The Damned chronicles the downfall of the Essenbecks, a wealthy German family (led by Dirk Bogarde and Ingrid Thulin) with business to the Nazis. Visconti’s symphony of decadence is perhaps best remembered for Helmut Berger’s indelible turn as depraved son Martin, vamping in drag as Marlene Dietrich from The Blue Angel. Kinky and perverse (the film was rated X upon initial release), Visconti’s epic features a score by Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia) and a stylistic opulence that led Rainer Werner Fassbinder to name it as one of his ten favorite films. Restored by Cineteca di Bologna and Institut Lumiere (Lyon).

Recommended Event: Tony Award-winning director Ivo van Hove boldly adapts Visconti’s film for the stage with the prestigious Comédie-Française at Park Avenue Armory this July. Learn more here.

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