The story of the Leopard arrives on Netflix. It does so after being the protagonist of one of the most iconic novels of Italian literature, conceived and written by Giuseppe Tomasi of Lampedusa, and one of the most legendary films of our country’s cinema, directed by Luchino Visconti and winner of numerous awards including the golden palm in Cannes in ’63, a David di Donatello and 3 silver ribbons.

Almost 70 years after the publication of the book, Netflix decided to adapt the history of Prince Fabrizio di Salina for the first time in serial form with an Italian-British produzone consisting of six episodes, directed by Tom Shankland and out on March 5, 2025. The protagonists are Kim Rossi Stuart, Deva Cassel, Saul Nanni and Benedetta Porcaroli.

We say it out of the teeth, this series has disappointed us. And now let’s explain why.

The Gattopardo: What is it about

The story of the Leopard is not just that of a man and his family. It is the history of the whole of Italy told in a moment of great change: the transition from a country divided to a unique nation with the consequent difficulties of accepting such a radical transformation, especially by a prince, Sicilian, still rooted to the old world that has always dominated personally.

And in the background of a Sicily struggling with the landing in Marsala and a policy in total change, there is the story of a prince, his children and his nephew, the young and ambitious Tancredi who aims to become a man of power in this new system. And he also does it through the love for the young and beautiful Angelica, even better Bramosa of power than him. In the Netflix series, the character of Concetta, daughter of Fabrizio and secretly in love with his cousin Tancredi who, however, chooses to marry another woman, is very central.

The Gattopardo: the story shortly to prepare for the vision of the Netflix series

Because the modern version of the Netflix leopard does not convince

Netflix has decided to do a specific operation with the Gattopardo series. He has modernized and romanticized as much as possible a story that was born as a historian wanting to bring this series to a younger audience and titles in very popular costumes such as the Bridgerton saga to which the Leopardo winks in different scenes from those of the dances to the most sentimental ones.

Too bad, however, that this choice, although on paper it may seem winning, in practice cannot obtain the desired result because the Netflix leopard is, the vision, a weak, not very exciting title and with characters with which the public cannot enliven.

The script of the series does not help, on the contrary, perhaps it is its worst appearance. And despite having six episodes from one hour each available, this title cannot create a linear, engaging, clear and which gives the right merit to the sumptuousness of the novel from which it is based and of the Visconti film. Which, for example, other series inspired by giants of literature, such as the one on one hundred years of solitude of Garcia Marquez, managed to do perfectly.

Netflix’s leopard chooses to focus a lot on the character of Concetta, played by Benedetta Porcaroli, on her suffering of love, on her unrequited feeling for Tancredi (Saul Bassi) and on her comparing herself with a woman totally different from her, the beautiful Angelica – whose clothes the clothes Deva Cassel – who has always lived her life. Nobody. And however interesting it is to focus on this very feminine and decidedly universal theme, all the historical sense of the Leopard is lost.

None of the characters are highlighted properly, told in his deepest shades of mind, not even what should be the protagonist of the story, the prince of Salina to whom only attention is given in the last two episodes of the series.

There is no fluidity in the story, there is no good characterization of the characters, there is no study on the more historical, social and geographic aspect of the story where you can barely see Sicily which, had to be one of the great protagonists of the series. A real shame for a story that could give a lot, could make you think so much, also and above all on more political and social issues, but which chose to be yet another love story about Netflix.

VOTE: 5 and a half