OSSESSIONE

An aristocrat and a filmmaker

The early 1930s were a thrilling time for a handsome, restless young aristocrat to be in Paris. A successful career as a horse trainer had not been enough for Luchino Visconti. He knew he had the potential for something greater. But to realize that potential he needed more stimulation than his native Milan of the Fascist era could possibly provide. And so, after about 1932, Visconti's visits to Paris became increasingly frequent. Soon he became acquainted with the latest intellectual and artistic trends. He participated in riotous society life and met Coco Chanel, who fell for him and introduced him to many of Paris's leading artists. He got to know people like Serge Lifar, Jean Cocteau, Henry Bernstein, Kurt Weill, and Marlene Dietrich, and their art. He also saw many controversial films that were banned in Italy, ranging from the avant garde works of Luis Buñuel, Cocteau, and Man Ray to the revolutionary works of Vsevolod Pudovkin and Sergei Eisenstein.

The period in Paris was a formative one for Visconti. On a personal level, although it would be sometime before he could fully acknowledge his homosexuality, living amid the emancipated members of Parisian high society helped considerably. He formed a close relationship with a young German, Horst P. Horst (Horst Paul Bohrmann), who had just embarked on a spectacular career as a photographer. Visconti developed a greater political awareness as well.