Intriguing but convoluted This is the second Luchino Visconti film I've seen. The first was Death In Venice, which was absorbing if not disturbing. I will say the man knew how to put on a show.
As I perused the IMDb reviews after I saw the film in its entirety, which was a bit of a chore, the ratings were 9s and 10s all the way. So why am I one of the ones who gives it 7? Perhaps I'm not intellectually equipped enough to get it, or perhaps it's not the masterpiece as hailed. Regardless, it's tailored to fans of the director without a doubt.
My take is that it's a dark fairy tale full of allegory, metaphor, and disillusion. Reviewing this film lends itself to spoilers, and that's not fair. Be certain that if you don't know your history, specifically your German history of the Nazis during the time frame in which the film takes place, you'll be at a guaranteed loss. Luckily, I knew enough to put together the pieces of the puzzle; yet I still had to do some research to solidify the bigger picture.
I totally agree with the reviewer who noted the hair styling is exemplary. I would like to add that most of the cast are beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, I also agree with the reviewer who commented on the overacting.
This is a story about perversion. I found some of it implausible. The film is basically some Italian dude's version of what Germans did during the rise of the Nazi regime. In my opinion, it's formidable and worth one watch if you're a fan of Visconti or Italian cinema in general, but that's where it ends.
I won't watch it again.