La caduta degli dei (1969)

Director:

Luchino Visconti

Writers:

Nicola Badalucco (story) and
Enrico Medioli (story) ...

Release Date:

18 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

The dramatic collapse of a wealthy, industrialist/Junker family during the reign of the Third Reich.

Plot Keywords:

Baron | German | Nazi | Germany | SS

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Frederick Bruckmann
Ingrid Thulin	...	Sophie Von Essenbeck
Helmut Griem	...	Aschenbach
Helmut Berger	...	Martin Von Essenbeck
Renaud Verley	...	Gunther Von Essenbeck
Umberto Orsini	...	Herbert Thallman
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Konstantin Von Essenbeck (as René Koldehoff)
Albrecht Schoenhals	...	Joachim Von Essenbeck (as Albrecht Schönhals)
Florinda Bolkan	...	Olga
Nora Ricci	...	Governess
Charlotte Rampling	...	Elisabeth Thallman
Irina Wanka	...	Lisa
Karin Mittendorf	...	Thilde Thallman
Valentina Ricci	...	Erika Thalman
Wolfgang Hillinger	...	Janek

Also Known As:

Die Verdammten (West Germany)
Luchino Visconti's The Damned (USA) (poster title)
The Damned (Götterdämmerung)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, nudity and aberrant sexuality. (edited version)

Runtime:

156 min

Country:

Italy | West Germany

Language:

Italian | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Ireland:18 | Spain:18 | Italy:VM18 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (cut version) (1979) | USA:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Attersee, Upper Austria, Austria

Company:

Ital-Noleggio Cinematografico

Trivia:

Footage shot during the "Night of the Long Knives" sequence but never shown previously in the United States is restored in the 2004 DVD release. It is in subtitled German and expands the running time to 156 minutes.

Goofs:

Continuity: The film opens on the night of the Reichstag Fire (27 February 1933). However, later that night (or early the next morning) the police inspector investigating the murder of Joachim, in dictating a report to a secretary, gives the date as 18 February 1933.

Quotes:

Sophie Von Essenbeck: It's not a joke. Enormous interests are at stake, and Martin thinks...
Konstantin Von Essenbeck: As far as I know, it's the first time Martin ever used his head to think!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality (2004)

Soundtrack:

Nachts ging das Telefon

Fall of the Gods

"La Caduti dei degli" may take place during Hitler's time.Actually it makes me think of a Shakespearian tragedy.A tragedy with many characters performed by a stellar cast :Helmut Berger,Helmut Griem,Dirk Bogarde,Ingrid Thulin ,all extraordinary thespians.Actually Martin at the beginning of the story is close to Hamlet and Sophie recalls Gertrude.

Nothing predated "la caduti dei degli" except for the long "dinner" scene in Minnelli's " Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and of course Frank Borzague 's "mortal storm".The three works involve a whole family during the Nazi era.

Admirable scenes:the first pictures, Hell's antechamber; the dinner in the baroque Essenbeck mansion when Berger does his Marlene "Blaue Engel" Dietrich imitation (impressive!); the incest night with an unusually inventive use of light;the orgy; the final "wedding" when a a mushy sentimental song can be heard.

In "Ludwig" three years later,only one character would remain on stage. Visconti was a master.