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The Leopard (1963)
- Original title: Il gattopardo (Italy)
- Co-written and directed by Luchino Visconti
- Based on The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
- Music by Nino Rota
*SPOILER FREE
Before Coppola's 'The Godfather' and Scorsese's... everything, there was a Italian little gemstone called 'The Leopard'.
The Leopard is an epic historical drama set in 1860s Sicily and follows Don Fabrizio, the prince of Salina, an aging nobleman who tries to preserve his family and class in the time of love and war.
This is a slow-cooked chronicle of aristocracy, upper class values, and tradition in the 19th-century Sicilia. This is an exquisite motion picture about the love that's arranged for us and the love we choose. This is a melancholic poem about the struggle between mortality and the inevitable desolation.
Luchino Visconti couldn't adapt the monumental novel more majestically, creating a classic visual extravaganza from beginning to end with vivid colors and exquisite mise-en-scène.
Nino Rota, at the peak of his sensational career, composes an original score that lives up to the scope of the visual spectacle. This is a masterpiece of sight and sound.
Magnificent production design and on-location cinematography, exhilarating dancing sequences and masterful battle scenes, and impeccable performances. This is filmmaking at its grandest.
The Leopard is a cinematic epic drama and nostalgia, an enduring romantic adventure, and an artistic craftsmanship of world cinema.
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Available to watch on Google Play, The Criterion Collection, and on Amazon Prime Video
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First published on LinkedIn as part of #hamzeh101.