Senso

Following the release of his first costume and colour film, Luchino Visconti’s was accused of eschewing neorealism. Based on a novella by Camillo Boito, the film is a stylish tale of the love affair between an Italian countess and a lieutenant of the Austrian army occupying Venice in 1866. Adhering to the convention of the melodrama, Visconti did not turn to Hollywood renditions, but to the theatrical, 18th- and 19th-century romantic works. Inspired by Verdi’s opera and the paintings of Giovanni Fattori, Senso is a great example of the director’s “total” cinema, making abundant use of the achievements of other arts. Martin Scorsese, who considered Senso among the most outstanding Italian films in the history of cinema, noted the film’s perfect synchronization of the visuals and music.

Robert Birkholc

Restored by Studiocanal, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale, and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata. Restoration funding provided by Gucci, The Film Foundation, and Comitato Italia 150.