Senso (1954)

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Luchino Visconti (story) and
Suso Cecchi d'Amico (story) ...

Release Date:

8 July 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Plot:

Venezia, spring of 1866, in the last days of the Austrian occupation. A performance of Il Trovatore...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Betrayal | Opera | Italy | Revenge

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Alida Valli	...	La contessa Livia Serpieri
Farley Granger	...	Il tenente Franz Mahler
Heinz Moog	...	Il conte Serpieri
Rina Morelli	...	Laura, la governante
Christian Marquand	...	Un ufficiale boemo
Sergio Fantoni	...	Luca
Tino Bianchi	...	Il capitano Meucci
Ernst Nadherny	...	Il comandante della piazza di Verona
Tonio Selwart	...	Il colonello Kleist
Marcella Mariani	...	Clara, la prostituta
Massimo Girotti	...	Il marchese Roberto Ussoni

Also Known As:

Livia (USA) (censored version)
The Wanton Countess (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

Italy:118 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 | UK:A (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1999)

Filming Locations:

Borghetto, Valeggio sul Mincio, Verona, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Lux Film

Trivia:

The film opens in La Fenice, the Venice opera house. La Fenice was destroyed by arson in 1996, but reopened in 2003. Enlarged frames of this movie were used as a reference in reconstructing it.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Senso '45 (2002)

Soundtrack:

Sinfonia N. 7 in mi maggiore (7th Symphony)

A Cruel and Tragic Melodramatic Romance

In 1866, in the spring of Venice, an underground rebel movement against the Austrian occupation in Italy is getting stronger. The married Countess Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli) sees her cousin challenging the Austrian Lieutenant Franz Mahler (Farley Granger) for a duel in the opera and being arrested and sent to the exile for one year. When she meets Mahler, she first hates him but after a night together walking along the streets in Venice, she falls deeply in love for him, becoming his mistress. When the war starts, she moves to her property in the country missing Mahler. When he visits her during a night, she forgets her principles, decency and betrayals her cause with cruel and tragic consequences.

I am one of the greatest worldwide fans of IMDb, but sometimes I am disappointed with the ranking of this site. How can a masterpiece like "Senso" be out of any worldwide serious list of the top 250 best movies? The "red noble" Luchino Visconti is one of the best directors ever and this masterpiece explores a wonderful, cruel and tragic romance in times of the Italian "El Risorgimento". Each scene in this movie looks like a picture of the XIX Century, full of details. The cinematography is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, with a stunning recreation of a period. The story is fantastic, with a gorgeous Alida Valli in the top of her beauty, and Farley Granger splendid as a scum lover. The restored DVD released in Brasil by Versatil distributor is amazing, full of excellent extras. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Senso – Sedução da Carne" ("Senso – Seduction of the Flesh")