The Leopard

Against a dramatic nineteenth-century backdrop of radical Italian Nationalism, Luchino Visconti’s masterful epic, The Leopard, follows the Sicilian Prince of Salina and his family as they adjust to the social turbulence of revolutionary times. Adapted from Tomasi di Lampedusa's esteemed novel of the same name, this is a tragicomic depiction of a class eclipsed by history. Starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon, this gorgeous evocation of an era - beautifully photographed, designed and costumed, with a rousing score by Nino Rota - glitters with superb set pieces, culminating in the climactic 45 minute ballroom section where we can see and feel a society in transition. (British Film Institute (BFI))