The Leopard
As Sicily enters a new political age, a dignified prince watches his aristocratic world fade while younger opportunists secure the future through wealth, adaptation, and marriage.
Overview
A poignant exploration of a fading aristocracy in a turbulent landscape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- elegiac
- sweeping
- quiet evening
- classic cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the restored full-length version as a magnificent, emotionally resonant historical epic distinguished by its visual grandeur, intelligence, and elegiac treatment of social change.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Prince Fabrizio witnesses the waning of the Salina household as the wealthy former peasant Don Calogero rises to prominence.
The Sicilian landscape, the prince's resignation, and the extended ball sequence frame social change as a sorrowful cultural farewell.
The sumptuous production design and forty-minute ballroom sequence turn aristocratic ceremony into the film's defining visual event.
Tancredi swims with the tide and secures his position through his marriage to Angelica while Fabrizio declines active resistance.
Films like The Leopard, and why
The Age of Innocence
shared historical drama, aristocratic decline, political upheaval, and elegiac treatment of social transformation
A Room with a View
shared sweeping period drama, decaying upper class, sumptuous visual design, and emotional restraint
Doctor Zhivago
shared epic historical drama, class transition, romantic strategy, and richly composed spectacle
Senso
shared Italian historical setting, aristocratic culture, political change, and melancholy sense of time passing
Movie Details
- Director
- Luchino Visconti
- Release Date
- 1963-03-27
- Runtime
- 186 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (982)
Cast
- Burt Lancaster
- Claudia Cardinale
- Alain Delon
- Paolo Stoppa
- Rina Morelli
- Romolo Valli
- Terence Hill
- Pierre Clémenti
- Lucilla Morlacchi
- Giuliano Gemma
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Leopard about?
- As Sicily enters a new political age, a dignified prince watches his aristocratic world fade while younger opportunists secure the future through wealth, adaptation, and marriage.
- What is The Leopard like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Leopard as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Leopard violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Leopard as mild.
- What did critics think of The Leopard?
- Critics broadly regard the restored full-length version as a magnificent, emotionally resonant historical epic distinguished by its visual grandeur, intelligence, and elegiac treatment of social change.
- Which films are like The Leopard?
- Films with a similar feel include The Age of Innocence, A Room with a View, Doctor Zhivago, and Senso.
- How long is The Leopard?
- The Leopard runs 186 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Leopard?
- In United States, The Leopard is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
