Rent The Damned (1969)

A German Requiem - The Damned review by MW

Visconti's films are all about the ethical condition of man and The Damned is no exception. But it's a difficult, flawed movie. The relationship between the principal players is somewhat confusing. Like others by Visconti the film is a little ponderous and overlong and the acting mannered. Yet as a metaphor for all that was vile, corrupt and murderous in the Nazi regime this bleak and tragic story of the moral decline and fall of a wealthy industrialist family in 1930s Germany is brilliant in its way. Just be prepared for a picture of utter despair from this most intellectual of directors.

A valuable and fascinating film - The Damned review by RD

Setting the greed, ambition and depravity of a wealthy steel making family against the backdrop of 1933 Germany with Hitler's Brown Shirts on the rise, this is a detailed and intelligent film. The cinematography is excellent with superb lighting and good acting from all, and the renovation of the film yields colours and sharpness that make the film look a lot younger than 1968/9.

There are some flaws however, some strange edits clip the end of speech, and the plot becomes very elusive and secret at times leading to viewer confusion. This is often due to some low level indistinct dialogue which leaves the viewer wondering what just happened.

Some scenes become clearer later on in the film when you can then work out what happened earlier, so my advice is to either read a detailed synopsis before viewing the film, or watch the film twice when the second viewing may bring some clarity to the plot.

Overall a clever and worthwhile film.

Bleak melodrama - The Damned review by JO

Bleak melodrama about the fall of a family of industrialists during the rise to power of the Nazis, in Germany from 1933-34. The storyline is confusing: it's hard to work out the relationships between the characters. But as a parable about the power of the immoral Nazi regime its quite illuminating. The cinematography captures a world of corrupted opulence and Bogarde delivers a strong as one of the few morally conflicted characters, Frederick. Overlong and unrealistic but The Damned is still worth watching for its unremittingly downbeat vision of the evil of the Nazis.