Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  A great big sigh of a movie. Beautiful and moving.

• Universal D

  
  Visconti remembers the good ole days (ala Gone With The Wind) of an stately affected upper class ruling the dirty lower classes with humble grace and dignity (only this story's set in Sicily, though at about at nearly the same time), and their fading demise ... whatever (I got no… More
  Visconti remembers the good ole days (ala Gone With The Wind) of an stately affected upper class ruling the dirty lower classes with humble grace and dignity (only this story's set in Sicily, though at about at nearly the same time), and their fading demise ... whatever (I got no sympathy at all for sad rich folks mooning over the good ol'days, sorry). Sumptuously filmed and orchestrated, with loads of loving details and drenched in melancholy (like GWTW), its about the changing of the guard, and maybe that is sad. The cast is worthy if the subject isn't.

• Tim S

  
  Luchino Visconti's The Leopard is just as fantastic as I've always heard it was. I picked up the Criterion Blu-ray of this a while back and I'm just now getting around to watching it. An absolutely lush film with big open landscapes and vistas as the backdrop to a story… More
  Luchino Visconti's The Leopard is just as fantastic as I've always heard it was. I picked up the Criterion Blu-ray of this a while back and I'm just now getting around to watching it. An absolutely lush film with big open landscapes and vistas as the backdrop to a story about the old generation succumbing to the new. I've only seen the Italian version of this (more or less the director's cut), and the one thing I really missed was Burt Lancaster's voice. It grabs hold of you when he speaks and you want to hear everything that he has to say, so judging his performance via an overdub was a little bit tricky. It's fabulous, of course, as is the rest of the cast's. The film is also a bit of an art film without a clear-cut story. The visuals are vastly more important than the story, I think, but the performances are so good that it doesn't matter. Everything about it is striking. Most will complain about having to read subtitles or sitting through its leisurely three hour running time, but if you can invest yourself in it, you'll find The Leopard to be a very beautifully melancholy work.

• Emil K

  
  A horribly over-blown and over-rated film from Visconti who is fond of these huge melodramas that has dialogue from the worst of soap-operas. It wants to be epic and classic so bad that it only ends up being terribly boring 3-hours that leads absolutely nowhere. It is like watching a… More
  A horribly over-blown and over-rated film from Visconti who is fond of these huge melodramas that has dialogue from the worst of soap-operas. It wants to be epic and classic so bad that it only ends up being terribly boring 3-hours that leads absolutely nowhere. It is like watching a drunken man yelling "look at me, i am big, strong and the best of them all!!" Frustrating and even a bit sad.

• Carlos M

  
  Visconti's leisurely paced three-hour epic is a deeply sad and nostalgic meditation on mortality and the passing of an era. A sumptuous historical drama, so rich in nuances and beautifully acted, and it culminates on an unforgettable extended ballroom scene.

• Ross C

  
  "If we want things to stay the same, everything must change." An epic period drama about the Sicilian aristocracy during the unification of Italy that gives you a lot of time to contemplate the social changes of the time whilst you take in the beautiful views of Sicily and… More
  "If we want things to stay the same, everything must change." An epic period drama about the Sicilian aristocracy during the unification of Italy that gives you a lot of time to contemplate the social changes of the time whilst you take in the beautiful views of Sicily and sumptuous balls.

• Jeremy S

  
  One of the greatest films of all time by one of the greatest directors of all time Visconti.

• Stella D

  
  for things to stay the same, everything must change. another epic about the collapse of the aristocracy and the death of all that's graceful and beautiful in life? set against the backdrop of garibaldi's campaign to free sicily from the bourbons, it's interesting for… More
  for things to stay the same, everything must change. another epic about the collapse of the aristocracy and the death of all that's graceful and beautiful in life? set against the backdrop of garibaldi's campaign to free sicily from the bourbons, it's interesting for several reasons. visconti, who was an italian count and a marxist, brings great melancholy and depth to the story as well as extraordinary lavish set pieces like the 45 minute ball that closes the film. and i think he couldn't have done it with anyone but his leading man, burt lancaster. i'm sure europeans were scandalized when the american 'cowboy' was cast as a sicilian prince because the producers insisted on an international star and olivier wasn't available. burt more than rose to the occasion, with his regal bearing and the tragic humanity in those marvellously expressive eyes. he's magnificent and it's hard to imagine anyone else could be better. then there's alain delon and claudia cardinale at the height of their respective beauty and a rousing score by nino rota. if you're into historical costume drama, u could do alot worse. i watched the restored italian version 3:15; the english version is i believe 40 mins shorter

• Pierluigi P

  
  sad and overwhelming. superb Burt Lancaster. exquisite from the art department, to Visconti's elegant narration.

• Lanning :

  
  Burt Lancaster was Visconti's umpteenth choice to play the Prince. Funny how that works in the movie biz. This is definitely Lancaster's movie. Everyone, including Delon, takes a back seat to Lancaster's portrayal of a member of the waning aristocracy, almost begging… More
  Burt Lancaster was Visconti's umpteenth choice to play the Prince. Funny how that works in the movie biz. This is definitely Lancaster's movie. Everyone, including Delon, takes a back seat to Lancaster's portrayal of a member of the waning aristocracy, almost begging for the end to come. A great character study.

• John B

  
  Lancaster's unlikely appearance in this Italian film is memorable across the film's epic length.

