FILM · 1963 · FRANCE
Il gattopardo
- Directed by
- Luchino Visconti
- Runtime
- 186 min
- Studio
- Titanus, Société Générale de Cinématographie (S.G.C.), Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma
46 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
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.
46 Interesting Facts About Il gattopardo
Interesting Facts (3)
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Luchino Visconti wanted Nikolay Cherkasov for the role of Prince Salina (he had apparently seen the Russian actor in Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944) and Alexander Nevsky (1938)). Cherkasov, however, declined for unknown reasons. Burt Lancaster later told film critic Roger Ebert: "They wanted a Russian but he was too old. They wanted [Laurence Olivier] but he was too busy. When I was suggested, Visconti said, 'Oh, no! A cowboy!' But I had just finished Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and he needed the 3 million dollars he had seen; 20th Century-Fox would give it to him if he used an American star, and so the inevitable happened. And it turned out to be a great marriage."
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Production Story (21)
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Director Luchino Visconti was disappointed that the producers of the film insisted on casting Burt Lancaster in the lead role, because he felt he was not right for the part. This caused tension between the two during the first few weeks of filming. Visconti's harsh treatment toward Lancaster eventually led to the actor publicly confronting him on the set. Visconti was so impressed with the passion and sincerity that Lancaster displayed during his tirade that the two developed a close and amicable relationship for the rest of the filming process.
- #005
The same year he finished 8½ (1963), Nino Rota dusted off an old symphony of his own composition, and he proposed it to Luchino Visconti for this film. The director loved it, and it became the score for this fresco of the social and political changes in Sicily in the midst of the 19th century. The editor Mario Serandrei had given Visconti as a present the sheet music of an unpublished waltz by Giuseppe Verdi that he had found in a drawer of an old chest he bought in a flea market. Rota added this composition to the long final ball sequence.
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Luchino Visconti wanted to cast Nikolay Cherkasov as Prince Salina (apparently, he saw the Russian actor in Sergei Eisenstein's movies Ivan the Terrible, Part I (1944) and Alexander Nevsky (1938)). However, Cherkassov refused for unknown reasons. Burt Lancaster later told film critic Roger Ebert, "They wanted a Russian, but he was too old. They wanted [Laurence Olivier], but he was too busy. When I was suggested, Visconti said, 'Oh, no! A cowboy!' But I had just finished Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), which he saw, and he needed $3 million, which 20th Century-Fox would give them if they used an American star, and so the inevitable occurred. And it turned out to be a wonderful marriage".
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The movie overall follows the story and spirit of the novel, with some notable differences: * The last two chapters are omitted: the death of Don Fabrizio 21 years after the ball; the life of three elderly Salina sisters in San Lorenzo (the palace we first see), another 27 years afterwards. Naturally, many other events are discarded because of length, as well as the chapter about Father Pirrone. * Conversely, the movie includes a few scenes absent from the novel: the long battle in the city at the beginning; the roadblock on the way to Donnafugata just afterwards; the dialogue between Angelica, Concetta and Tancredi during the ball; the shooting of deserters at the end. * Chronology is sometimes altered. Some of the novel's flashbacks are integrated into present timeline: the soldier's body at the beginning, the plebiscite. On the other hand, some sequences are cut by other scenes: the hunting party, by Fabrizio reading Tancredi's letter and Ciccio describing Angelica's mother; Angelica and Tancredi roaming the palace, by Chevalley's visit. * Characters are slightly different. Angelica and Tancredi seem truly in love (long shots on gazes and embraces, romantic music), whilst in the novel they are partly motivated by greed (Angelica wants an aristocratic name, Tancredi needs money). Don Fabrizio appears to be more sympathetic than he is in the novel, probably thanks to Burt Lancaster's charm. At the ball, colonel Pallavicino is less ridiculous in the novel, and Don Fabrizio does not have an argument with him.
- #018
Contains a major spoiler — show
While the movie is, overall, an extremely faithful adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel, it completely omits the book's epilogue, which, after a time skip of almost twenty years, shows the death of an elderly Prince Fabrizio in squalor and poverty, assisted by his daughter Concetta. The film ends on a less bleak note, foreshadowing the Prince's death without showing it.
- #019
The film's chronology has been altered at times. Some flashbacks in the novel (the soldier's corpse at the beginning, the plebiscite) are folded into the present-tense flow, while some sections, such as the hunting party, are interrupted by Fabrizio reading Tancredi's letter and by Ciccio describing Angelica's mother; Angelica and Tancredi's stroll through the palace is cut short by Chevalley's visit.
- #020
The characters are drawn somewhat differently from the novel. Angelica and Tancredi appear genuinely in love (long shots of gazing and embracing, romantic music), whereas in the novel they act partly out of greed (Angelica wants an aristocratic name, Tancredi needs money). Don Fabrizio emerges as a more sympathetic figure than in the novel thanks to Burt Lancaster's charisma; in the ball scene, Colonel Pallavicino is less ridiculous than in the novel, and Don Fabrizio does not argue with him.
- #021
Nino Rota, in the year he finished 8½ (1963), pulled an old symphony of his own composition off the shelf and proposed it to Luchino Visconti; the director liked the music very much, and it became the score for this fresco depicting the social and political changes in Sicily in the mid-19th century. Editor Mario Serandrei had given Visconti an unpublished waltz score by Giuseppe Verdi that he had found in the drawer of an old chest bought at a flea market; Rota added this composition to the long final ball sequence.
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Behind the Scenes (9)
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The hundreds of candles in these scenes had to be replaced frequently. They are the ostensible light source but the Technicolor film speeds and movie camera lenses of the early 1960s were too slow for interiors like this to be properly lit without additional lights. So a lighting rig had to be put above the chandeliers. The breakthrough film for the use of natural lighting in interiors was Barry Lyndon (1975), which used a very fast Zeiss lens developed for space satellite photography. The heat of the lights rapidly melted the candles, so filming had to be interrupted while they were replaced. Also, the white gloves worn by all the guests became stained with sweat and Visconti insisted that they should also be replaced. A laundry room was set up nearby for this purpose.
- #027
According to Claudia Cardinale, the period corset she wore during filming was so narrow that Burt Lancaster could encircle her waist with his large hands. It was so constricting and burned her flesh so badly that she showed Luchino Visconti, presumably to gain his sympathy for the pain she endured to make herself credible in the role.
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When Ciccio Tumeo describes Angelica's mother to Don Fabrizio, there is a brief flashback scene showing her veiled in church: in fact, this is none other than Claudia Cardinale, who plays Angelica throughout the rest of the film. Because of the veil and the darkness, she is difficult to recognize.
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Characters & Cast (5)
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Director Luchino Visconti was disappointed that the film's producers insisted on Burt Lancaster for the lead role, because he felt Lancaster was not right for the part. This caused tension between the two during the first few weeks of shooting. Visconti's harsh treatment of Lancaster eventually led the actor to confront him in front of everyone on set. Visconti was so impressed by the passion and sincerity Lancaster showed in his outburst that the two developed a close and friendly relationship for the rest of the shoot.
- #037
Burt Lancaster won over an initially skeptical Luchino Visconti by letting him know that he had read the book and was lobbying for the role. Fox asked Visconti to choose among Anthony Quinn, Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck and Lancaster. Visconti made his decision after watching Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Lancaster later appeared in Visconti's Conversation Piece (1974).
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Easter Eggs & References (2)
Deeper Meaning (3)
Career & Awards (3)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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