REVIEW: Luchino Visconti’s ‘L’Innocente,’ now streaming
Photo: Giancarlo Giannini and Laura Antonelli star in Luchino Visconti’s final film, L’Innocente. Photo courtesy of Film Movement / Provided by press site with permission.
Luchino Visconti, the Italian cinematic maestro, gave the world his final film in 1976, and it turns out that this swan song is one of the auteur’s very best. L’Innocente, starring Giancarlo Giannini and Laura Antonelli, is an intricately woven study of a marriage coming undone, coming together and coming undone again. It’s a fascinating portrait of power on a small scale and how jealousy can be a defining characteristic for a person.
Giannini plays Tullio Hermil, a well-to-do man in 19th-century Italy who enjoys the sport of fencing and deciding which of his inherited estates to reside in. His wife is Giuliana (Antonelli), who lives the good life as well, attending piano recitals and generally standing by her husband’s side.
Tullio may have loved Giuliana at some point, but when the audience first meets him, he is attempting to enjoy a fling with a mistress, Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O’Neill). He falls so madly in love with her, and how different she is from his wife, that Tullio decides to come clean and propose an open marriage. What surprises him is that Giuliana is not simply going to play the part of the scorned woman; she has an affair as well, hers with the novelist Filippo d’Arborio, who is also Tullio’s fencing partner (Marc Porel, whose life was tragically cut short a few years after L’Innocente).
Tullio refuses to end his marriage to Giuliana, especially when he finds out that his wife is pregnant with Filippo’s baby. His jealousy overcomes him, and he falls back in love with his wife (or rather obsesses about her living a life without him).
This period piece might seem like a soapy melodrama, but Visconti’s film gets at something deeper. On an elemental level, this is a deconstruction of power dynamics, with Tullio believing he has the upper hand at all times, even though reality would seem to say otherwise. One cannot control how life will evolve, but he’s wiling to try.
There’s also an undeniable romance in the film. There’s a real sensuality to Tullio and Giuliana’s on-again-off-again relationship, and they have fascinating conversations before and after making love. Through these discussions and fights, it becomes clear, from the audience’s perspective, that the marriage is not one of equality. Giuliana must face the discrimination of the times (her husband can have an affair, but how dare she!) and the increasingly mad antics of Tullio. As he takes his obsession to some dark places, she is seemingly stuck, unable to get a divorce and unable to recognize her own husband anymore.
The costumes and set design are exquisite and beautifully realized on the aristocrats assembled for the social settings. The dresses on the women are intricate and colorful, the men’s suits dapper and stylish. The estates where Visconti has the action play out are wonderfully expansive with minute detail and authenticity.
The performances are uniformly excellent, with Giannini and Antonelli having the juiciest characters to sink their teeth into. He has an intensity and rage that can be frightening, yet he’s also tender and loving — in other words, a chameleon that makes his moves uncertain and potentially dangerous. She is strong and independent, yet also stuck in a societal and religious prison, with her decisions being dictated by her husband and tradition.
The supporting work from O’Neill, d’Arborio and Rina Morelli (Tullio’s mother) nicely flesh out the drama. The script, by Visconti, Enrico Medioli and Suso Cecchi D’Amico, attains many of the themes and controversy of the original novel by Gabriele D’Annunzio.
L’Innocente, now available to stream from Film Movement, is a fine display of Visconti’s directorial dedication and his undoubted artistry. This familial drama is captivating to behold, with one main protagonist displaying qualities far from that pivotal word of “innocent.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
L’Innocente (1976). Directed by Luchino Visconti. Written by Visconti, Enrico Medioli and Suso Cecchi D’Amico; based on the book by Gabriele D’Annunzio. Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Jennifer O’Neill, Filippo d’Arborio and Rina Morelli. In Italian with English subtitles. Running time: 129 minutes. Rating: 
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