The Leopard (1963)

<p class="MsoNormal"><em>The Leopard</em> was one of the most popular Italian novels of the 20th century. An historical epic about a Sicilian prince who must navigate the social upheaval that came with Italy's unification in the mid-19th century, it was written by a man who was in a position to know about fading aristocracy - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was a Sicilian aristocrat and the last Prince of Lampedusa, and his novel was inspired by his great-grandfather.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This novel, which paid tribute to the old order while taking a decidedly pessimistic view of liberalism's promise of a new dawn for mankind, was adapted into a classic film starring Burt Lancaster and directed by Luchino Visconti. Though Visconti was a Communist, he was also the descendant of Milanese nobility, and made a film which treats the old nobility with sympathy, yet without rose-colored glasses.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><em>The Leopard</em> (1963) was included on the Vatican's 1995 list of great films, under the category of Art. Joining the podcast to discuss this film is David Paul Baird, co-author of a book on the Vatican film list forthcoming from Word on Fire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! <a href= "http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio">http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Go to Catholic Culture's website for tons of written content, including news, articles, liturgical year info, and a vast library of documents: <a href= "https://www.catholicculture.org">https://www.catholicculture.org</a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Music is The Duskwhales, “Take It Back”, used with permission. <a href= "https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com">https://theduskwhales.bandcamp.com</a></p>