrilled to own the Criterion Collection three-disc DVD set containing it. The film is a big-budget, widescreen, Technicolor extravaganza which I would describe as a character study set against an epic backdrop. The lushly cinematic movie was directed by the legendary Luchino Visconti, and the central character is a Sicilian prince (Burt Lancaster) who gets caught up in the political and social turmoil sweeping through the Italian-speaking world in the 1860s. I believe what makes the story so compelling is that while the proud Prince finds the changes distasteful, he nonetheless deals with them gracefully.
I found film scholar Peter Cowie’s commentary track for the Italian-language version of the movie to be well-organized, lively, and enlightening. He is particularly strong in providing information on Visconti, as well as about the famous novel on which the film is based. The DVD set also contains a disc of supplementary materials that enhanced my enjoyment and understanding of the movie. Another disc in the set contains an abridged English-language version of “The Leopard,” but as far as I am concerned, this is just a historical curiosity
I believe the Criterion Collection DVD set of “The Leopard” is one that every cinephile will want to own.
