The Leopard (Phillip Road Wivenhoe)

“THE LEOPARD” (Cert U) Italy 1963 [English subtitles] 161 mins Dir: Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti epic The Leopard is based on the classic novel by Giuseppe di Lampedusa, which chronicles the struggles of the near feudal Sicilian aristocracy to survive in the face of social change. The film is a ravishing historical epic with a dreamlike quality, and a lush musical score, and it won the 1963 Golden Palm at Cannes. Burt Lancaster is superb as Prince Salina, an ageing patrician who must accept that the old order is finished and power has passed to the nouveaux riches.