Cannes Film Festival: 20 Best Palme D'Or Winners Ever

"Period political drama" may not be a phrase that jumps out at you, but rest assured that Luchino Visconti's timeless classic The Leopard makes for a deeply rewarding and exciting viewing experience.

Starring Burt Lancaster as Sicilian prince Don Fabrizio, the film is as much about the changing tide of Italy's society as it is about Fabrizio's attempts to maintain his family's proud, aristocratic heritage.

Lavish and opulent, the film is shot with a massive sense of scale and extravagance, but doesn't lose its story amongst the costumes and epic, 40-minute ballroom scenes. Every sequence is gorgeous, yes, but also symbolic of the wider changes that are taking shape around the film's characters, especially when you consider its striking final shot.

Directed by Visconti as an epic, The Leopard is most importantly an historical character study which revels in its luxury, but never loses sight of the more personal story it's out to tell.