Luchino Visconti and Tennessee Williams: Various Stages of Censorship

Abstract

One of the world’s top film directors, Luchino Visconti devoted his artistic energies to the stage while Roman studios were occupied by war refugees. He was the cultural ambassador who brought French, Russian, and American plays to Italian stages, among which were The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. Most critics, at the beginning, were much more interested in the director than in the playwright, but Williams’ art gradually managed to be recognized. With innovative techniques, including modern scene designs, Visconti helped overcome the provincialism that had marked Italian theaters during the Fascist era. His artistic liaison with Williams, though, was constantly hindered by censorship, and he was denied permission to stage The Rose Tattoo and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The chapter ends with an acknowledgment of Williams’ participation in the writing of Visconti’s film Senso.