Rating: 
Summary: "Offers one cannot refuse........"
Review: "DYNASTY" Teutonic style? Close, but not quite - perhaps a mix of "MacBeth" with overtones of "Oedipus/Hamlet" thrown in - THAT unforgettable scene [was it the underwear] between son Helmut Berger and Ice Queen mother Ingrid Thulin. [It's also quite like Brecht's "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui", or Coppola's Godfather saga ].Brilliant Dirk Bogarde as the "lover" daring to venture, but not quite expecting that surprise end-result! AND Helmut Berger's first scene - "quite out Fossies - Bob Fosse". A nasty little tale about a rich mixed up kid in just, just pre-WW11 Germany, not quite knowing what or where, but being guided bit by bit into his own chosen Hell. Says a lot about the unstoppable power-hungry rich having access to unlimited resources and basically devouring its own kind in its quest for national or global control. There's much, much more to this movie, superbly directed by Visconti, and very advanced for 1969. Watch out for Charlotte Rampling [later teamed with Bogarde in the similarly veined "Night Porter"], also Helmut Griem who graduated to Bob Fosse's "Cabaret" as the bisexual [and very rich] love-interest; but the movie really belongs to Bogarde, Thulin and Helmut Berger. Opulent art direction and costuming, a super period piece for the connoisseur and serious film student - today we get pale imnitations - this is the real thing, a must see! It's time for a complete DVD restoration of this fascinating and disturbing work.
Rating: 
Summary: Visconti's Version of "Dynasty" lol
Review: "The Damned" directed by Luchino Visconti has to rank up as one of his best films. It' a movie that is more complex than some of his other films like "Senso" or "The Leopard" but that doesn't make it hard to follow or unintersting. Visconti's film is a about a family's decline in pre war Nazi Germany. But, it's not really because of Nazism this family falls apart, but, moreso, because for each one of their own greed for power. This film has been called "distrubing","difficult", and "shocking". Why? I'll admit it's not a "feel good" movie. But, there's not really any gore in this movie except for the last scenes. It's not a hard movie to watch. The screenplay by Visconti, Nicola Badalucco, and Enrico Medioli (Which happened to get nominated for an Oscar) weaves the themes of lust,betrayal, greed and incest so tightly and perfectly none of it seems "unnecessary". Visconti was also able to get the most out of his performers; Dirk Bogard (Friederich Bruckmann) as a man who wants to run an influential steelworking factory. Ingrid Thulin (Sophie von Essenbck) as Bogard's lover and accomplice, Hemult Berger (in his first screen appearnce) as Martin von Essenbeck, Sophie's son. And, Umberto Orsini (Herbert Thallman) a man who has been framed for murder, and his wife Charlotte Rampling (Elisabeth Thallman) who faces an unfortunate future. This is one of Visconti's most powerful films, right up there with "The Innocent" (His final film). Visconti's directing is always very good, infact I would of liked it if this film would have been up for best film of that year. Something all Visconti fans can enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Twilight of the Industrialists
Review: "The Damned" is an entertaining soap opera concerning the destruction of a German Industrial family during the early years of Hitler's consolidation of power. There are many very good performances in this movie such as Dirk Bogarde, Ingrid Thulin, Helmut Greim, Charlotte Rampling (seen in the recent Swimming Pool), and especially Helmut Berger who is evil personified as Martin Von Essenbeck. Luchino Visconti directs the movie with operatic opulence though there are a few sections in the movie that tends to slow to a crawl. Despite these moments, you will find yourself immersed in a compelling story. I have to agree with other reviewers who are critical of the sound, as I occasionally activated the subtitles to catch what was being said. Finally, regarding whether or not The Damned has in fact been edited to an R rating. I saw this movie in a theater when it was first released, and while I will concede that my memory may be flagging, I honestly do not recall any scene that has been trimmed. I believe that the X rating in 1969 is a reflection of the moral standards of the period. This movie includes issues of rape, pedophilia, and incest which were taboo in movies during this period. Think of the landmark X rated movies such as "Last Tango in Paris", and "I am Curious Yellow". In both cases, seen by today's rating standards, these two movies only warrant an R rating. I believe "The Damned" falls into the same category.
