SPECIAL SCREENING OF LUCHINO VISCONTI'S THE LEOPARD

On June 5, 2004, Martin Scorsese and The Film Foundation presented a special screening of Luchino Visconti's 1963 Italian epic THE LEOPARD (Il Gattopardo) at the Lake Placid Film Festival. The rare restored print was provided courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.  

Starring Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale, THE LEOPARD compares in scope and subject matter to our own classic "Gone with the Wind." Set in 1860, the film focuses on a Sicilian Prince, Salina (Lancaster) who is coming to terms with the unification of Italy. Cardinale plays the Prince's gorgeous daughter Angelica, whom he uses as a pawn in his drive for social ascent. Alain Delon plays Tancredi, whose gradual involvement with Angelica forms one of the great cinematic love stories of all time. The film wraps up with a legendary banquet scene, which film historians have called one of the greatest set-pieces in movie history."

THE LEOPARD is one of the true masterpieces of world cinema," said Kathleen Carroll, co-founder of the Lake Placid Film Festival, when announcing the screening. "Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Cimino have all used the film as a source of inspiration. In fact, Scorsese ranks it along with 'The Red Shoes' and 'Citizen Kane' as one of the films he lives by.”

 Picture: Martin Scorsese and Kathleen Carroll at the screening of THE LEOPARD