Luchino Visconti
‘The Emperor’

In 1969, Visconti asked Bogarde to appear in his latest project The Damned (La Caduta degli dei), which explored the sordid connections between the thinly disguised Krupp steelworks in Germany and the Nazis. Visconti had seen Bogarde’s portrayal of Charlie Hook in Our Mother’s House and perceived in him the particular quality needed for the role of Friedrich Bruckmann. (Gow, 44) Bogarde, however, considered the part one-dimensional and was hesitant to accept it. But appearing in the film meant an opportunity to be in the presence of ‘Papa’ Visconti, whom he held in the highest esteem. Bogarde considered Visconti ‘The Emperor’ of film directors. ‘I wouldn’t have minded being a doorknob on any film that he ever did, the richness one took in was so enormous.’ (Shivas, 4) A side benefit would be earning money from the film, he wrote to Mrs. X - ‘the reason that I am in such a bitch of a state financially now is that I have refused to work until the right work came along . . . it has been a long wait sometimes . . . but I whored too often in the past.’ (A Particular Friendship, 128) Visconti, who had heavily edited Bogarde’s part in the film, described it as the ‘best back of head performance’ by the actor.