In Costume. A complete retrospective of Luchino Visconti’s historical films at Timeless Film Festival Warsaw

Rich, opulent interiors, lavish costumes, and an almost baroque sensibility. Luchino Visconti was known for his cinematic maximalism, which is epitomized especially in his films centered around costume and historical settings. Combined with his Italian temperament, Visconti’s cinema is a feast for cinephiles who appreciate the visual and musical aspects of cinema.

Timeless Film Festival Warsaw will showcase six films by the maestro, where costume serves as the cornerstone for constructing precipitous worlds inhabited by both the beauty and the hideousness of life.

This retrospective promises intrigues set in historical realities, fiery romances with melodramatic undertones, and insightful analyses of the human psyche’s dark and light aspects.

The Luchino Visconti: In Costume section will feature:

• Senso (Italy 1954)
• The Leopard (Il Gattopardo, France/Italy 1963)
• The Damned (La caduta degli dei, Italy/RFN 1969)
• Death in Venice (Morte a Venezia, France/Italy 1971)
• Ludwig (France/Italy/RFN/Monaco 1972)
• The Innocent (L’innocente, France/Italy 1976)

All films will be shown in digitally reconstructed versions from DCP copies.

The Red Count, Marxist aristocrat, neorealist, and chronicler of elite lives through costume frescoes. Admirer of high culture and of melodrama. Occupying a lasting place in the pantheon of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the history of cinema, Luchino Visconti was an artist full of contradictions that drove his art. Although the formation with which he was spiritually associated – modernism under Thomas Mann and Marcel Proust – is long gone, Visconti’s works continue to intrigue audiences. Not only as tales of decadence, simultaneously embracing and challenging the concept, and portraying the twilight of the old world but also as magnificent intermedia spectacles, blending elements of cinema, literature, opera, and theater,

– is how Robert Birkholc, curator of the retrospective, describes Visconti’s complexity and enduring appeal.

The showcased titles delve into the demise of the old world, remaining in constant tension between social criticism and psychological fascination for decadence. They encapsulate internal contradictions, passionate fervor, and genre momentum, reflecting Visconti’s mastery in intertwining various art forms. These masterful shows capture elements of cinema, literature, opera, and theater in a truly Italian, sumptuous style. Tailor-made, like all the extravagant costumes under Visconti. Arrivederci, amici!

February 28, 2024 – Sale of passes and accreditation begins 
March 6, 2024 – Announcement of the complete festival program
March 13, 2024 – Start of online sales of tickets for screenings