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The Leopard

Play trailer 2:40 Poster for The Leopard PG 1963 2h 45m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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98% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi (Alain Delon), to marry Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.

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The Leopard

The Leopard

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Critics Consensus

Lavish and wistful, The Leopard features epic battles, sumptuous costumes, and a ballroom waltz that competes for most beautiful sequence committed to film.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/11/2023
Here is a work of a type we rarely see anymore -- a sweeping popular epic, with obvious similarities to Gone with the Wind. Go to Full Review Scott Tobias AV Club 12/11/2013
The film aches with regret over a crumbling empire, but its feelings are complicated by the wise prince, who recognizes his place on the wrong side of history. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 02/23/2012
A magnificent film, munificently outfitted and splendidly acted by a large cast dominated by Burt Lancaster's standout stint in the title role. Go to Full Review Matthew Wilder Nashville Scene 10/23/2024
"A picture in which all of experience seems shot through with the sweetness of the dearly departed, the already mourned." Go to Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages 06/05/2024
Claudia Cardinale's entrance into the film immediately notes a change in The Leopard's atmosphere of desire. Go to Full Review Penelope Gilliatt Observer (UK) 03/06/2024
It gives you an extraordinary sense of the texture of a grand family's life in Sicily during the Risorgirnemo. Visconti accumulates details like a Russian novelist. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tom F @RT55173143 Dec 26 A beautifully shot epic about an Italian prince dealing with changing times. Like many of these classic films dealing with rich people, it remains worth seeing even if it doesn’t resonate with me powerfully while watching it in 2025. See more Mickey B. @Mickerdoo Dec 26 Couldn’t get behind this one just because they were rich and the movie was three hours. Cardinale was pretty but I’d still eat the rich. See more Dani G @RT81139271 Oct 24 Honestly, I got really bored. Much about nothing during 3 hours See more Judith K @ziqiongmom 03/11/2025 This is a masterpiece. Luchino Visconti was forced to use Burt Lancaster as his star, but Burt did a fabulous job of acting, even though his words were dubbed! The film is more subtle and nuanced than the current miniseries on Netflix. It is reminiscent of Gone With the Wind, in that it's a character study of a waning ruling class that is about to lose power due to major political changes. This is a film that is beautifully directed, written, and acted, and well worth watching if you love Italian movies. See more Juan Sebastian M @RT78405850 12/18/2024 Como todas las películas de Luchino Visconti, es una joya del cine, posee unos diálogos encomiables, la escenografía es perfecta y es una película fiel a la historia. See more Todor V. D @RT81399653 10/14/2024 Absolutely cinematic pleasure. Luciano Visconti at his best. It's a timeless classic. See more Read all reviews
The Leopard

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Cast & Crew

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Luchino Visconti

Director

Burt Lancaster

Principe Don Fabrizio Salina

Claudia Cardinale

Angelica Sedara

Alain Delon

Tancredi Falconeri

Paolo Stoppa

Don Calogero Sedara

Rina Morelli

Principessa Maria Stella Salina

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The Leopard

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The Leopard

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Movie Info

Synopsis As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi (Alain Delon), to marry Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.
Director
Luchino Visconti
Producer
Goffredo Lombardo
Screenwriter
Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Pasquale Festa Campanile, Enrico Medioli, Massimo Franciosa, Luchino Visconti
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Titanus
Rating
PG
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 15, 1963, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Runtime
2h 45m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm