Visconti Book: A Cinematic Journey Through Photography and Interviews

A new book titled "Visconti, M. Schneider / L. Schirmer" published by Actes Sud and the Institut Louis Lumière explores the multifaceted career of Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti (1906-1976). The volume combines autobiographical fragments from his journals (1930-1940), interviews, and photographs by notable photographers including Horst P. Horst, Catalano, H. List, Poletto, and Tursi. It covers Visconti's passions for literature, theater, cinema, and music, his aristocratic upbringing, and his work as a director, screenwriter, and costume designer. The book discusses his collaborations with Jean Renoir (as assistant and costume designer on "Une partie de campagne"), his opera productions for Maria Callas in "La Vestale", and his films such as "Ossessione", "Senso", "Bellissima", "The Damned", and "Violence and Passion". It also explores his literary influences (Proust, Verga, Lampedusa), his adaptation of novels to cinema, and his engagement with Italian history, including "The Leopard" and World War II. The book reveals Visconti's nonconformist and radical spirit in his search for human truth.