The Leopard (Criterion Collection) (1963) On DVD

Actor:           Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon, Paolo Stoppa, Rina Morelli      
Director:       Luchino Visconti
Genre:          Drama
Year:            1963
Studio:         Criterion
Length:        185
Released:    June 8, 2004
Rating:         Unrated (Video)
Format:        DVD
Misc:            NTSC, Color
Language:   Italian
Subtitles  :   English

DESCRIPTION:

An epic on the grandest scale, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (Il gattopardo) re-creates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italy’s Risorgimento, when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster (The Killers, Brute Force), stars as an aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by the gorgeous Alain Delon (Purple Noon, Le samouraï) and Claudia Cardinale (8 1/2, Once Upon a Time in the West). The Criterion Collection is proud to present The Leopard in two distinct versions: Visconti’s original and the English-language version released in America.

Special Features:

High-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography

Presented in the original Super Technirama aspect ratio of 2.21:1

Bonus: The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue

Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie

A Dying Breed: The Making of The Leopard, an hour-long documentary

Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo

Video interview with professor Millicent Marcus on the history

Original theatrical trailers and newsreels

Stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes production photos

PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film historian Michael Wood