The Damned (1969)

Original title

La caduta degli dei

Directed by

Luchino Visconti

Genre

drama film, art film, LGBTQ-related film

Country

Germany, Italy

Runtime

2h 35m

Rated

R

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 233 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1930s Germany, a wealthy industrialist family begins doing business with the Nazi Party. The story focuses on the family's unstable heir as he gets caught up in their schemes and moral decay.

decadentbleaktenseslow-burnunsettlingclaustrophobicmorally graymelancholic

What happens

The Damned (Die Verdammten) (Italian: La caduta degli dei, lit. 'The Fall of the Gods') is a 1969 historical drama film directed and co-written by Luchino Visconti, and starring Dirk Bogarde, Ingrid Thulin, Helmut Berger, Helmut Griem, Umberto Orsini, Charlotte Rampling, Florinda Bolkan, Reinhard Kolldehoff and Albrecht Schönhals in his final film. Set in 1930s Germany, the film centers on the Essenbecks, a wealthy industrialist family who have begun doing business with the Nazi Party, and whose amoral and unstable heir, Martin (played by Berger in his breakthrough role), is embroiled in his family's machinations. It is loosely based on the German Krupp family of steel industrialists from Essen. Principal photography of The Damned took place in locations throughout Italy, West Germany, and Austria. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim, but also faced controversy from ratings boards for its sexual content. In the United States, the film was given an X rating by the MPAA, which was lowered to a more marketable R after 12 minutes of offending footage were cut. Visconti won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Director, and was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar with co-writers Nicola Badalucco and Enrico Medioli. Helmut Berger received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. The film won the Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the 4th International Film Festival of India. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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