In this saga of the Recchi dynasty, who are one of the leading aristocratic families in Milan, we see a way of life that is fading like its dying patriarch as they struggle to come to terms with contemporary society. As wealthy as they are. and waited on hand and foot at every juncture, their story is not about rich vs. poor, but much more about old vs. new.
And in midst of all this luxury is Emma (Tilda Swinton) the wife, and mother, of the next generation who sits serenely and somewhat coldly as the new family matriarch. Until that is one day when a chance encounter with her son’s best friend …. a handsome young chef … sparks off more than a light, and is the start of a sensuous and passionate affair.
R.T.V. Add to the mix a lesbian daughter with a love of her own, some business machinations pitting brother against brother, and you get the makings of a superbly rich melodrama in a style that only Italians can do so magnificently and all with a very over the top score that soars in every scene (with more than a nod to Visconti’s masterpiece ‘The Leopard’).
It is Tilda Swinton’s show, with her alabaster white skin in an array of expensive elegant clothes, but so firmly keeping her visible emotions underplayed and in check: totally sublime, it is a stunning performance worthy of every Best Actress Award going.P.S. And you cannot fail to miss Marisa Berenson in one of her rare forays onto the screen these days as Allegra: still very much a stunning beauty.
