Conversation Piece
Seen it?1974 | 121 min | Drama, Romance
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (82% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had soft box office and little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics. If you loved Call Me by Your Name, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 1 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated R: meant for adults.
- Made in 1974: an older pace and style.
A retired professor of American origin lives a solitary life in a luxurious palazzo in Rome. He is confronted by a vulgar Italian marchesa and her lover, her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend, and forced to rent to them an apartment on the upper floor of his palazzo. From this point on his quiet routine is turned into chaos by his tenants' machinations, and everybody's life takes an unexpected but inevitable turn.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
82% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.3 out of 10
- AwardsWeak
1 win and 0 nominations from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$30K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 24K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Luchino Visconti
- Burt LancasterProfessor
- Silvana ManganoMarquess Bianca Brumonti
- Helmut BergerKonrad Huebel
- Claudia MarsaniLietta Brumonti
- Stefano PatriziStefano
- Elvira CorteseErminia
- Philippe HersentDoorman
- Guy TréjanArt Dealer
- Jean-Pierre ZolaBlanchard
- Umberto RahoPolice Inspector Bernai