The Criterion Collection

Critics are fittingly exhilarated about the ecstatic romantic melodrama Senso, now out in Criterion Blu-ray and DVD editions. The New York Times’s Dave Kehr rejoices in the film’s “operatic sense of amplified emotion,” its “theatrically heightened use of color,” and its “final, unforgettably staged scene of betrayal.” Paper’s Dennis Dermody exclaims that the film is “a true masterwork . . . visually sumptuous, and the costumes, particularly the dresses Alida Valli wears, are amazing.” For the Los Angeles Times, Dennis Lim writes, “Senso could be described as an agonized love story that unfolds against a vast historical backdrop. But Visconti's great achievement here is in giving equal importance to both the romance and the history . . . Senso makes clear that for Visconti, stylized grandeur and scrupulous naturalism were not incompatible.”

DVD Talk’s Jamie S. Rich revels in the visual textures: “The image quality is phenomenal, with rich, sumptuous Technicolor and a clean surface image . . . This is a movie that can be stared at without any concern for story or dialogue; its photography is an art object unto itself.” Todd Gilchrist, at the Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog, calls Senso a “triumph of color, design, and sensuality,” remarking that it’s “a classic that has gone overlooked for far too long, and is finally getting its due thanks to this gorgeous, must-have release.” Michael Sragow, in the Baltimore Sun, agrees that the release marks a triumphant return: “Restored and showcased with a panoply of extras (including a lucid discussion of Visconti’s turn to opera and to operatic film techniques), Senso emerges as a turning point in this maestro’s career, a milestone of Italian cinema—and an international treasure.”