''Conversation Piece'' () is a 1974
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
directed, co-written, and produced by
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...
. It stars
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...
,
Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...
,
Silvana Mangano, and
Romolo Valli; with cameo appearances by
Claudia Cardinale
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress.
Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...
and
Dominique Sanda
Dominique Marie-Françoise Renée Varaigne (born 11 March 1951) professionally known as Dominique Sanda, is a French actress.
Life and career
Sanda was born on 11 March 1951 in Paris, to Lucienne (née Pichon) and Gérard Varaigne. She appeare ...
. The film explores such themes as the collision between old and new, imminence of death, existential crises, and the sociopolitical gap between generations. The title refers to an informal group portrait, especially those painted in Britain in the 18th century, beginning in the 1720s.
Plot
A retired American professor lives a solitary life in a luxurious
palazzo in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, surrounded by pieces of art and books. He barely maintains contact with people other than his long-time housekeeper Erminia, but even that contact is characterized by detachment. One day, the rich but vulgar Countess Brumonti (her husband is a
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
industrialist who does not appear) rings his doorbell. She manages to talk the Professor into renting the empty apartment on the upper floor of the palazzo to her, her much younger lover Konrad, her teenage daughter Lietta, and Lietta's fiancé Stefano, a conservative entrepreneur.
The Professor is calmly disturbed by the pushy new tenants who immediately have their apartment rebuilt, examine the Professor's apartment for clues to his past, throw parties, and have amorous experiences with each other (including Konrad with the Countess's daughter). But, in addition to the annoyance, the Professor feels animated by the young people; he is particularly drawn to the provocative, opaque Konrad. Konrad's past as a
gigolo
A gigolo ( ) is a male escort, call boy or social companion who is supported by a person in a continuing relationship.
The term ''gigolo'' usually implies a man who adopts a lifestyle consisting of a number of such relationships serially rat ...
and as a leftist radical in the
protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, which were predominantly characterized by the rise of left-wing politics, Anti-war movement, anti-war sentiment, Civil and political rights, civil rights urgency, youth C ...
who then slipped into drugs, is alluded to—a sharp contrast to the Professor's former completely different life that had been shaped by an upper-class upbringing and the experiences of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Occasionally, the Professor sinks into memories of his former wife and mother. The Professor and Konrad have a common interest in art and become closer friends after Konrad is beaten up one night because of gambling debts and the Professor finds him and provides medical care.
The Professor invites the Countess, Konrad, Lietta, and Stefano to a dinner, at which he calls them his "new family" and at the same time expresses satisfaction that they have brought liveliness to his measured life with their move-in. However, a dispute arises among his guests about Konrad's dubious past and his relationship with the Countess. Although she wants to separate from her husband, she does not want to marry Konrad, who is significantly younger and is socially beneath her. Konrad then reveals that he spied on her husband for supporting far-right groups. This was not for business, but for fear of being arrested in
Spain's Franco dictatorship. The Countess and Stefano then distance themselves from Konrad. The Professor rejects their reactionary views but does not intervene to support Konrad.
Konrad goes upstairs after saying goodbye to his new "father" by the letter he signed "Your son", suggesting that they would probably not see each other alive again. Immediately afterwards there is a gas explosion in which Konrad is killed. The Professor blames himself for Konrad's death and falls seriously ill.
The last scene shows him on his deathbed when the countess visits him with Lietta. The Countess tells the Professor that Konrad committed suicide—in order to hurt everyone who loved him—but that Konrad was too young to realize that, in time, everyone would forget him. After the Countess leaves the room, Lietta tells the Professor "Don't believe her. He didn't kill himself; they murdered him." Lietta leaves; the Professor is now alone. Becoming overcome with grief or despair, he gazes upward and clasps his hands as though in prayer to God or to something he might long to believe in.
Cast
Production
The film features an international cast including the American actor
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...
, the Austrian
Helmut Berger
Helmut Berger (; ''né'' Steinberger; 29 May 1944 – 18 May 2023) was an Austrian actor, known for his portrayal of narcissistic and sexually ambiguous characters. He was one of the stars of European cinema in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is r ...
, the Italians
Silvana Mangano and
Claudia Cardinale
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress.
Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...
(in a very short role as the professor's wife), and the French actress
Dominique Sanda
Dominique Marie-Françoise Renée Varaigne (born 11 March 1951) professionally known as Dominique Sanda, is a French actress.
Life and career
Sanda was born on 11 March 1951 in Paris, to Lucienne (née Pichon) and Gérard Varaigne. She appeare ...
in a cameo as the professor's mother. Visconti offered the role of Countess Brumonti to
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...
, before Mangano was cast. The movie was shot in English language; however, an Italian dubbed version was also produced at the time, in which Lancaster's and Berger's lines are dubbed into Italian by actors
Massimo Foschi and
Adalberto Maria Merli
Adalberto Maria Merli (born 14 January 1938) is an Italian actor and voice actor.
Biography
Born in Rome, Merli is active on film and television and he has appeared in over 27 films since 1965. He had his breakout role in the 1968 RAI televisi ...
.
Before shooting even started, the photos of the audition of the fifteen-year-old Claudia Marsani without a blouse were put into circulation, and the director was asked about it.
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...
replied: "Well, I made the girl take off her blouse because she has to do a nude scene in the film, and I wanted to make sure she was beautiful too undressed."
Teresa Ann Savoy auditioned for her part, before Marsani was cast.
