---
title: "The Leopard: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-leopard/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-leopard"
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 12
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Leopard (1963): what the critics said

Critics' score 79 from 12 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

## Time Out — Trevor Johnston

Rating 5/5. 24 August 2010. 

The review presents Visconti’s saga as an exceptionally beautiful film. It singles out the experience of being immersed in its depiction of Sicilian aristocracy amid mid-century upheaval.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-leopard-2)

## Total Film — Philip Kemp

Rating 5/5. 9 August 2010. 

Kemp presents the film as an elegiac masterpiece about a society in decline. He praises its opulent widescreen presentation and Burt Lancaster’s patrician performance.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-leopard-2-review/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2010. 

Bradshaw praises the film as a rich, gorgeous historical epic whose restored version shows it in sumptuous glory. He singles out the magnificent extended ballroom scene as its crowning achievement.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/aug/26/the-leopard-film-review)

## The Independent — Jonathan Romney

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2003. 

Romney praises the film as an ambitious, visually opulent requiem for a vanishing world. He singles out the ball sequence, whose vivid colors and choreography make history’s passing palpable.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-leopard-il-gattopardo-pynchon-a-journey-into-the-mind-of-p-103423.html)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Newman regards the film as a magnificent, truly special epic, despite its deliberate pace and occasional lack of clarity. He singles out Burt Lancaster’s commanding portrayal of the Don as its heart.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/leopard-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Sam Adams

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 June 2010. 

Adams presents the film as a richly ambivalent portrait of aristocratic decline, delivered with grandeur and emotional force. He especially praises Burt Lancaster’s expressive physical performance and the opulent ball sequence.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jun-27-la-ca-second-20100627-story.html)

## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 March 2016. 

Dowd regards the film as a classic whose leisurely, melancholy approach makes it a gloriously uneventful period piece. He especially praises the luminous visuals and the extended gala sequence, which conveys the passing of an era.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/cannes-winner-the-leopard-is-a-gloriously-uneventful-pe-1798245246)

## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson

Rating 3/4. 30 December 2010. 

Henderson finds the film excessively self-satisfied, though its grand style accidentally suits its subject. He singles out its lavish production and ball sequence as embodying its nostalgic allegiance to the old order.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-leopard/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 69/100 (inferred from the text). 6 June 2004. 

The headline frames the film as an intimate epic with an unlikely grace. The article text is unavailable, so its verdict and specific praise cannot be confirmed.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/06/movies/film-the-leopard-an-intimate-epic-s-unlikely-grace.html)

## The New Yorker — Jonathan Miller

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 August 1963. 

The critic calls Visconti’s film a sad, luxurious failure, faulting its confused narrative and overexplicit dubbed dialogue. He praises the painterly period imagery, especially a chapel scene that briefly conveys the family’s impending extinction.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1963/08/17/noble-and-ignoble)

## Eye for Film — Val Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2009. 

Kermode regards the film as a magnificent, intelligent masterpiece. She praises its rich period detail and the ravishing Sicilian landscapes, which deepen its portrait of a society in decline.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-leopard-film-review-by-val-kermode)

## Paste — Tim Sheridan

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 2004. 

Sheridan regards the film as a landmark and a visual feast, though its three-hour pace may drag. He particularly praises Visconti’s meticulous detail and sumptuous settings.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/luchino-visconti/the-leopard-dvd)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md