Conversation Piece (1974)
"Gruppo di famiglia in un interno" (original title)

Retired professor of American origin lives solitary life in luxurious palazzo in Rome He is confronted by vulgar Italian marchesa and her companions: her lover, her daughter and daughter's ... See full summary »

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Enrico Medioli (story), Suso Cecchi D'Amico (screenplay),

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Helmut Berger, Silvana Mangano

12 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Lancaster	...	Il Professore
Helmut Berger	...	Konrad Huebel
Silvana Mangano	...	Marchesa Bianca Brumonti
Claudia Marsani	...	Lietta Brumonti
Stefano Patrizi	...	Stefano
Elvira Cortese	...	Erminia
Philippe Hersent	...	Portiere
Guy Tréjan	...	Venditore di quadri
Jean-Pierre Zola	...	Blanchard
Umberto Raho	...	Commissario
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Commissario
Romolo Valli	...	Micheli
George Clatot
Valentino Macchi
Vittorio Fanfoni

Storyline

Retired professor of American origin lives solitary life in luxurious palazzo in Rome He is confronted by vulgar Italian marchesa and her companions: her lover, her daughter and daughter's boyfriend and forced to rent to them an apartment on upper floor of his palazzo. From this point his quiet routine is turned into chaos by his tenants' machinations, and everybody's life is taking unexpected but inevitable turn.

---

Plot Keywords:

palazzo | apartment | professor | retired | loneliness | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

23 June 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conversation Piece

Filming Locations:

Dear Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rusconi Film, Gaumont International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 115 min (DVD edition) 117 min (Video Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Marchesa Bianca Brumonti: He was too young to have learned this final nasty fact: grief is as precarious as anything else.

---

Connections

Referenced in Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)

---

Soundtracks

"Testarda io (La mia solitudine)"
(uncredited)
Performed by Iva Zanicchi
Written by Cristiano Malgioglio and Roberto Carlos

User Reviews

A Piece of Visconti Magic

Luchino Visconti co-wrote and also directed this from a wheel chair, after his first heart attack. The movie reminds me of playwright Henrik Ibsens style. Indeed this is very much like a play. All the action taking place in a retired Professors (Burt Lancaster) plush house in Rome. When a brash young group of mis-fits rent a room upstairs ..the Professors sedate life changes completely. The subtext is vital here, and more than one viewing is recommended. The professor has long given up on communication between humans, and the clash of the old and the new makes him even more certain. Its a brilliant piece of work--although the sound track which was added later is sometimes annoying. Lancaster is great --indeed all of the main players do a wonderful job. Visconti is credited for ushering in the neo-realist cinema. Later he departed from this style and became more melodramatic--with intense character development. This movie is from his later style.