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The Leopard
Licensor Information
20th Century Fox
Directed by: Luchino Visconti
Making its long-awaited U.S. home video debut, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) is an epic on the grandest possible scale. The film recreates, with nostalgia, drama, and opulence, the tumultuous years of Italy’s Risorgimento—when the aristocracy lost its grip and the middle classes rose and formed a unified, democratic Italy. Burt Lancaster stars as the aging prince watching his culture and fortune wane in the face of a new generation, represented by his upstart nephew (Alain Delon) and his beautiful fiancée (Claudia Cardinale). Awarded the Palme d’Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, The Leopard translates Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel, and the history it recounts, into a truly cinematic masterpiece. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the film in two distinct versions: Visconti’s original Italian version, and the alternate English-language version released in America in a newly restored special edition.
Details by Film
The Leopard
International VersionYear: 1963
Time: 185
Aspect Ratios
2.20:1
Audio
Italian Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
The Leopard
American VersionYear: 1963
Time: 161
Aspect Ratios
2.35:1
Audio
English Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (3 Discs)
Total: 3 Discs
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
2.20:1
2.35:1
Audio Options:
English Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Italian Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Alternate Edit, Audio Commentary, Documentary, Interview, Theatrical Trailer, Insert
- The 161-minute American release, with English-language dialogue, including Burt Lancaster’s own voice
- Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
- A Dying Breed: The Making of The Leopard, an hour-long documentary featuring interviews with Claudia Cardinale, screenwriter Suso Cecchi D’Amico, Rotunno, filmmaker Sydney Pollack, and many others
- Video interview with producer Goffredo Lombardo
- Video interview with professor Millicent Marcus on the history behind The Leopard
- Original theatrical trailers and newsreels
- Insert featuring a new essay by film historian Michael Wood
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Issa Clubb
Artwork: Lucien S. Y. Yang
Release Notes on Restoration
The Leopard
The Leopard is presented in its original Super Technirama aspect ratio of 2.21:1. On both widescreen and standard 4:3 televisions, black bars will appear on the top and bottom of the screen to maintain the proper screen format. Director of photography Giuseppe Rotunno supervised this new high-definition digital transfer, which was created on a Spirit Datacine from the original 35mm 8-perforation negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debiis, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the 35mm optical soundtrack printmaster, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.
The Leopard
The American version of The Leopard is presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 4-perforation 35mm interpositive. The 4-perforation reduction was created in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The soundtrack was created from a 35mm optical soundtrack negative.