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No one is more gorgeous than him,
No one was lonelier than he was.
Prince Salina in the darkness listened to the noise of song and dance outside the house, locked himself in his study, and slowly spat out a smoke ring:
"We were leopards and lions, and in our place were jackals and earth dogs."
Behind the monitor in the corner of the set, a pair of old eyes have long been filled with tears: director Lucchino Visconti. In this huge film "Leopard", he personally composed an elegy for himself and the aristocratic world to which he belonged.
The 1963 Visconti film Leopard, set against the backdrop of the annexation of Sicily to Italy in the 1860s, laid the stage for the old aristocracy represented by Prince Salina to be replaced by the new regime step by step
The history of the "Visconti family" where the director was born dates back to 12th-century Italy, which once unified northern Italy and then served as lord of Milan for 2 centuries, and Napoleon was still alone when he invaded, and has been prosperous for 400 years, and is still the most prominent magnate in the Apennines.
Visconti's family crest, a dragon-headed snake that bites a barbarian, still hangs over Milan's town hall and central station
Lucchino Visconti himself, who grew up immersed in German philosophy, Austrian music, English theatre and French literature, came to Paris as an adult and was introduced into the film world by the great director Jean Renoir through the introduction of his friend Ms. Coco Chanel.
“
I belong to the time of Thomas Mann, Proust and Mahler, and the art, literature and music that surround me are my world.
— Lucchino Visconti
”
The legendary life of Visconti (1906-1976) began
As a unique aristocratic director in the history of cinema, epic films are a true portrayal of his life. Today, let's look through the lens at Visconti's gorgeous and infinitely decadent life.
The old oil paintings gradually faded, and the new upstarts appeared.
Who in the world can tell the story of the nobility better than Visconti?
01
Floating like a dream, magnificent as a leopard
1963's "Leopard" can be said to be a representative of Uighur aesthetics, and the opening chapter grabs people's hearts with a quiet palace.
The side table candlesticks and oil painting pendants brought to the camera are all heirloom antiques, where Prince Salina ruled Sicily for generations. The peaceful life was shattered by the sudden arrival of the Italian revolutionaries, who wanted Sicily to change its feudal rule to a republic and henceforth submit to Italy.
The Prince's Mansion is set in the Sicily Villa Boscogrande, and the Baroque castle has always maintained its old style, just like the hereditary prince for a hundred years
The most prominent newcomer to these revolutionaries was none other than the old prince's nephew, DonCreedy. Not only did he approach the revolutionary forces in a measured manner, but he also had a secret affair with Anjelica, the new mayor of Sicily and the daughter of a merchant.
Aristocrat Don Kreddy (left) and Anjelica, daughter of an upstart (right)
Angelica's pure white Krinolin dress resembled a proud white swan in the crowd. At that time, the aniline dye had just been invented, so it was completely well documented that the daughter of the upstart wore the brightest dress
In order to keep this declining family, Prince Salina facilitated the marriage of DonCredi to the daughter of the upstart. Under the power of capital, the couple finally saved the face and son of the nobility and became the new owners of Sicily. Director Visconti was moved by the filming because he saw not only the story of DonCredy and Angelica, but also the marriage of his own parents.
Visconti who tells young male and female protagonists on the set
Although Visconti's father inherited the title of duke, the century-old family encountered a critical point of survival in the middle of the 19th century. So in the "Door to Door" and "The Way to Make aNother Fortune", his father chose to marry the Milan pharmaceutical tycoon and heiress of the rich and powerful country, Carla. It was this marriage that not only allowed the Milan giants "Visconti" to continue the oldest bloodline in Europe, but also to become one of the "richest nobles".
Her mother, Carla, is not only the "first beauty in Milan" with millions of furniture, but also has a literary and musical literacy / a group photo of the family, and the far right Visconti is 5 years old
However, if the prince's mansion in "Leopard" is also based on visconti's family palace, it is a big fallacy, in the director's own words:
How can a prince from the southern countryside, Sicily, be compared to the consort of our northern Renaissance and northern principality lords?
The most magnificent scene in "Leopard" - the "ball" filmed in the palazzo Gangi / the 600 "group performances" participating are all nobles who have been invited, and the pomp of the ball is reconstructed by the director based on the memory of attending the royal ball in the Italian royal palace as a child
Filmed in the palazzo Gangi, Sicily's most magnificent palace, it is not as grand as the Visconti family
Even her mother Carla's dowry, the villa Gastel on the shores of Lake Como, an hour from Milan, was extravagant. What if Pompeii antiques, neo-Gothicism, rococo want to have both? You might as well have one style per hall.
Villa Gastel is a holiday estate with a swimming pool, amphitheater, servants' quarters, stables and even 2 guesthouses built for visitors
Delicate and precious Sèvres porcelain dots every part of the estate, with fresh green glaze and cut-out white porcelain reflecting the glow of the chandeliers on the roof. Visconti grew up here, and the touch of "beauty" grew darkly.
Let beauty enter life at an early age, so that they can know how to appreciate beauty and admire beautiful things throughout their lives.