The main character was based on art critic and scholar
Mario Praz. The English film title is a nod to Praz's book ''Conversation Pieces: A Survey of the Informal Group Portrait in Europe and America''. In an interview, Praz recalls how the situation described in the movie (a group of young and loud tenants moving into the old palazzo where he lived, disrupting his peace) happened for real a few months after the movie was released.
Reception
On review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on nine reviews.
''
Louder Than War''s Jamie Havlin gave the film eight points out of ten, commenting: "This penultimate film by Visconti is one obviously affected by the director’s poor health. Due to a stroke suffered a couple of years earlier, it became necessary for the filming to be as simple as possible, which meant that everything was a shot in a set constructed entirely in the studio.... The acting is generally very good, especially the lead performance of Burt Lancaster, whose health and vitality Visconti craved during the shoot, while the costumes and sets are immaculately designed and the cinematography, despite the indoors setting, is often outstanding. Few, if any, would regard this as his masterpiece, but ''Conversation Piece'' is still a fascinating slice of cinema from a master filmmaker, and though minor by his standards, I’d much rather watch it than anything currently showing at my local multiplex."
A reviewer for ''
Time Out London'' stated: "If the ''dolce vita''-style intrusion is given distinctly
Jacqueline Susann
Jacqueline Susann (August 20, 1918 – September 21, 1974) was an American novelist and actress. Her novel ''Valley of the Dolls (novel), Valley of the Dolls'' (1966) is one of the List of best-selling books, best-selling books in publishing his ...
-like overtones by the rather dissociated dialogue in the English language version, ''Conversation Piece'' nevertheless comes across as a visually rich and resonant mystery, far more fluid and sympathetic than ''
Death in Venice''."
A reviewer for ''
Variety'' wrote: "''Conversation Piece'' eschews the usually operatic, museum-like pix of Luchino Visconti for a touching tale of the generation gap and the loss of life-contact of an intellectual."
James Evans of ''
Starburst'' gave the movie eight points out of ten, noting: "As he approached the twilight of his career, Burt Lancaster had made the switch from youthful action star to subtle character acting and that’s in clear evidence here in his sad-eyed, melancholic performance. Visconti creates a world outside of time in the professor’s house (there’s no other set) that’s at once artificially unreal and emblematic of his interior life. It’s a sumptuous and beautiful film, lushly made, contemplative and rich in subtext that should reward further viewings."
Adrian Turner of ''
Radio Times
''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' gave the film three stars out of five, adding: "All the usual Visconti themes—the collision of cultures, the clash between old and new, the imminence of death—are covered in his customary opulent fashion. The film reunited the director with Burt Lancaster, who starred in ''
The Leopard''."
Vincent Canby of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' gave the film a negative review, writing: "Mr. Lancaster, fine old professional that he is, is awful, adopting that humble, ''Birdman of Alcatraz'' manner he uses when employed in what he apparently thinks is serious movie-making. ''Conversation Piece'' is the kind of fatuous film that the professionally pragmatic Burt Lancaster, the action movie hero, would snort at and leave in the middle of. A Disaster."
The Japanese filmmaker
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...
cited this movie as one of his 100 favorite films.
Awards and nominations
*
Blue Ribbon Award
**Winner:
Best Foreign Film –
Luchino Visconti
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...
*
David di Donatello
**Winner:
Best Film
**Winner:
Best Foreign Actor –
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor. Initially known for playing tough characters with tender hearts, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-year caree ...
*
Nastro d'Argento
The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...
**Winner:
Best Director – Luchino Visconti
**Winner:
Best Producer – Giovanni Bertolucci
**Winner: Best New Actress – Claudia Marsani
**Winner: Best Cinematography –
Pasqualino De Santis
**Winner: Best Production Design –
Mario Garbuglia
**Nominated:
Best Actress –
Silvana Mangano
**Nominated: Best Original Story –
Enrico Medioli
**Nominated:
Best Screenplay –
Suso Cecchi d'Amico, Luchino Visconti, Enrico Medioli
**Nominated:
Best Score –
Franco Mannino
*
Japan Academy Film Prize
The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...
**Winner:
Outstanding Foreign Language Film
*
Kinema Junpo Award
**Winner: Best Foreign Language Film Director – Luchino Visconti
*
Valladolid International Film Festival
**Winner: Best Film
Censorship
The film was censored in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
for the
nude
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
and
political
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
content and because
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...
's daughter and son-in-law are mentioned. Nevertheless, it was re-released there, uncut, in 1983. The word ''
cunt
"Cunt" () is a vulgar word for the vulva in its primary sense, and it is used in a variety of ways, including as a term of disparagement. "Cunt" is often used as a disparaging and obscene term for a woman in the United States, an unpleas ...
'' was removed from its
UK original release but restored on the British
DVD edition.
References
External links
*
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070410102020/http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews21/conversation_piece_dvd_review.htm
* French site about Visconti: http://emmanuel.denis.free.fr/visconti.html
Reviewby
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conversation Piece (Film)
1974 films
1974 drama films
1974 LGBTQ-related films
English-language French films
English-language Italian films
French drama films
French satirical films
Films about old age
Films directed by Luchino Visconti
Films set in Rome
Films shot in Rome
Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Italian satirical films
Italian drama films
1970s English-language films
1970s Italian films
1970s French films
French LGBTQ-related films
Italian LGBTQ-related films
Cinema International Corporation films
Gaumont (company) films