18世紀イギリスで流行した<家族の肖像>と呼ばれる家族の団欒画のコレクションに囲まれて、ローマの豪邸に一人暮らす老教授。失われゆくものたちに埋もれ、孤独に生きていた彼の生活が、ある家族の闖入によって掻き乱されていく…。 1972年、前作『ルートヴィヒ』の完成間際に病いに倒れ、敬愛するドイツの文豪トーマス・マンが息を引き取ったというスイスの病院の同じ病室に身を置いていたルキーノ・ヴィスコンティ監督、その時65歳。ライフワークとしていた諸作品（『魔の山』、『失われた時を求めて』etc...）の映画化を健康上の理由から断念せざるを得なくなった彼が、共同脚本のエンリコ・メディオーリに口にした「単純で簡潔な、一室内で終始する物語。登場人物は二人」というアイデアから生まれたのが本作。美術のマリオ・ガルブリア指揮の下、制作されたスタジオのセット内ですべて撮影、車椅子を操りながら気迫と執念で撮り上げた。
AIが作品の魅力を深く読み解いています
The reclusive "Professor" (Burt Lancaster) is pretty quickly regretting his decision to rent the upstairs apartment in his villa to the Marchesa "Brumonti" (Silvana Mangano) when his housekeeper (Elvira Cortese) starts to see the ceiling cave in. Furious at the fairly wholesale damage to his own home, he goes to inspect the property and discovers "Konrad" (Helmut Berger), a rather aggressive young man who turns out to be her toy boy, and who thinks he has permission for the redevelopment! Multiple phone calls later and a semblance of peace breaks out, but not for long as we are now immersed in a series of family disputes, lovers tiffs, political debates and even some left-field surprises. It has a very theatrical style to it, this production, and at times I wondered if it might actually be better with the confines of the stage to hem it in, but that doesn't stop it being a potent look at the toxicity of relationships - past and present, as the old gent finds his previous peaceful existence little more than a faint or maybe even feint, memory. The dialogue is provocative and engaging, with plenty of references to capitalism, communism and fascism to keep the pot boiling over some pretty hot flames from time to time. Though I found Lancaster to be a little too understated, Berger and Mangano are on good form and the whole thing has an effective claustrophobia to it that I quite enjoyed. I didn't love the conclusion, but I'm not sure quite what would have satisfied me here as their manoeuvrings would have made Machiavelli, even Dante, blush.
