Rating: 
Summary: A truly masterpiece, if there was ever one
Review: I saw this film twice in Spain, the first time at least fifteen years ago, in its original version and length, not, as I have read here, an American dubbed-abreviated version. I think this is the best movie by Visconti, although to be fair I have not seen all of them. It seems amazing, however, its relative obscurity, compared for example to the somewhat overhyped Death in Venice, which I consider to be much inferior to Il Gatopardo. It is also one of my favourite films of all time. Lancaster's performance is unforgetable, the ambience, the music, the story and the painful ending, all amount to a masterpiece difficult to match. The Sicilian landscape is captured in all its magic and grandiosity and dominates my memories of the film. Comparing it to Gone with the Wind is, I think, a bit frivolous, as, with due respect, the estethics of both films - one Italian-European, the other American - are light years apart, without at all questioning the merits of the American film. Sadly, the pervasive notoriety of GWTW is also light years apart from the obscurity of Il Gatopardo. Il Gatopardo truly deserves to be taken out from that obscurity and get a much higher recognition as an all time classic. Will that ever happen? I doubt it, but at least I join the fans of this film in begging for its integral and original release in DVD, asap please.
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Summary: The Greatest Unknown Film
Review: You can always count on the Criterion Collection to find a classic film out of the vault and transfer it beautifully into DVD format. "The Leopard" is one of the greatest movies that is not as widely recognized as it should be. As Roger Ebert puts it, "The Leopard" was written by the only man who could have written it, directed by the only man who could have directed it, and stars the only man who could have played its title character." Thankfully, the Criterion Collection is going to release the movie in its 187-minute, which is still shorter than the intended 205-minutes but still better than the American version, which butchered 40-minutes of this great masterpiece. "The Leopard" is the definition of an epic film with great lavish sets and an extraordinary ensemble. And thank god it is the Criterion Collection who are going to distribute it. Even though their DVDs are heavily priced, it is worth it because they clean and put touch-ups on every single frame one at a time. No company puts that much emphasis and dedication on their films. That is why they release only a handful of DVDs each year. Their extra materials are also insightful and this time they have it put into three DVDs. This is certainly going to be one of their best packages and I am positive the movie is going to look and feel like the original. If you have ... bucks to spend, then spend it on this classic film.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the cut version!
Review: (...)This is the 20 minutes cut version.You may also check IMDB for more proof.
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Summary: A Panoramic View of Sicily during Its Unification
Review: It is incomprehensible to me why this movie has not yet made it to DVD. I think it is easily Visconti's greatest work, and one of the masterpieces of Italian film from a great era in general; and it is also a flawless adaptation of one of the finest Italian novels of the twentieth century. The film is a close study of a noble Sicilian family, and especially of its Prince (played by Burt Lancaster in what I think is also his best role), as they interact with the new middle-class parvenus of revolutionary Italy. The cinematic values of the film itself are stunning, from the vast panoramas of the desolate Sicilian countryside, to the stifling intimacy of the final ball (which lasts nearly an hour on film without once being boring). What is most amazing is the depth of the film. Even small gestures are carefully observed and capture the nuances of an aristocracy in decline. I loved "Death in Venice" as well, but this film should justly be considered Visconti's most tightly controlled and haunting.
Rating:
Summary: One of Lancaster's best parts
Review:
This story is set in mid-nineteenth century Sicily at the time of Giuseppe Garibaldi's insurrection, when he got Vittorio Emanuelle installed as king and gave the people the plebiscite that established a republican form of government.
Lancaster plays a prince (the leopard) who lost power, but maintained his position of respect among the people because he played his part judiciously, accepting change graciously. Not a bloody or violent film, but full of human faults and frailty. The part played by Lancaster holds it all together. He plays his part flawlessly, always in character, and it turns out to be a great movie, well played and interesting. See it if you get the chance. It covers a little known episode in history, and is very entertaining to boot. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating: 
Summary: The Leopard - Criterion Collection
Review: In this war drama set in 1880s Sicily, Prince Don Fabrizio Salina (Burt Lancaster) attempts to hold onto the glory he once knew, while his nephew, Tancredi Falconeri (Alain Delon), has joined opposition forces and is being heralded as a war hero. As Falconeri begins to fall for Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the daughter of the town's new mayor, Don Calogero Sedara (Paolo Stoppa), Salina must learn to accept his changing political status.
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Summary: The "both versions" story is correct!
Review: A visit to the Criterion Collection website (criterioncollection.com) confirms that both the American version and the longer Italian version will be included in this release.
Rating:
Summary: Setting the record straight
Review: This three disc edition from Criterion will contain both the 187 minute cut of the film as well as the 161 minute American version as a comparison. This is much like their three disc release of Brazil which contains the directors cut and the unbelievable "Love Conquers All" version solely as a glimpse into studio politics and just how great films can be butchered for American release.
When in doubt, don't write silly reviews, go to Criterion's website!
Rating: 
Summary: The Wrong Version
Review: I was shocked and disappointed to read that Criterion is releasing the l6l min. English language version of The Leopard instead of the far superior 185 min Italian version. The English version was released over Visconti's objections and he disavowed the resulting film as his in an open letter to The London Times in 1963.This film was printed by an inferior color process which made many interiors look muddy. I saw this film in 1963 but was able to see the Italian Leopard 20 years later. It was far superior in terms of adding information and nuances to the complex story and in the color print. The 24 additional minutes were great. It would be nice to hear Burt Lancaster's voice but that means that all of the other actors are dubbed. The dubbing of Lancaster's voice in Italian was excellent as were the subtitles. It is an Italian story and was filmed in Italian with the exception of Burt Lancaster's lines. I find it especially sad that those of us who have longed to have The Leopard available on DVD are to have the version which Visconti hated be the only one available.
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Summary: The Leopard - Version Dilemma
Review: It still seems that some people are confused about this new Criterion title. It doesn't really help that a) the listing of extras is confusing and b) the extras for the DVD have still not been finalised by Criterion.
In any case, this is a 3-disc edition. It will contain the 187 minute Italian version in an apparently gloriously restored print. It will *also* contain the edited and dubbed 161 minute American verison on a seperate disc as an *extra*. The third disc will be devoted to the bulk of the extra material.
The 205 minute version that people often refer to is widely believed to be a myth and that the running time (often listed for theatrical presentations of the Italian version) included 20 minutes for an interval. Hope that helps.
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