• Cameron J

  
  Man, this movie is some bull for not delivering on its promises, because I didn't see a single leopard in here. No, I didn't go into this film actually expecting to see leopards, or at least no more than I usually do when I see a film, because, as a big cat person, I always… More
  Man, this movie is some bull for not delivering on its promises, because I didn't see a single leopard in here. No, I didn't go into this film actually expecting to see leopards, or at least no more than I usually do when I see a film, because, as a big cat person, I always find it nice to see a kitty, something that I hear some movie called "Gummo" is filled with, so I look foward to seeing that whenever I get around to it. Joking ignorance over brutal cat killings in a film that no one saw aside, I do think it would be cool to see this film with leopard, and I don't mean that I want to see them happen across leopard, but that I want to see this film with leopards as the people. I can just see one of those majestic things going around with a top hat and a giant moustache, dancing with another leopard at the ball. Yeah, so if you can't tell, this joke isn't turning out as inspired as I thought it was going to. This film, on the other hand, is no stranger to inspiration, because if you can say nothing else about Italians, it's that they make great food, but next to that, next to that, you can say that they make great food, because they're food is so nice, you mention it twice, and, of course, finally, next to that, you can say that they really are pretty creepily similar to Jews in New York. Oh yeah, and they knew how to do some cool, unique stuff with films, though not at all to where they could drown out the flaws in their films, including this one. The film is a very dry and often talkative one, so it's to be expected that the film dulls down here and there. Really, the film surprisingly doesn't slow down all that much, even with all of its extensive mumbo-jumbo (That's the Italian word for "talk", right?), yet the film only goes so far before drying up, and the editing isn't really helping with that. I'm not sure how smoothly this film moves on its tighter American runtime, yet what I'm looking at is a three hour film that's not about to let you forget its length, dragging things out, not all that terribly, yet enough for the film to disengaging here and there, as the editing is so loose, allowing much excess material and repetition to set in. The film simply takes just too long to pick up, and when it does finally pick up, it never really takes off that far. The film has plenty a high point, yet can't transcend blandness in a lot of spots. However, make no mistakes, there are so plenty of high points, and just enough to ultimately triumph and make the film worthwhile. Sure, things stand to be tighter and more engrossing, yet it's not hard to stick with this film through and through, partially because it's difficult to look away. For its time, the film was incredibly well shot, and remains quite the piece of eye candy, even today. Giuseppe Rotunno's cinematography is lush and colorful, yet still with a degree of saturation that gives the film an elegant style that reflects the its classy themes and tones, and looks good while doing so. This can of course be said about the just as, if not more remarkable production designs that's glory goes enhanced by the cinematography, as if it could look better. The designs are elaborate, detailed and a joy to behold, with grand broadness to capture the stellar scope of the era, as well as both the fortunes and misfortunes within this time and environment. The film is a very well-produced, very elegant art piece, and that fine style, alone, make it engaging, even with all of the dryness, though it certainly helps that most of the intrigue within the film is, well, generally intriguing, if not simply compelling, and for that, credit not only goes out to director Luchino Visconti and his team of screenwriters, but also his colorful cast of distinctive charismas, whose appeal goes augmented by very human moments. Burt Lancaster, in particularly, really stands out, nailing the Prince Don Fabrizio Salina character's stern presence of charming prestige, yet occasionally throws in touches of humanity through subtle, yet poignant, if not quietly intense and deeply emotional vulnerability that makes his performance among the most compelling aspects of the film. The film is not without its faults, running too long of a line, and doing so very limply, yet it ultimately delivers upon reaching its destination in style, making it well worth the sit. In the end, the looseness in editing and story, as well as repetition exacerbates the sting of dryness that leaves the film to all too often dull down, occasionally to the point of being simply disengaging, yet for every mistake the film makes, it wins you back, whether it be through its phenomenal art direction or its fine cast of talents - from which Burt Lancaster particularly stands out -, both of which serve to supplement the generally compelling and consistently elegant story structure and telling that helps in making Luchino Visconti's "The Leopard" a mostly intriguing, always handsome and ultimately rewarding watch. 3/5 - Good

• Lauren D

  
  It was pretty lame. I'm not even really sure what it was about and I only watched it because Alain Delon was in it and he was the only good thing about it.

• Emily B

  
  A gorgeous Italian epic. Beautiful in everyway from the acting, to the grand visuals and to the superb Nini Rota score. My first Visconti film, I'm definitely looking forward to discovering his other works.

• Patrick D

  
  Some aspects of this film were amazing and I really loved the ball room scene leading up to the end. BUT, and I know I'll sound like a philistine, it was 3hrs+, and to add more to my philistinosity (i know it's not a real word) I kinda feel you can tell a story in 2hrs or… More
  Some aspects of this film were amazing and I really loved the ball room scene leading up to the end. BUT, and I know I'll sound like a philistine, it was 3hrs+, and to add more to my philistinosity (i know it's not a real word) I kinda feel you can tell a story in 2hrs or less, accept for some occasion, the Leopard not being one. I felt much like an early, and much more refined and well versed Peter Jackson, Visconti was a little too self indulgent with this one. I mean what film maker wouldn't want to have their films over 3hrs? I know I would, but I understand that not everyone wants to see me masturbate onto celluloid. This although is not to said this is a bad movie, it's quite brilliant, I think.

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