The Intruder (Italian : L'Innocente) is an 1892 novel by the Italian writer Gabriele D'Annunzio. It is known as The Victim in the United States. It tells the story of the dandy Tullio Hermil who is habitually unfaithful to his patient and loving wife Giuliana, until the wife eventually does the same and becomes pregnant with another man's child. The book was published in English in 1897, translated by Georgina Harding. [1]
Italian is a Romance language. Italian, together with Sardinian, is by most measures the closest language to Vulgar Latin of the Romance languages. Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino and Vatican City. It has an official minority status in western Istria. It formerly had official status in Albania, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro (Kotor) and Greece, and is generally understood in Corsica and Savoie. It also used to be an official language in the former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa, where it plays a significant role in various sectors. Italian is also spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and Australia. In spite of not existing any Italian community in their respective national territories and of not being spoken at any level, Italian is included de jure, but not de facto, between the recognized minority languages of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania. Many speakers of Italian are native bilinguals of both standardized Italian and other regional languages.
General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso, Duke of Gallese, sometimes spelled d'Annunzio, was an Italian writer, poet, journalist, playwright and soldier during World War I. He occupied a prominent place in Italian literature from 1889 to 1910 and later political life from 1914 to 1924. He was often referred to under the epithets Il Vate or Il Profeta. Some of his ideas and aesthetics influenced Italian fascism and the style of Benito Mussolini and, thereby, Adolf Hitler; he has been described as "the father of Fascism".
A dandy, historically, is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle despite coming from a middle-class background, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century Britain.
The book was first adapted for film in 1912 by Edoardo Bencivenga. [2] It was also the basis for Luchino Visconti's last film, The Innocent , released in 1976. Visconti's version stars Giancarlo Giannini as Tullio and Laura Antonelli as Giuliana. [3]
Edoardo Bencivenga was an Italian film director; Bencivegna started in 1907 filming his first short film Raffaello e la Fornarina , in his career he made over 60 films, the last one in 1922.
Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo, was an Italian theatre, opera and cinema director, as well as a screenwriter. He is best known for his films Ossessione (1943), Senso (1954), Rocco and His Brothers (1960), The Leopard (1963) and Death in Venice (1971).
The Innocent was the last film made by Italian director Luchino Visconti. Released in 1976, the film is based on the novel The Intruder by Gabriele d'Annunzio. It was distributed in the U.S. by Analysis Film Releasing Corp.
