Il gattopardo
"Luchino Visconti's enduring romantic adventure"
The Leopard - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come è, bisogna che tutto cambi.
— Tancredi Falconeri
Context:
Spoken by Tancredi to his uncle while shaving, explaining why he is joining the rebels.
Meaning:
"If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change." This is the film's central thesis. It encapsulates the strategy of the aristocracy: to accept superficial political revolution (unification) to maintain their underlying social dominance.
Noi fummo i Gattopardi, i Leoni; quelli che ci sostituiranno saranno gli sciacalletti, le iene; e tutti quanti gattopardi, sciacalli e pecore, continueremo a crederci il sale della terra.
— Prince Don Fabrizio
Context:
The Prince speaking to the Piedmontese official, Chevalley, refusing a seat in the new Senate.
Meaning:
"We were the Leopards, the Lions; those who'll take our place will be little jackals, hyenas; and the whole lot of us, Leopards, jackals, and sheep, we'll all go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth." A prophetic lament about the decline of greatness and the rise of mediocrity.
L'amore? Fuoco e fiamme per un anno, cenere per trenta.
— Prince Don Fabrizio
Context:
Spoken during a conversation with Father Pirrone.
Meaning:
"Love? Fire and flames for a year, ashes for thirty." Reflects the Prince's cynicism regarding romantic love and his own passionless marriage.