LCC FILMS: The Leopard (1963) | Free to All, Donations Welcomed

Ah, il Gattopordo. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's 1958 psychoanalysis-inspired novel, one of the greatest in Italian and world literatures, became one of the auteur Luchio Visconti's greatest cinematic achievements - which is saying a lot, given the rest of his work. The Leopoard inspired the coinage of the term "Lampedusa strategy" to describe the principle, so often observed in liberal-democratic politics (although not so much lately) of giving the opposition just enough of what they demand that they fail to notice the system and its powers remain unchanged. "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." Never have the wars of liberal nationalism and the rise of the modern bourgeoisie - off the backs but often with the blessings of the old nobility - have been rendered so gorgeously or with such style, on page or on screen.

In Sicily in the year 1860, Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, enjoys the customary comforts and privileges of his ancestry. War has broken out between the armies of Francis II of the Two Sicilies and the insurgent volunteer redshirts of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Among the rebels is the Prince's nephew, Tancredi Falconeri, whose romantic politics the Prince hesitantly accepts with some whimsical sympathy. Upset by the uprising, the Prince departs to Palermo. Garibaldi's army subjugates the city and expropriates Sicily from the Bourbons. The Prince muses upon the inevitability of change, with the middle class displacing the ruling class while on the surface everything remains the same. Or does it?

This visual feast, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and the young soon-to-be-fascist Alain Delon, marks the return of LCC's free films series for 2026! We'll be collecting donations to help support our generous hosts for this week at the London Action Resource Centre, Whitechapel - so bring a few quid if you can!

Doors will open from 7:00PM for a prompt 7:30PM start. Bring your own beverages and snacks, though we'll try to provide a few nibbles.