The Leopard

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2:40

The Leopard

PG,

1963,

2h 45m,

History/

Drama

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98%

48 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

89%

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.

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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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 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.

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Scott Tobias

AV Club

Dec 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.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Feb 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.

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Matthew Wilder

Nashville Scene

Oct 23, 2024

"A picture in which all of experience seems shot through with the sweetness of the dearly departed, the already mourned."

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Justine Smith

Vague Visages

Jun 5, 2024

Claudia Cardinale's entrance into the film immediately notes a change in The Leopard's atmosphere of desire.

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Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

Mar 6, 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.

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Leia S

Apr 16, 2019

The Leopard is epic in scope and beautifully crafted. Much like Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, Luchino Visconti casts people with the perfect looks for the part, focuses on faces, and communicates non-verbally through eye movements. Without being able to really relate to the prince, we come to sympathize with him as he comes to terms with aging and seeing his way of life come to an end. My only criticism is the film is difficult to follow at times and all the secondary characters are hard to keep track of. They often appear and disappear without explanation. This probably has to do with 20 minutes of the original being lost thanks to the American butchering of the original, rather than negligence on Visconti's part.

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Luke P

Feb 12, 2019

Italy's own 'Gone With The Wind'. A flawless diamond.

Finn G

Jan 16, 2019

El gatopardo [1963]

Han S

Jan 10, 2019

Boring, boring, boring. Moves as slow as the stereotypical English novel, but without the suspense. Might have been interesting in 1963, but is NOT now, regardless of the visual appeal of the period costumes

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Finn S

Jun 6, 2018

Masterpiece. Maybe the best movie ever made.

Leia G

May 13, 2018

Every frame is a painting in Visconti's lush, opulent and impeccably acted Il Gattopardo. This was probably his most personal film as, in many ways, he was the Prince (and rumor has it Lancaster used the director as inspiration). The waves of melancholia that come and go are poetic and touching, leaving behind a trail of sadness brought to life by the vivid technicolor. The contrast is striking and utterly perfect.

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Luchino Visconti

Director

Burt Lancaster

Principe Don Fabrizio Salina

Claudia Cardinale

Angelica Sedara

Alain Delon

Tancredi Falconeri

Paolo Stoppa

Don Calogero Sedara

Rina Morelli

Principessa Maria Stella Salina

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The Leopard: Trailer 1

2:40

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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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