I was given the blu-ray of this as a gift recently and what a lovely, thoughtful present that proved to be. The photography is glorious - the light is brilliant. Visconti delivers a truly captivating period piece but with none of the shallowness of many other costume/historical dramas. It features a magnificent performance from the gently aristocra…

Elegy for the Aristocracy Luchino Visconti's 1963 masterpiece, Il Gattopardo, does not merely narrate the historical transformation of an era; it is also a death hymn for a class. On the hot, dusty soil of Sicily, as the elegance of an age slowly turns to embers, Visconti invites his audience to history's most sorrowful ball. Prince Fabrizio …