Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher
Luchino Visconti (1906—1976) was one of Europe's most prestigious filmmakers, who rose to prominence as part of the Italian neo—realist movement, alongside contemporaries Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. Famous for his elegant lifestyle, as friend of Jean Renoir and Coco Chanel amongst others, his vibrant technicolour dramas are also known for their decadence and stunning display of aesthetic mastery and sensory pleasure.

Looking beyond this colourful façade, however, Resina explores the philosophical implications of decadence with a particular focus on three films from the late phase in Visconti's production, Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971), and Ludwig (1972). From the incestuous relationship between decadence and power to decadence as an outcome of straining toward formal perfection, Resina uncovers the unity and philosophical cohesiveness of these films that deal with different subjects and historical periods.

Reading these films and their decadence in light of the time of filming and Visconti's own sense of cultural doom, Resina further demonstrates the relevance of Visconti's philosophy today and how much they still have to say to our contemporary situation.

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Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher
Luchino Visconti (1906—1976) was one of Europe's most prestigious filmmakers, who rose to prominence as part of the Italian neo—realist movement, alongside contemporaries Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. Famous for his elegant lifestyle, as friend of Jean Renoir and Coco Chanel amongst others, his vibrant technicolour dramas are also known for their decadence and stunning display of aesthetic mastery and sensory pleasure.

Looking beyond this colourful façade, however, Resina explores the philosophical implications of decadence with a particular focus on three films from the late phase in Visconti's production, Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971), and Ludwig (1972). From the incestuous relationship between decadence and power to decadence as an outcome of straining toward formal perfection, Resina uncovers the unity and philosophical cohesiveness of these films that deal with different subjects and historical periods.

Reading these films and their decadence in light of the time of filming and Visconti's own sense of cultural doom, Resina further demonstrates the relevance of Visconti's philosophy today and how much they still have to say to our contemporary situation.

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Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher

Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher

Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher

Luchino Visconti: Filmmaker and Philosopher

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Overview

Luchino Visconti (1906—1976) was one of Europe's most prestigious filmmakers, who rose to prominence as part of the Italian neo—realist movement, alongside contemporaries Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. Famous for his elegant lifestyle, as friend of Jean Renoir and Coco Chanel amongst others, his vibrant technicolour dramas are also known for their decadence and stunning display of aesthetic mastery and sensory pleasure.

Looking beyond this colourful façade, however, Resina explores the philosophical implications of decadence with a particular focus on three films from the late phase in Visconti's production, Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971), and Ludwig (1972). From the incestuous relationship between decadence and power to decadence as an outcome of straining toward formal perfection, Resina uncovers the unity and philosophical cohesiveness of these films that deal with different subjects and historical periods.

Reading these films and their decadence in light of the time of filming and Visconti's own sense of cultural doom, Resina further demonstrates the relevance of Visconti's philosophy today and how much they still have to say to our contemporary situation.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781350185777
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 03/10/2022
Series: Philosophical Filmmakers
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 5.45(w) x 8.53(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Joan Ramon Resina is Professor of Iberian and Latin American Cultures and Comparative Literature, Stanford University, USA. He is the author and editor of many books most recently The Ghost in the Constitution: Historical Memory and Denial in Spanish Society (2017) and Joseph Pla: The World Seen in the Form of Articles (2017).

Costica Bradatan is a Professor of Humanities in the Honors College at Texas Tech University, USA, and an Honorary Research Professor of Philosophy at University of Queensland, Australia. He is the author or editor of several books, and his work has been translated into many languages, including Dutch, German, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Farsi. Bradatan writes regularly for such publications as the New York Times, Times Literary Supplement, Aeon, Dissent, and The New Statesman, and serves as the Religion/Comparative Studies Editor for the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction
1. Ludwig
2. Death in Venice
3. The Damned

Conclusion

Bibliography
Index

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