The Conversation Piece – Gruppo di famiglia in un interno (1974) 

Directed by Luchino Visconti

I’ve held back on posting this film by the great Visconti because I feel that any film that follows this post would pale in comparison. But alas…

The Conversation Piece marks the last time Burt Lancaster and Visconti collaborated together (2 years before the director’s passing and the second last film he directed); their infrequent pairing is a shame because you can see that they obviously draw out the best of each others’ talents.

Lancaster, whom I thought was at his peak in The Leopard, also directed by Visconti, (and in The Swimmer also – one can draw parallels there!) is superior in this film. Here, Lancaster‘s professor is equally unforgettable: educated, urbane, aristocratic, liberal. He is matched in performance by the inimitable Helmut Berger, who is piercing and sensual in equal measure. (As one of my favourite living actors, I’m looking forward to seeing him in Serra‘s Liberté).

What ensues when this reclusive professor unwittingly rents out the apartment upstairs to an Italian marchioness, brilliantly played by Silvana Mangano. (She suits these roles: reprising the character of the ‘mother’ from Death in Venice and Teorema). Turns out that it’s all a ploy, (of course!), to keep her lover, Konrad, aka Berger, out of sight, and with her daughter and his betrothed in tow.

Just as a one cannot help but be intrigued by and even admire a meteor’s glorious streak through the night sky: how briefly it shines; and then you are left bereft amongst the devastation and detritus all around. This perfectly describes the films trajectory; and even with that inevitable end, it was all worthwhile.

From J + N’s private collection #filmfestivaleveryday #filmoftheday #stayhome