Senso

Senso

Directed by Luchino Visconti • 1954 • Italy
Starring Alida Valli, Farley Granger

This lush, Technicolor tragic romance from Luchino Visconti stars Alida Valli as a nineteenth-century Italian countess who, during the Austrian occupation of her country, puts her marriage and political principles on the line by engaging in a torrid affair with a dashing Austrian lieutenant, played by Farley Granger. Gilded with ornate costumes and sets and a rich classical soundtrack, and featuring fearless performances, this operatic melodrama is an extraordinary evocation of reckless emotions and deranged lust, from one of the cinema’s great sensualists.

Restored by StudioCanal, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia-Cineteca Nazionale, and the Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata. Restoration funding provided by Gucci, The Film Foundation, and Comitato Italia 150.

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Senso
  • Senso
    2:03:28
    Senso

    Senso

    Directed by Luchino Visconti • 1954 • Italy
    Starring Alida Valli, Farley Granger

    This lush, Technicolor tragic romance from Luchino Visconti stars Alida Valli as a nineteenth-century Italian countess who, during the Austrian occupation of her country, puts her marriage and political principle...

Extras

  • SENSO Edition Intro
    06:32
    SENSO Edition Intro

    SENSO Edition Intro

  • The Making of SENSO
    33:49
    The Making of SENSO

    The Making of SENSO

    This 2011 documentary traces the history of SENSO, from its origins in a Camillo Boito novella to its reception in Italy, and features interviews with assistant director Francesco Rosi, cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, costume designer Piero Tosi, and Caterina D’Amico, a Visconti biographer and ...

  • Peter Cowie on SENSO
    28:31
    Peter Cowie on SENSO

    Peter Cowie on SENSO

    In this 2011 visual essay, film scholar Peter Cowie looks at the various themes—pictorial, musical, and political—that director Luchino Visconti wove together to create SENSO.

  • The Wanton Countess
    1:34:14
    The Wanton Countess

    The Wanton Countess

    Lux Film, the production company behind SENSO, created this abridged English-language version of the film. The version is notable not just for presenting actors Farley Granger and Alida Valli are speaking their lines in English but also for providing evidence of the “dialogue collaboration” credi...

  • Viva Verdi: Visconti and Opera
    36:08
    Viva Verdi: Visconti and Opera

    Viva Verdi: Visconti and Opera

    Filmmaker Luchino Visconti was also an important opera director. SENSO begins in Venice’s Teatro La Fenice opera house, and the spirit of opera infuses the picture. In this 2011 documentary, film scholar Peter Brunette, historian Stefano Albertini, and author Wayne Koestenbaum highlight the theme...

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