Dec 20, 2016
Since this our last episode of 2016, we felt it appropriate to mark the occasion with a pair of discussions about "changing times." First up, Lady P welcomes blogger, David Eves, and Flixwise co-producer, Martin Kessler, to talk about today's Sight and Sound entry, Luchino Visconti's 1963 epic period drama, The Leopard. The film is about an aging Sicilian prince, played by Burt Lancaster, who attempts to stoke the flickering remnants of his family heritage and societal standing as the old world aristocracy crumbles around him. At number 57, The Leopard stands as Visconti's most highly ranked film on the "Greatest of all Time" list. It is largely heralded for its lavish production design, its sweeping themes of love and family strife, and the towering central performance from Lancaster. The panel deliberates on how well the central themes of the film still resonate in our current political climate.
Then, the gang jumps into a discussion on movies about intergenerational conflict (i.e., they'll take any excuse to bring up The Magnificent Ambersons). They talk about the challenges of portraying these eternal struggles on film, and why we as humans insist on pitting different generations against each other.