During the Italian-Austrian unification conflict, an Italian Countess joins forces with Nationalists. When she falls in love with an Austrian lieutenant, she risks betraying their cause.
Luchino Visconti directed and co-wrote Senso, a 1954 Italian historical melodrama film based on Camillo Boito’s novella of the same name. The film follows the Italian Contessa Livia Serpieri (Alida Valli), who had an affair with the Austrian Lieutenant Franz Mahler during the Third Italian War of Independence (Farley Granger).
Senso is an Italian term that means “sense,” “feeling,” or “desire.” The title alludes to the pleasure Livia has while ruminating about her romance with an attractive officer, despite her political beliefs.