Senso

Set in Venice during the 1860s, while the city is under Austrian occupation and Italian independence fighters are plotting against the foreign garrison, Senso centres on Livia Serpieri, an Italian countess trapped in a stifling marriage. She begins a secret affair with Franz Mahler, a much younger Austrian lieutenant, and her devotion to him gradually turns into something reckless. Torn between the patriotic circles around her, including her cousin Roberto Ussoni, and a lover whose motives she cannot fully trust, Livia is drawn toward betraying both her country and herself.

Luchino Visconti directed and co-wrote the film with Suso Cecchi d'Amico, adapting a novella by Camillo Boito. Released in 1954, it was the fourth of the fifteen films he directed and followed Anna Magnani, preceding White Nights. Alida Valli plays Livia opposite Farley Granger as Franz Mahler, with Massimo Girotti, Heinz Moog, Rina Morelli and Christian Marquand among a credited cast of thirty-one. Produced by Lux Film in Italy, the film runs 123 minutes and blends drama, romance and war.

Its reputation rests on a strong split between critics and general viewers. On IMDb the film holds a critics' rating of 7.8 out of 10 from 24 reviews, while on TMDB it has a rating of 7.2 out of 10 from 256 votes. The narrower critics' sample rates it slightly higher, though audiences also respond positively.