Luchino Visconti

The Leopard

The Leopard

Making its long-awaited U.S. home video debut, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) is an epic on the grandest possible scale. The film recreates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italy's Risorgimento—when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster stars as the aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by his upstart nephew (Alain Delon) and his beautiful fiancée (Claudia Cardinale). Awarded the Palme d’Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, The Leopard translates Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel, and the history it recounts, into a truly cinematic masterpiece. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the film in two distinct versions: Visconti’s original Italian version, and the alternate English-language version released in America in a newly restored special edition.

Film Info

  • Italy
  • 1963
  • 185 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.21:1
  • Italian
  • Spine #235

TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno and presented in the original Super Technirama aspect ratio of 2.21:1, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue, including Burt Lancaster’s own voice
  • Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
  • A Dying Breed: The Making of The Leopard, an hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Amico, Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others
  • Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo
  • Video interview with professor Millicent Marcus on the history behind The Leopard
  • Original theatrical trailers and newsreels
  • Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos
  • PLUS: An essay by author and film historian Michael Wood

    New cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang

Purchase Options

TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno and presented in the original Super Technirama aspect ratio of 2.21:1, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue, including Burt Lancaster’s own voice
  • Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
  • A Dying Breed: The Making of The Leopard, an hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Ceccho D’Amico, Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others
  • Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo
  • Video interview with professor Millicent Marcus on the history behind The Leopard
  • Original theatrical trailers and newsreels
  • Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos
  • PLUS: An essay by author and film historian Michael Wood

    New cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang
The Leopard
Cast
Burt Lancaster
Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina
Claudia Cardinale
Angelica Sedàra
Alain Delon
Tancredi Falconeri
Paolo Stoppa
Don Calógero Sedàra
Rina Morelli
Maria Stella Corbera, Princess of Salina
Romolo Valli
Father Pirrone
Mario Girotti
Count Cavriaghi
Pierre Clémenti
Francesco Paolo Corbera
Lucilla Morlacchi
Concetta Corbera
Leslie French
Cavaliere Chevelley
Serge Reggiani
Don Ciccio Tumeo
Credits
Director
Luchino Visconti
Screenplay
Suso Cecchi D’Amico
Screenplay
Enrico Medioli
Screenplay
Pasquale Festa Campanile
Screenplay
Massimo Franciosa
Screenplay
Luchino Visconti
From the novel by
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Director of photography
Giuseppe Rotunno
Editing
Mario Serandrei
Music
Nino Rota
Art direction
Mario Garbuglia
Costumes
Piero Tosi

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