Visconti, Luchino

Visconti, Luchino vēskônˈtē [key], 1906–76, Italian film director and writer, b. Milan as Luchino Visconti de Modrone. One of Italy's most acclaimed directors, Visconti has been called the father of neorealism for his early films Ossessione (1942) and La terra trema (1948). His increasingly lavish productions created a heightened sense of melodrama. His late films explore the nature of decadence. Among his other films are Rocco and His Brothers (1960), The Leopard (1964), The Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971), Ludwig (1973), and The Innocent (1979).

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