Rating:
Summary: Visconti's Version of "Dynasty" lol
Review: "The Damned" directed by Luchino Visconti has to rank up as one of his best films. It' a movie that is more complex than some of his other films like "Senso" or "The Leopard" but that doesn't make it hard to follow or unintersting. Visconti's film is a about a family's decline in pre war Nazi Germany. But, it's not really because of Nazism this family falls apart, but, moreso, because for each one of their own greed for power. This film has been called "distrubing","difficult", and "shocking". Why? I'll admit it's not a "feel good" movie. But, there's not really any gore in this movie except for the last scenes. It's not a hard movie to watch. The screenplay by Visconti, Nicola Badalucco, and Enrico Medioli (Which happened to get nominated for an Oscar) weaves the themes of lust,betrayal, greed and incest so tightly and perfectly none of it seems "unnecessary". Visconti was also able to get the most out of his performers; Dirk Bogard (Friederich Bruckmann) as a man who wants to run an influential steelworking factory. Ingrid Thulin (Sophie von Essenbck) as Bogard's lover and accomplice, Hemult Berger (in his first screen appearnce) as Martin von Essenbeck, Sophie's son. And, Umberto Orsini (Herbert Thallman) a man who has been framed for murder, and his wife Charlotte Rampling (Elisabeth Thallman) who faces an unfortunate future. This is one of Visconti's most powerful films, right up there with "The Innocent" (His final film). Visconti's directing is always very good, infact I would of liked it if this film would have been up for best film of that year. Something all Visconti fans can enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Visconti's tribute to Thomas Mann.
Review: "The Damned" is one of those great intellectual art movies. Luchino Visconti was always an admirer of Thomas Mann's work ("Death in Venice"). Here he tells an epic tale of the rise and fall of a family of large scale industrials during WW2. There are obviously many similarities to real events from that era (see "Krupp Stahlwaren") and Viscontis masterful direction gets great performances even from minor actors as Helmut Berger or Rene Koldehoff (german actor who can be seen in some Bud Spencer or Louis deFunes movies !). A great film in every sense of the word and very close to the spirit of Thomas Mann's novel "Buddenbrooks".
Unfortunately very overpriced and sadly enough not available on DVD
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and Powerful.....
Review: 'The Damned' is Visconti's masterpiece centered in Nazi Germany and focuses on the downward spiral of a wealthy family. Greed, lust, obsession at its darkest in this gripping, morbid tale. Somewhat shocking, even by today's standards, The Damned is irresistable and grips you from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling
Review: Another tale of decadence by Lucchino Visconti... The Damned is the story of a family belonging to Germany's establishment, those people who thought they were so smart they could use the Nazis; the movie shows quite clearly who really hold the strings. But more interesting is the way the theme of damnation is waved into the historical description of the rise of nazism: Faust is never very far as everybody in the movie except for the occasional hapless innocent soul (Herbert, best described as a reactionary rather than a socialist) sells their soul for whatever reason they have: greed, hatred, envy. Grottesque and grand in turn the atmosphere is one of utter depravation, conspiring to make this movie an authentic modern tragedy. Appropriately, the Oedypian reference is also, hm... quite explicit.
Rating: 
Summary: Visconti's grand failure
Review: From the Director of Death in Venice and the Leopard, comes an appalling mess of a film. While it has visual style, superb looking actors and directorial flourish, it simply goes way over the top. Martin - the personification of evil - is both a child molestor and mother fixated as well as being a transvestite.
In the Leopard, Visconti weaved history and cinema together. In the Damned, he creates a parody of that work. The Nazis were one of the great scourges of the twentieth century and 50 million people died to destroy them.
Visconti had a great idea of witnessing the Nazi's rise through a Krupp style family, but he simply lapses into poor taste and high camp too often.
Rating:
Summary: History lesson, but questionable to extent of truth to it?
Review: I do not know if my inquiry was received, but I will ask my question again. I wrote a review several months ago, and I am very curious as to why it never appeared in customer reviews? Clare Hynes-Pope clarepope@hotmail.com
Rating:
Summary: Visconti's images of excess and greed are unforgettable
Review: I like this movie a lot - not just because it is made by Visconti (one of the greatest cinematic figures of the 20th century) or because of its cast (Dirk Bogarde and Helmut Griem are always good) - no, I think it is the way the film attempts to look at a bigger picture through the corruption that surrounds a wealthy family that makes this film so interesting.
You can see elements of this style in other Visconti films like the Leopard, in Coppola's Godfather trilogy, and in Fassbinder's Maria Braun. Now to speak of Visconti's visual genius - Has there ever been a director who could sustain a scene in such a virtuosic way as in the nazi 'party' scene midway through the film - Or again in 'Death in Venice' - with the scenes on the beach. Anyway enough of my babble - just see the films of Visconti - and you will see what I mean.
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