The Leopard

A strange cover for this DVD film. I much prefer the original poster below. The new one is fictitious as the pair do not dance outside, and this cover implies something that is actually handled better in the film itself. Cardinale and Lancaster's characters dance to indicate the passing of the old and the coming of the new. This cover appears to me to be shallow in implying simple romance. Admittedly I'm sure there is implied sexual attraction in the couple's dance, but that's not the whole message.




A film which starts as a travelogue in history and in Sicily and then twists into a meditation on old age. The story follows the Prince as he watches revolution come from the mainland to the island of Sicily - a revolution that he knows will change hardly anything at all. He sees the need for an advantageous marriage for his nephew, but wishes this wasn't necessary. He moves from town to country and sees the old ways passing. The final section of this beautiful looking film shows an old man on what might look like the verge of a heart attack taking time to look around him and enjoy meditating on life and what he's learned and seeing the short new future ahead, which he half hopes he won't have to face. Scenes stick in the memory: The family after journeying are shown in the church covered in dust like ancient monuments they are soon to become! The Garibaldi's men arrive all pompous to the ball at the end of the film. They are so modern in being of no lasting value and full of celebrity, yet the Prince knows they are fleeting, but at the same time is ware that his way of life is too. We see the Prince lose his temper whilst out hunting, but the comedic servant with him balances the scene beautifully

I always thought Lancaster's subdued acting was underrated despite his fame. In this piece in which his words are dubbed into Italian, he blends into the affair very well. Apparently there is an English version of the film with his own voice, which might be interesting to view to see what difference it makes. Cardinale looks brilliant and Sicily shows off all its glory, much the same as in the Godfather.



"If we want things to stay as they are, things have to change." [Reviewed by Nuthatch]

Oh my! The more reviews I write, the more I am convinced that I must be some kind of cine-barbarian. This film was, in the first place, far too long! A terrible criticism, I know, as it implies either that films should have an allotted time-scale and not deviate from this, or that I merely have the attention span of a three-year-old and so this is the only way I can think of to criticise the film. When I say it was too long, it is more that I felt the narrative was far too long and rambling, with no real conclusions or illuminations, and it never made me feel much sympathy for any of the characters so I felt I never really engaged with it. I am sure that attending a lecture or reading an in-depth analysis of this film could really open it up and I did pick up on many of the broader themes, but for me there has to be a more immediate engagement with a film for me to want to look deeper. I get deeply frustrated with films which, like some impenetrable works of literature or art, require an in-depth analysis and class on how to 'read' them before I can even begin to get something out of them, and so unfortunately this film, although it may have great depths to be penetrated and appreciated, has left me unimpressed and wondering why I spent around 3 hours of my life watching it! If that makes me a barbarian, then feel free to call me Ghenghis!
[Reviewed by Stonechat]


I really loved the book 'The Leopard' but wasn't sure how it would translate to the big screen. I was pleasantly surprised. The film captures the indolence and self-indulgent arrogance of the Sicilian ruling class as it seeks to mitigate the change taking place all around it. The Prince accepts change in order to keep things as much as possible as they are. One senses that the momentous events occurring in Italy at that time were considered more than an inconvenience than a genuine threat. At the same time, it is clear the Prince's family is in decline. Many rooms in the family home have not been occupied for years and have fallen into disrepair. The ruling class is living on borrowed time and the Prince knows this. He seems disappointed with his own progeny and more interested in his nephew Tancredi (Alain Delon), for whom he arranges an advantageous marriage with a beautiful member of the nouveau riche (Claudia Cardinale). While mourning the decline of his class, the Prince also senses his own decline as he moves towards old age and death. The two young lovers (Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale) seem to catch a glimpse of their own mortality too when wandering through the disused rooms in the house and the family Priest is a constant reminder of death and Judgement. Fine performances from the leading characters and beautiful to watch as well as being a poignant study of a man at the end of life.
[Reviewed by Nightjar]