—Lucchino Visconti
The restaurant was a gift from Visconti to his sister, and the Sever porcelain on the walls and on the table was a careful selection of his best
The current owner of the estate, Guido Taroni, Visconti's nephew, stands in front of the sculptural stables
The first person who led Visconti into the dream of art and aesthetics was his "upstart" mother, Carla.
Silhouette of a side face left over from the Old Lake Como Mansion,
It has made people think of Carla's style.
02
Soul breaks the twilight of the gods
Carla received the most meticulous and elegant education from an early age, no less than the children of the nobility, and her family became one of the founders of the La Scala Opera house after her career, and served as the president of the theater for a long time. After marrying the Visconti family, Carla passed on her superb artistic taste to her son, and Lucino Visconti's pinnacle of Ludwig is the best embodiment of this inheritance.
Completed in 1778, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan is the temple of Verdi's opera
King Ludwig II of the late 19th century was played by Visconti's royal male protagonist, Hermüller Berg
Ludwig (1972) tells the story of the last bavarian king who succeeded to the throne at the age of 18 to the age of 40, was deposed, put under house arrest and finally died. Ludwig II was famous as the "fairytale king", who not only insisted on building the most romantic castle in the world, but also loved the operas of the German composer Wagner.
Ludwig is showing his cousin Princess Sissi the blueprint of the castle of his dreams
The inauguration of Neuschwanstein Castle made Ludwig's dream a reality. Today, the castle is the most photographed building in Germany
Ludwig's courage to sponsor Wagner at all costs, preferring to blindly live in a majestic symphony rather than soberly watch the glass world collapse little by little, non-Visconti can not understand, so the director uses a lot of Wagner, Schumann and Offenbach music for the soundtrack, which is a tribute to Ludwig.
Wagner (right) was not only a great composer, but also wrote his own opera scripts. Ludwig (left) yearns for the mythical world of his operas
There is also the fate of Ludwig's desperate "mysterious suicide" and the collapse of the Bavarian monarchy, which only Visconti, who was born of a great nobleman, could empathize.
No one can photograph the grandeur of the nobility better than I can, and more importantly, the decline of the nobility, especially how to die.
The one-handed golden house and the gentle township of male pets are Ludwig's final destination
In order to maximize the imperial grandeur, Visconti led the crew across Europe at any cost, filming in 10 castles. "6 months in the cold of Austria, 6 months in the heat of Bavaria", the long shooting cycle directly dragged down a number of multinational production companies.
Visconti (left) speaking to an actor. In order to better interpret the work, Visconti also invited Romi Schneider (right) to come out of the mountain to play Princess Sissi for the fourth time
Another thing in the film that makes Visconti time-consuming and laborious to describe is Ludwig's unspeakable comradehood. In an era when homosexuality was "wanted" all over the world, Visconti's love affair with actor Hermüller Berger was unmistakable, and Berg was Ludwig's character.
Ludwig is the best role I can give Tormut.
Visconti (right) patiently explains Ludwig's ambivalent homosexuality in a 4-hour film, and outside the scene they were lovers for 12 years until Visconti's death
Berg was 38 years younger than Visconti, and his Greek face and wandering demeanor drove Visconti crazy, so Visconti was eager to teach him all the literature, drama and music he had learned all his life, and to train him to become the noblest "king".
"Fairy tale King Ludwig" is a work of art created by Visconti
However, the director's elderly body gradually could not catch up with Berg's zhangyang steps, so in the chase and escape, the movie "Soul Break Venice" was born.
1971's "Soul Break Venice" is a rare small-format film in Visconti, and the plot revolves around a beautiful teenager
In the film, the composer Assenbach is deeply attracted to a Polish aristocratic teenager in Venice, so he sleepwalks with him all day long, even giving up the opportunity to leave Venice, and dies of the plague that spreads in the city. Interestingly, Assenbach, like Visconti, is 38 years old.
Isn't the blonde boy exactly the same Berger of the year?
Assenbach has the shadow of Visconti. Affection is a tragedy that must be read in death
Visconti borrowed the character's mouth and sang another elegy of his own that was out of step with the times.
Visconti once said that he was the Prince of Salina in "The Leopard", stubborn and conservative but had to admit that the wheel of history was moving forward, so he finally fell with the old time; he also said,
Compared to the Italian and English title Ludwig, I prefer the French title "Le Crépuscules des dieux", which is when aristocrats like me step into the twilight...
When all was said and done, the old prince withdrew from the well-dressed ball. The prime-aged man who opens the chapter seems to have aged overnight
Visconti's talent has not been overlooked because it is too lonely, and the 3- or 4-hour movie length has not stopped the tide of film critics:
1963 Leopard won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival
1971 Soul Break Venice nominated for the Palme d'Or
In the same year, "Soul Breaking Venice" won the 25th Anniversary Award of the Cannes International Film Festival
1973 Visconti wins the Italian David Award for Best Director
... ...
...; ...
On March 17, 1975, After listening to Brahms Symphony No. 2 for a long day, Visconti closed his eyes forever, and with his fascination with philosophy, literature and music, he finally stepped into the twilight of the gods.
"I walk alone in a thousand mountains, I don't have to send each other"
Editor | Kate
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