The Innocent Reviews

Visconti's final film, released just two months after his death, is a worthwhile conclusion to his great career, a telling adaptation of Gabriele d'Annunzio's 1892 novel about the decadence of the aristocracy in late 19th-century Italy. Giannini is an atheistic aristocrat married to Antonelli and carrying on a fairly open affair with the manipulative O'Neill. Despite his history of dalliances, Giannini not only expects his wife to understand his position but begs and demands that she listen to his romantic woes and, if at all possible, think of a way to prevent him from seeing his mistress. He views his wife as a friend and confidante--until he learns she is having a passionate affair with successful young novelist Porel. Visconti takes great pains to recreate a world of lush extravagance, and Giannini turns in a good performance, though he seems more at ease in the primarily comic first half of the film. Both women are beautiful and compelling, and Antonelli's love scene is a highlight. Unfortunately, much of Visconti's effort goes to waste on the videocassette version, which pays no attention to the film's original aspect ratio or the positions of the characters, who are often barely visible at the edges of the frame.