The Innocent (1976 film)

The Innocent
The Innocent
	Poster
Directed by	Luchino Visconti
Screenplay by	Suso Cecchi d'Amico; Enrico Medioli; Luchino Visconti
Based on	The Intruder ; by Gabriele d'Annunzio
Produced by	Giovanni Bertolucci
Starring	Giancarlo Giannini; Laura Antonelli; Jennifer O'Neill
Cinematography	Pasqualino De Santis
Edited by	Ruggero Mastroianni
Music by	Franco Mannino
Distributed by	Analysis Film Releasing Corporation
Release date	May 18, 1976; (Italy); January 11, 1979; (United States)
Running time	125 minutes
Countries	Italy; France
Language	Italian

The Innocent (Italian: L'innocente) was the last film made by Italian director Luchino Visconti. Released in 1976, the film is based on the novel The Intruder by Gabriele d'Annunzio.^[1] It was distributed in the U.S. by Analysis Film Releasing Corp.

The main shooting locations were the Villa Mirafiori in Rome, the Villa Butori in Lucca and the Villa Bellosguardo nearby. The soundtrack includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Rondò Alla Turca and the aria Che farò senza Euridice from Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Plot[]

The story is set in the late nineteenth century. Tullio Hermil (Giancarlo Giannini), a wealthy Roman aristocrat married to Giuliana (Laura Antonelli), has a possessive aristocratic mistress, Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O'Neill), and neglects his wife.

His interest in his wife is rekindled when he sees Giuliana's happiness after she has begun a love affair with a novelist, Filippo d'Arborio. She becomes pregnant by d'Arborio. Tullio urges an abortion but she refuses; d'Arborio then dies of a tropical infection.

Tullio cannot tolerate the healthy male child delivered to Giuliana, although he tries. While the family are at Christmas mass he exposes the baby and it dies, apparently of natural causes. Giuliana, who knows Tullio has murdered the baby, leaves him.

Tullio attempts to rekindle his affair with Teresa and takes her to his town house where they attempt to make love. When she tells him she no longer loves him, he shoots himself. Teresa picks up her belongings and leaves the estate.

Cast[]

Giancarlo Giannini: Tullio Hermil
Jennifer O'Neill: Teresa Raffo
Laura Antonelli: Giuliana Hermil
Rina Morelli: Tullio's Mother
Marc Porel: Filippo d'Arborio
Massimo Girotti: Count Stefano Egano
Didier Haudepin: Federico Hermil
Marie Dubois: The Princess
: Miss Elviretta
: The Prince

Visconti wanted Alain Delon and Romy Schneider for the starring roles. Also considered for a starring role was Charlotte Rampling, who said Visconti wrote it with her in mind, but was unable to do because she was filming Foxtrot.^[2]