Luchino Visconti

LUCHINO VISCONTI d1976. Italian filmmaker, stage director and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, he was one of the fathers of cinematic neorealism, but later moved towards luxurious, sweeping epics dealing with themes of beauty, decadence, death and European history, especially the decay of the nobility and the bourgeoisie. He was the recipient of many accolades, including the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion and many of his works are regarded as highly-influential to future generations of filmmakers. His 1943 directorial debut "Ossessione" was condemned by the Fascist regime for its unvarnished depictions of working-class characters resorting to criminality, but is today renowned as a pioneering work of Italian cinema. His best-known films include ; Senso (1954) / The Leopard (1963) / Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and his "German Trilogy" – The Damned (1969) / Death in Venice (1971) and Ludwig (1973). He died in Rome aged 69 on March 17th 1976