La caída de los dioses

Visconti's bizarre examination of a powerful and wealthy family whose downfall both parallels the rise and foreshadows the fall of the Third Reich is never less than entertaining, it has to be said. Certainly not to the tastes of all, it seems to revel in the decadence and debauchery it portrays in much the same way a tabloid paper feels it has to publish dozens of photographs of the pornography it pretends to condemn. Look how depraved these incestuous cross-dressing Nazis were; apart from one pious voice the whole nation, it seems, is condemned with one broad stroke and we are given no contrast against which to compare such depravity.

The characters of the Von Essenbach family are each representative of a facet of 30s German character, all joined in a desire for power or the need to be protected beneath its wing, prone to making strident and unyielding demands and dismissing the rights of those who stand in their way. This leaves us with a morally repugnant lot, none of whom we can empathise with, and also tempts the cast to overact at times. Ingrid Thulin is particularly guilty, and even the usually laconic Dirk Bogarde becomes overwrought at times.

For all these faults, the film is shamelessly entertaining and fascinating to watch. It plays like a Shakespearian tragedy at times, and you feel compelled to see it through to the end just to find out the fate of each character.

This really is Luchino Visconti's magnum opus - The Damned is an utterly engrossing work of art that grabs you from the start and doesn't relinquish its grip until the final frames. The accents from the international cast takes a little getting used to - the soundtrack is in English (some sync sound, some dubbed) and Dirk Bogarde's refined English accent doesn't really suit the part of a German industrialist at first but once you get used to these incongruities the cast seems perfect! The cinematography is beautiful, capturing the decaying elegance perfectly. The score by Maurice Jarre adds to the atmosphere nicely even if it is a little reminiscent of Dr Zhivago. The film's themes are quite challenging and sometimes uncomfortable to watch but it's always compelling and absorbing even at 2 hours 35 minutes.

it is the precise reflection of Visconti obsessions. in direct manner. using the aestheticism at the last consequences. and the perfect actors. like silhouettes of a decadent survive form. after its end, the only memory is the powerful flavors. and the scene of the massacre. and Helmuth Berger like more than Ludwig. and, sure, the portrait of mother by Ingrid Thulin. a film like embroidery of symbols and slices of nightmares. or, a form of exorcism. impressive scene by scene. as fall of a world.

Visconti outdid himself on this one! In 'The Damned' we take a long look into the dark world of a perverted German family during Hitler's rise to power. Little bit of everything in this one; treachery, murder, incest, molestation... nothing pretty here, but a fantastic story. Well told and nicely photographed, The Damned is not for the squeamish, but very much worth a look.

I had to hunt for this video, but found it quite surprisingly at my local independent video store. Having recently seen Helmut Berger in in the film Ludwig, I was curious to see him in this role which apparently was his "introduction" to film. He is an amazing actor and while there were many disturbing moments in this film he was true to his character. I saw the character of Martin as not so much "damned" but as a "fallen" being: tortured by his own inner impulses, his feelings of rejection by his mother, etc. which culminate in providing perfect figure for Nazi terror. It is a shame that Helmut Berger has not received more recognition in the US. There are so many international actors who are almost complete unknowns in the states. Sad. I love Visconti's use of dark lighting and shadows. In this film as in Ludwig it added to the already "dark" subject matter, and is a visual treat.