Senso

Star Review

Between the release of his second neorealist masterpiece La Terra Trema (1948) and the release of Senso in 1954, Luchino Visconti worked mostly in the theatre, directing works by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. His only other full feature during this period was the delightful comedy Bellissima (1951) with Anna Magnani.
Based on the story by Camillo Boito, Senso sees Visconti move definitively from the realist aesthetic which had dominated his early work and into the opulent melodrama which would infuse later works such as The Leopard (1963).

Set in Venice during the Austro-Prussian war of 1866, the film tells of the love of Countess Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli) for Austrian soldier Franz Mahler (Farley Granger). After Franz leaves her, Livia suffers humiliation and courts scandal in search of the increasingly indifferent object of her affection.

Visually breathtaking, with colour cinematography by GA Aldo and Robert Krasker (The Third Man, Odd Man Out), Senso’s blisteringly hot-house emotions are stoked by Tennessee Williams who, along with Paul Bowles, contributed English dialogue for the film.

Pasquale Iannone on 13th June 2007

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Film Description

aka The Wanton Countess. A romance, in the grand style, between a Venetian noblewoman and an officer of the invading Austrian army in the 19th century. The director here chooses deliberately to let plot sometimes be overwhelmed by decor, until the very look of this grand and vanished world becomes almost an integral part of the narrative. Dialogue by Tennesee Williams.

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This has to be the Holy Grail of Italian cinema – how many people under 50 have seen Visconti’s lush, visually stunning masterpiece, unavailable for so many years? Re-... more >

This has to be the Holy Grail of Italian cinema – how many people under 50 have seen Visconti’s lush, visually stunning masterpiece, unavailable for so many years? Re-mastered and looking absolutely ravishing, Visconti’s film is set in 10th century Venice and features Farley Granger and Alida Valli in a tragic drama. Wonderful to finally see it! < less

View all 349 of Barry Forshaw’s reviews

aka The Wanton Countess. A romance, in the grand style, between a Venetian noblewoman and an officer of the invading Austrian army in the 19th century. The director he... more >

aka The Wanton Countess. A romance, in the grand style, between a Venetian noblewoman and an officer of the invading Austrian army in the 19th century. The director here chooses deliberately to let plot sometimes be overwhelmed by decor, until the very look of this grand and vanished world becomes almost an integral part of the narrative. "Visconti, using English dialogue by Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles, generates emotions so violent that even his operatic vision can barely contain them" (Time Out). < less

View all 50 of cj’s reviews

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Film Details

Cast

Alida Valli, Massimo Girotti, Farley Granger, Heinz Moog

Technical Details