Taking a Free Hand Does not Mean Freedom: The Leopard on Netflix

Foreword

Abstract

We are well aware that each transposition is an independent work, that the principle of fidelity to the source of origin has been passed for a while. But taking a free hand does not always mean to follow a truly free inspiration. In the Netflix series The Leopard, based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s, freedom turns out to be deceptive: on the surface unbridled, in fact bound by hegemonic trends of thought and taste. It is worth examining this issue in depth, as we try to do through the following papers: Clotilde Bertoni analyzes the series’ adherence to the most widespread vision of the novel, and its adaptation to the standards of political correctness; Giulia Carluccio, starting from the episode set in Turin, considers its relationship with the novel, with Luchino Visconti’s film based on it, and with the broader imagery superimposed on them; Stefania Rimini connects it to the recurring features of the current period dramas, then focusing on its representation of environments and landscapes.