Le Guépard: Netflix reinvents Visconti’s masterpiece with Deva Cassel

Luchino Visconti’s landmark historical epic, Le Guépard, gets a new look on Netflix. Between romance, political intrigue and sumptuous settings, does this adaptation manage to captivate as much as the original?

In 1963, Le Guépard, a masterpiece of Franco-Italian cinema, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, immortalizing the story of the Prince of Salina and the social upheaval of 19th-century Sicily. Sixty years on, Netflix has taken up the challenge of a remake, transforming this legendary film into a six-part series. Directed by Tom Shankland, Giuseppe Capotondi and Laura Luchetti, this new version brings together a promising cast, including Kim Rossi Stuart, Saul Nanni and Deva Cassel, Monica Bellucci’s daughter, who shines as Angelica.

A modernized historical drama

The plot remains faithful to Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa’s 1958 novel. The year is 1860, in the midst of Italian unification. The Prince of Salina, played by Kim Rossi Stuart, sees his aristocratic world threatened by political upheaval. His nephew Tancredi (Saul Nanni) embodies the youthful spirit adapting to these changes, notably by courting Angelica Sedara (Deva Cassel), daughter of an ambitious mayor, much to the chagrin of Tancredi’s infatuated cousin Concetta (Benedetta Porcaroli).

Through this fresco, Netflix finely explores the dilemmas between tradition and modernity, painting a world in transition where power, love and privilege collide violently.

A grandiose visual immersion

Shot in authentic settings between Palermo, Catania and Syracuse, the series is a true love letter to Italy. Sumptuous costumes, baroque palaces and scorching landscapes make up a sumptuous aesthetic, paying homage to the visual legacy of Visconti’s film. But beneath this opulence, tension is omnipresent: privileges waver, and history repeats itself.

With its charismatic cast and ambitious direction, the Netflix version of Le Guépard stands out as a captivating historical fresco. Discover it now on the platform!

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