The Leopard

"If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." To say I love this film is an understatement. It reminded me of all the films I used to watch at my grandparents' house when I was a kid. I need to mention the cinematography because—why don’t they make such striking visuals anymore? What is stopping filmmakers from doing them like this now? Each frame was close to being a Renaissance painting! I love how this is a film about change and politics, but it is not shown in a rushed way like revolutions are usually depicted—with scenes full of action and tense music. No, it is more a slow decay: a quiet torment that fills the Prince’s days. I also very much appreciated the use of juxtapositions: the workers in the fields and the people at the ball, which is then contrasted by Don Fabrizio kneeling on the "filthy" streets of Sicily. I also love watching films situated in Sicily, since I haven’t been lucky enough to visit yet, but that is where all my family comes from.