“The power of the film comes not from its mystery but from its drama, from Cardinale's
incredible screen presence and Visconti's vivid visual ideas” Eye for Film
A heady slice of Sixties Italian melodrama, Sandra is a film so furiously emotional that it might
easily be perceived as comedy by a modern audience, yet it is suffused with beauty like all
Visconti's work, too pleasing to the eye and too visibly a product of genius to be discounted so
lightly.
At the core of the film is Sandra herself (Claudia Cardinale). With recently acquired husband
Andrew (Michael Craig) in tow, she arrives back at her largely abandoned family mansion to
prepare for a ceremony honouring her late father. In accordance with the Elektra myth
underscoring the story, she believes her father was betrayed by her mother and stepfather,
leading to his death at the hands of the Nazis. Ever since childhood she and her brother Gianni
(Jean Sorel) have plotted revenge. But when Sandra and Gianni meet again, it's clear that
something else connects them and thus begins the unravelling of a secret so terrible that it has
defined both their lives.
Jennie Kermode
Eye for Film
