Netflix: “The Leopard”
In 1861, as the US was fighting the Civil War, Italy was waging a war of its own: Giuseppe Garibaldi and his band of Red Shirts were battling to unite the various kingdoms of what we now call Italy, and among the holdouts was Sicily.
The “Kingdom of The Two Sicilies,” as the island was called, was under the rule of France’s Bourbon dynasty. Among the most powerful of the Sicilian nobles is Don Fabrizio (Kim Rossi Stuart) aka “the Prince of Salina.” He is the star of “The Leopard” (Netflix), the sumptuously shot six-episode series based on the 1958 Lampedusa novel.
Elegant, wise and ever in command, Don Fabrizio is the antithesis of Vito Corleone, Tony Soprano and every other figure one may associate with the term “Capo di tutti capo.” He is revered by his six children as well as his ambitious nephew Tancredi (Saul Nanni) whom he has raised as his own son. Fabrizio’s favorite child, however, is daughter Concetta (Benedetta Porcaroli, a ringer for the late Princess Diana).
The Prince is vexed when Tancredi decides to join the ranks of Garibaldi and the rebels. Fabrizio is against the revolution, fearing for the erosion of the nobility’s wealth and influence. Tancredi however can see which way the wind is blowing. “If we want everything to stay as it is,” he tells his uncle, “then everything must change.”
The budding romance between Tancredi and Concetta, reluctantly blessed by Don Fabrizio, goes awry when the oh-so-exquisite and flirtatious Angelica Cassel appears. She is the daughter of the vulgar self-made local businessman Don Caligero (Francesco Collelo). Tancredi is besotted with Angelica and eventually and cruelly dumps Concetta. Don Fabrizio, mortified, accepts Tancredi’s behavior because any union with Caligero’s family may help maintain his own family's level of comfort and political clout.
As the disgraced Concetta heads for a nunnery, and Tancredi and Angelica move away, Don Fabrizio makes his remaining son Paolo (Alberto Rossi) his heir but this does not work out well. The Prince grows even more depressed and comes to recognize his way of life is in decline. He ultimately rejects the chance to become a senator in the new republic, preferring to remain a lion or a leopard in a world of jackals and hyenas.
No expense has been spared in the creation of this series. The cinematography by Nicolaj Brüel showcases both the painterly landscapes of Sicily and the elegant interiors of Don Fabrizio’s residence. The stunning photography married with hypnotic scoring by Paolo Buonvino significantly raise the quality of the production above the 1963 Visconti film starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale. Haven’t seen the movie? Don’t bother. Pour yourself a glass of Nero d’Avila, and stream the series. Salute!
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