Senso (1954): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Senso is a 1954 romantic drama directed by Luchino Visconti, starring Alida Valli as La Contessa Livia Serpieri, Heinz Moog and Farley Granger. It runs 2 hours 3 minutes and earned $30,848 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 3m (123 min)
- Director
- Luchino Visconti
- Original language
-
Italian - Studio
- Lux Film
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Senso About?
The premise of Senso without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Set amid a decadent, corrupt aristocracy, the story follows a troubled, neurotic Italian countess who, driven by obsessive passion, betrays her country by entering a self‑destructive love affair with an Austrian lieutenant, leading to a tragic and inevitable downfall for both, and the fragile balance of loyalty and desire.
Senso Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- italy
- wartime romance
- love
- opera
- bribe
- military officer
- aristocracy
- based on novel
- period drama
- demonstration
- arrest
- mistress
+38 more Show fewer
- wars of italian unification
- exile
- austrian officer
- 1860s
- venezia
- betrayal
- affair
- war for independence
- verona
- lady's maid
- front line combat
- gold coin
- treason
- grainery
- impossible love
- broken heart
- adulterous wife
- spurned woman
- philanderer
- womanizer
- unrequited love
- rented room
- military occupation
- older husband younger wife relationship
- extramarital affair
- betrayal of trust
- cousin cousin relationship
- political exile
- first person narration
- resistance
- underground movement
- austrian empire
- european history
- one word title
- title same as book
- italian history
- independence
- denunciation
Senso Cast & Characters
Alida Valli leads the cast as La Contessa Livia Serpieri, with Heinz Moog as Il Conte Serpieri and Farley Granger as Il Tenente Franz Mahler. Directed by Luchino Visconti; 31 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Luchino Visconti
-
Alida Valli as La Contessa Livia Serpieri - Heinz Moog as Il Conte Serpieri
- Farley Granger as Il Tenente Franz Mahler
-
Massimo Girotti as Il Marchese Roberto Ussoni
Also Starring in Senso
· 27 more- Ernst Nadherny Il Comandante della Piazza di Verona
- Rina Morelli Laura, la Governante
- Renato Terra Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Jean-Pierre Mocky Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Mimmo Palmara Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Christian Marquand Un Ufficiale Boemo
- Sergio Fantoni Luca
- Nando Cicero Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Tino Bianchi Il Capitano Meucci
- Tonio Selwart Il Colonello Kleist
- Ivy Nicholson Una Patriota (uncredited)
- Goliarda Sapienza Una Patriota al Teatro (uncredited)
- Ugo Mari Officer in Verona's Austrian Headquartes (uncredited)
- Tony Di Mitri Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Winni Riva La Cameriera (uncredited)
- Spartaco Nale Un Soldato (uncredited)
Show all 31 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Carlo Sabatini Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Marcella Mariani Clara, la Prostituta
- Marianne Leibl La Moglie del Generale Hauptmann (uncredited)
- Mário Valente Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Ottone Candiani Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Franco Arcalli Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Aldo Bajocchi Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Cristoforo De Hartungen Il Generale Hauptmann (uncredited)
- Claudio Coppetti Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Eugenio Incisivo Un Soldato (uncredited)
- Gustl Untersulzner Un Soldato (uncredited)
More from Luchino Visconti
More films directed by Luchino Visconti: The Leopard (re-release), The Leopard (re-release), Rocco and His Brothers (re-release) and L'Innocente.
Senso Plot Summary
What happens in Senso from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 5-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Set in Italy during the volatile years around 1866, the film unfolds against the broader backdrop of the Italian unification and the war that would reshape borders in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The story centers on a passionate, dangerous liaison that blossoms in the shadow of siege and shifting loyalties, and it follows how personal desire collides with national upheaval.
Full summary
The whole story of Senso, scene by scene
Senso Box Office
Senso grossed $30,848 worldwide. $27,723 came from the US and Canada and $3,125 (10%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$30.8K
- US & Canada
- $27.7K
- International
- $3.1K
Senso Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 featurette.
- Featurette Three Reasons: Senso - The Criterion Collection
How Well Do You Know Senso?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which Austrian officer does Livia begin a secret romance with?
Seen Senso?
Movies Like Senso
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Besieged, Passion of Love and In the Realm of the Senses.
Senso FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Senso, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Senso?
Senso runs 2 hours 3 minutes (123 minutes).
When was Senso released?
Senso was released on September 2, 1954.
Who directed Senso?
Senso was directed by Luchino Visconti.
More films by Luchino Visconti Who is in the cast of Senso?
Senso stars Alida Valli as La Contessa Livia Serpieri, Heinz Moog as Il Conte Serpieri and Farley Granger as Il Tenente Franz Mahler, among 31 credited actors.
How much did Senso make at the box office?
Senso grossed $30,848 worldwide ($27,723 domestic, $3,125 international).
Does Senso have a post-credit scene?
No. Senso has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Senso in?
The original language of Senso is Italian.
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