Senso '45

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Senso '45 is a 2002 Italian erotic drama directed by Tinto Brass, based on Camillo Boito’s novella Senso (the same story that inspired Visconti’s 1954 film). It’s also known internationally as Black Angel. The story is set in Venice in the last months of the fascist regime during World War II, following Livia Mazzoni, wife of a high-ranking MinCulPop official, and her affair with Helmut Schultz, an SS officer. Through her memories, the film traces a series of erotic encounters amid the shadowy world of a collapsing regime.

Brass reworked Boito’s tale to be more faithful to the original than Visconti’s film and moved the action from the Risorgimento era to the end of World War II. Remigio becomes a Nazi lieutenant, and Livia is updated to be married to a powerful fascist official. The movie presents their relationship as a clinical look at vanity and lust rather than a romantic story.

The film stars Anna Galiena as Livia and Gabriel Garko as her lover. Galiena reportedly pressed to audition, and Brass arranged a private tryout to ensure privacy. Senso '45 runs 128 minutes, in Italian, with a budget of about $350,000, and was distributed by Eagle Pictures. It won the Italian Silver Ribbon for best costume design.