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The Leopard

Play trailer 2:40 Poster for The Leopard PG 1963 2h 45m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi (Alain Delon), to marry Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.
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The Leopard

The Leopard

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Critics Consensus

Lavish and wistful, The Leopard features epic battles, sumptuous costumes, and a ballroom waltz that competes for most beautiful sequence committed to film.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/11/2023
Here is a work of a type we rarely see anymore -- a sweeping popular epic, with obvious similarities to Gone with the Wind. Go to Full Review
Scott Tobias AV Club 12/11/2013
The film aches with regret over a crumbling empire, but its feelings are complicated by the wise prince, who recognizes his place on the wrong side of history. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety 02/23/2012
A magnificent film, munificently outfitted and splendidly acted by a large cast dominated by Burt Lancaster's standout stint in the title role. Go to Full Review
Matthew Wilder Nashville Scene 10/23/2024
"A picture in which all of experience seems shot through with the sweetness of the dearly departed, the already mourned." Go to Full Review
Justine Smith Vague Visages 06/05/2024
Claudia Cardinale's entrance into the film immediately notes a change in The Leopard's atmosphere of desire. Go to Full Review
Penelope Gilliatt Observer (UK) 03/06/2024
It gives you an extraordinary sense of the texture of a grand family's life in Sicily during the Risorgirnemo. Visconti accumulates details like a Russian novelist. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Dani G Oct 24 Honestly, I got really bored. Much about nothing during 3 hours See more Judith K Mar 11 This is a masterpiece. Luchino Visconti was forced to use Burt Lancaster as his star, but Burt did a fabulous job of acting, even though his words were dubbed! The film is more subtle and nuanced than the current miniseries on Netflix. It is reminiscent of Gone With the Wind, in that it's a character study of a waning ruling class that is about to lose power due to major political changes. This is a film that is beautifully directed, written, and acted, and well worth watching if you love Italian movies. See more Juan Sebastian M Dec 18 Como todas las películas de Luchino Visconti, es una joya del cine, posee unos diálogos encomiables, la escenografía es perfecta y es una película fiel a la historia. See more Todor V. D 10/14/2024 Absolutely cinematic pleasure. Luciano Visconti at his best. It's a timeless classic. See more Rory M 08/19/2024 Quite simply amazing. Gorgeous setting, filming, cast, and costumes. All the beauty is perfectly matched with brilliant dialogue. A joy to soak in the atmosphere of 1860s Sicily. Burt, Claudia and Alain are exquisitely cast and embody the piece with a radiance to match the beaming mid day sun. 'if we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change' Change comes to all of our lives. Watching the Prince navigate the tectonic changes of the Risorgimento is a wonderful meditation on the human journey through the shifting sands of time. See more Lanfranco C @Lanfrancobz 08/18/2024 Everything changes, but nothing changes! See more Read all reviews
The Leopard

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Movie Info

Synopsis As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi (Alain Delon), to marry Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Producer
Goffredo Lombardo
Screenwriter
Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, Luchino Visconti
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Titanus
Rating
PG
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 15, 1963, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
2h 45m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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