The Leopard

Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale star in Luchino Visconti's epic story of the fortunes which befall one aristocratic family during the 1860s, at the time of the unification of Italy. Prince Fabrizio Salina (Lancaster) realises that times are changing when his war-hero nephew Tancredi (Delon) starts courting Angelica (Cardinale), the beautiful daughter of the town's middle-class mayor. When asked to grant his approval for their marriage, he agrees, even though it confirms everything he dreads and despises about the rise of the bourgeoisie. The celebrated ball sequence, which lasts for much of the film's last quarter, is often credited as one of the most oppulent scenes in cinema history.