for things to stay the same, everything must change. another epic about the collapse of the aristocracy and the death of all that’s graceful and beautiful in life? set against the backdrop of garibaldi’s campaign to free sicily from the bourbons, it’s interesting for several reasons. visconti, who was an italian count and a marxist, brings great melancholy and depth to the story as well as extraordinary lavish set pieces like the 45 minute ball that closes the film. and i think he couldn’t have done it with anyone but his leading man, burt lancaster. i’m sure europeans were scandalized when the american ‘cowboy’ was cast as a sicilian prince because the producers insisted on an international star and olivier wasn’t available. burt more than rose to the occasion, with his regal bearing and the tragic humanity in those marvellously expressive eyes. he’s magnificent and it’s hard to imagine anyone else could be better. then there’s alain delon and claudia cardinale at the height of their respective beauty and a rousing score by nino rota. if you’re into historical costume drama, u could do alot worse. i watched the restored italian version 3:15; the english version is i believe 40 mins shorter