Based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Visconti’s sumptuous epic explores the decline of traditional aristocratic values through a portrait of a powerful family. As the aging Prince Fabrizio of Salina, Burt Lancaster exudes dignity and exhaustion as a patriarch resisting the ascendancy of the bourgeoisie following Italy’s Risorgimento. Within the family, the transformation to a unified Italy is represented by Fabrizio’s nephew (Delon)–who leaves to fight with Garibaldi–and his beautiful fiancée (Cardinale). The film, which won the Palme d’Or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, was shortened and dubbed for international release but has since been restored.