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THE DAMNED (LA CADUTA DEGLI DEI)
Luchino Visconti, Italy/Switzerland/West Germany, 1969
Saturday 9 August 2003 10pm-12.30am
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The plot of this bloody epic may be necessarily complex, but the premise is simple. In 1930s Germany, a wealthy industrialist family struggles to maintain its influence and prosperity in the face of fascism's relentless and brutal ascent. Far from unifying the clan, the socio-political climate divides them and The Damned soon emerges as a Godfather-like epic in which blackmail, double-dealing, cynical sexual manipulation and murder become the accepted currency of family members attempting to purchase power and prestige.
This is not a film for the faint-hearted. Paedophilia, a mother seducing her son and a grimly explicit massacre all assault the senses. And yet long, lush, languorous scenes are beautifully shot by Luchino Visconti who exploited his theatre background to conjure up rich, warm colours and striking lighting throughout the quieter passages, ensuring such sequences are as memorable as the more shocking moments. It's partially due to these visuals that many writers believe the work marks the apotheosis of Visconti's operatic application of cinema. He invests his finely drawn characters with enough psychological tension, however, to recall his roots in early neo-realism.
Equally, this period piece does not represent a movie charting the rise of the Nazi party, as several critics have stated. The eponymous damned are those affected by the spread and strength of fascism and the selfish opportunism, as well as the dangers, which this nurtures. As a tale of treachery set against a sweeping historical backdrop, it stands as a compulsive and disturbing masterpiece.
In a 1983 interview, the film's star, Dirk Bogarde commented, "Visconti was a man of great magic... I called him the Emperor of Cinema". The Damned, with its utter immersion into the perdition of its chosen era, confirms his mastery. Even in the opening credits, the family's prized steelworks are depicted as a Dante-esque inferno, an image enforced by Maurice Jarre's insistent and wonderfully over-the-top score. "You have been warned," Visconti seems to be saying. "Welcome to Hell."
Gavin Collinson
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Charlotte Rampling has a small but significant role in The Damned. 
