Luchino Visconti
 

A master filmmaker who excelled in styles from neo realist to operatic materials. His La Terra Trema is an excellent docu styled film on the downfall of a fishing family in Southern Italy, while Rocco and His Brothers serves as an expansion of that film with memorable performances by its actors. The Leopard, and The Damned are powerful films about the fall of a once powerful family and the beginning of a new era. Death in Venice is a beautiful, elegant film with a tragic, sad performance by Bogarde. Like Tolstoy, Visconti also came from an aristocratic family. I feel that Visconti is to 20th Century cinema as Tolstoy was to 19th Century literature. Also, imo The Leopard is to Visconti what War and Peace is to Tolstoy. There are still films by Visconti I like to see like Ossessione, White Nights, Senso, Ludwig, Conversation Piece, and the rest of his films.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

A footnote to the above.

Visconti was part of the Italian Communist neo-realist film movement of the post-war era.
Although part of the upper class, many of his films were a critique of them and
of capitalism in general. Like most communists, he inaccurately linked capitalism
with fascism ("The Damned"). Italian Communists were not usually linked with the
Soviets unlike American communists. They were a separate entity although they
did share the class warfare/class envy obsessions and phobias of other Marxists.
Visconti's movies usually had good technical specs and performances although
they should be taken within the context of his worldview which has historically
been discredited.

Many of Visconti's films were printed in the dye transfer process at the Italian Technicolor lab which continued to use the system until 1980. Among them were
"The Damned" (US prints also), "The Leopard" (US prints were in De Luxe) and
"Death in Venice" (Us prints also). I saw them at The Elgin back in the seventies.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

In any event, I think he was a fabulous visual stylist. Death in Venice is a tremendously moving film, anchored by Bogarde's magnificent performance.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

I will very soon be putting "Ossessione" in my dvdplayer. So far i have only seen "death in venice" on tv and "Il Gattopardo" which i bought from criterion!
I especially enjoyed The leopard since i recognised what was going on in that time period from what i read in my history books :D

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

Visconti's point of view can hardly be called "inaccurate," as Richard tried to suggest, btw. He saw the world in his own way and his films are an extension of that viewpoint.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

Yes, and I totally disagree with the equivalence Visconti = Marxism. The Italian best directors were almost all "communist" and, like Richard rightly underlines, this word in Italy had a completely different meaning than in US .... like "liberal", BTW.

I'm not a great fan of Luchino Visconti, perhaps in consequence of my love for the much more fanciful, anarchical and creative cinema of Federico Fellini.

Probably my favorite Visconti is LE NOTTI BIANCHE, with Mastroianni and Maria Schell, from Dostojevskij.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

My favourite film by Visconti still remains CONVERSATION PIECE - well acted, and an unusual blend of alternating realities and uncertainties, all wrapped up in a sordid family melodrama.

Plus brief appearances by the beautiful Domique Sanda.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

My favorite of his is The Leopard followed closely by Death in Venice. I love this man's work.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

I agree with the point that italian communists were one of a kind. Unlike in many other west-european countries, the communists are still playing a role in italian politics. I suggest reading "A history of contemporary Italy 1943-1980" by Paul Ginsborg for more in depth knowledge on the matter.

Re: Luchino Visconti
 

I haven't really seen much of Visconti's work but I consider THE DAMNED to be an excellent film; very powerful and well-acted. Ingrid Thulin and her ability to convincingly create so many radically different charcters on screen, once again blew me away. She was without question one of the most gifted European actresses ever, and I was greatly saddened to hear about her death a little over a year ago.