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Roberto Ando directs this biopic about Sicilian aristocrat Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa -- who gained posthumous fame with his novel The Leopard later made into a film by Luchino Visconti -- and his relationship with two young proteges. Set in Palermo during the 1950s, the film centers on Marco Pace (Paolo Briguglia), a brilliant, taciturn university student and fledgling writer who gets himself introduced to Prince Tomasi di Lampedusa (Michel Bouquet). The youth unfortunately mistakes the Prince's preachy self-absorption for paternal interest and is thus crestfallen when his erstwhile mentor adopts rich relative Guido Lanza (Giorgio Lupano) as his heir. As the film progresses, a quiet rivalry builds between the youths. Cinema legend Jeanne Moreau also appears.