Year: 1954
Director: Luchino Visconti
Country: Italy
Language: Italian
The story is set in Venezia, spring of 1866, in the last days of the Austrian occupation. A performance of Il Trovatore ends up in confusion due to an anti-Austrian demonstration, organised by Count Ussoni. His cousin Countess Serpieri falls in love with Austrian Lieutenant Franz Mahler, but the times are changing.
Senso is a historical spectacle, an epic that stands the test of time. Visconti's great film opens in an opera house and in a way never leaves it. It is a masterpiece; full of melodrama, adultery, war, doomed love and death. Countess Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli) is a woman helplessly in love, sexual passion is her driving force in life. Unfortunately love makes even the best of us blind, and like Shakespeare's Juliet, her uncontrollable passion will ultimately lead to her doom.
Senso was Visconti's first film in color, obviously he would put great detail in it. The sets are fantastic, the cinematography is gorgeous and the costume design is top notch. Only a master of his craft could have made a film as great as this. The film is not only a critique of Italian ruling classes, but a study regarding the neo-realist emotions of post-war Italy. Unfortunately Italian censors forced Visconti to reshoot the ending, saying his original version was an insult to the Italian army.However it did win the admiration of acclaimed Director Martin Scorsese.
In conclusion, Senso is an alluring film that is a must own, especially since it has a remarkable Criterion Collection edition. It may not be Luchino Visconti's best film, however that's only because the majority of his films are masterpieces. Surely this is a wonderful introduction to his work, or to Italian Cinema in general. Praise it! 5/5
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