The Damned

THE DAMNED (aka LA CADUTA DEGLI DEI) (18)

D: Luchino Visconti

Warner Bros / Seven Arts / Ital-Noleggio Cinematografico (Ever Haggiag & Alfred Levy)

Italy/West Germany/Switzerland 1969

154 mins

Drama/Historical/War

W: Nicola Badalucco, Enrico Medioli & Luchino Visconti

DP: Armando Nannuzzi & Pasquelino de Santis

Ed: Ruggero Mastroianni

Mus: Maurice Jarre

PD: Vincenzo Del Prato

Cos: Piero Tosi

Dirk Bogarde (Freidrich Bruckmann), Ingrid Thulin (Sophie von Essenbeck), Helmut Berger (Martin von Essenbeck), Helmut Griem (Hauptstumführer Aschenbach), Renaud Verley (Günther von Essenbeck)

Considered a masterpiece by many, Luchino Visconti’s provocative historical drama ‘The Damned’ is a microscopic study of the inner machinations of a wealthy industrialist family who find themselves working alongside the recently elected National Socialist (Nazi) Party in 1930’s Germany.

The film begins with the birthday of the family patriarch, Joachim von Essenbeck, whose political affiliations don’t align with those of Adolf Hitler’s, yet he appoints his young nephew Konstantin, an officer in the S.A as Vice President of the family steelworks.

What follows is manipulation and domestic scheming to seize control of the family business as the Second World War draws ever closer.

While inspired by true events, the writers also clearly took much inspiration from Shakespearean works, notably MacBeth, though within a structure of an elitist German family.

A difficult film to watch & quite heavy-going in places, and while I understand it’s much heralded reputation, I wouldn’t consider this a film I’d return to for repeat viewings, despite it still being a very good film.

7/10