One of the things we love about Italy is that its aristocrats see no problem in being communists. Take Luchino Visconti, probably the only filmmaker capable of adapting one of his country’s most cherished novels. The Leopard recounts the efforts of a Sicilian prince to preserve his family’s fortunes during the revolutions that would eventually
unify the Italian provinces. Casting Burt Lancaster as the prince was considered scandalous, but it was the price Visconti paid for Hollywood funding—and he ended up disowning the American version of the film. The happy ending to this saga is a new version by its cinematographer Guiseppe Rotunno, restored nearly to its original length, and no longer dubbed in English.
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