The Innocent
Luchino Visconti's last film, based on a novella by Gabrielle d'Annunzio, is a haunting account of aristocratic chauvinism and sexual double standards in turn-of-the-century Italy. Giannini is the psychotic husband whose lust cannot be satisfied; Antonelli is his sensitive, tormented wife; and O'Neil is his cunning, possessive mistress.
The film earned $13.4M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Innocent (1976) showcases strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Luchino Visconti's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 10 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Tullio Hermil lives a double life as an aristocrat maintaining appearances with his wife Giuliana while openly keeping a mistress, Teresa. He views himself as sophisticated and beyond conventional morality.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 16 minutes when Tullio discovers that Giuliana, long neglected and humiliated, has begun her own affair with the novelist Filippo d'Arborio. His sense of control and superiority is shattered.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Tullio breaks off his affair with Teresa and commits to reclaiming Giuliana's love, entering a campaign to seduce his own wife and restore his dominance in the marriage., moving from reaction to action.
At 64 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Giuliana reveals she is pregnant with Filippo's child. This false victory for Tullio's campaign to reconnect becomes a devastating defeat - their reconciliation is revealed as hollow and his control is permanently lost., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 96 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The innocent child is born. Tullio is confronted with the living embodiment of his failure and Giuliana's autonomy. His last illusions of reconciliation and control die as he looks at the infant., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 104 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Tullio decides to murder the infant by exposing the child to cold, rationalizing it as restoring order and freeing Giuliana to be truly his again - a complete perversion of love into possession., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Innocent's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Innocent against these established plot points, we can identify how Luchino Visconti utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Innocent within the drama genre.
Luchino Visconti's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Luchino Visconti films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. The Innocent takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luchino Visconti filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Luchino Visconti analyses, see Rocco and His Brothers, The Damned.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Tullio Hermil lives a double life as an aristocrat maintaining appearances with his wife Giuliana while openly keeping a mistress, Teresa. He views himself as sophisticated and beyond conventional morality.
Theme
A character observes that "one cannot possess what one does not value," foreshadowing Tullio's tragic realization about taking Giuliana for granted while pursuing his own desires.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of late 19th century aristocratic Roman society, Tullio's marriage to the patient Giuliana, his affair with Teresa, and the social rules that govern their world of privilege and hypocrisy.
Disruption
Tullio discovers that Giuliana, long neglected and humiliated, has begun her own affair with the novelist Filippo d'Arborio. His sense of control and superiority is shattered.
Resistance
Tullio wrestles with his hypocrisy and wounded pride. He attempts to rationalize Giuliana's behavior while struggling with possessive jealousy he never expected to feel, debating whether to confront her or win her back.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Tullio breaks off his affair with Teresa and commits to reclaiming Giuliana's love, entering a campaign to seduce his own wife and restore his dominance in the marriage.
Mirror World
Giuliana represents the thematic mirror - she embodies the consequences of Tullio's selfishness and shows him what true suffering looks like, though he cannot fully comprehend it until too late.
Premise
Tullio's attempts to win back Giuliana, navigating the psychological complexity of their damaged relationship. Moments of tenderness alternate with his continued self-absorption and her guarded responses.
Midpoint
Giuliana reveals she is pregnant with Filippo's child. This false victory for Tullio's campaign to reconnect becomes a devastating defeat - their reconciliation is revealed as hollow and his control is permanently lost.
Opposition
Tullio's obsession darkens into murderous resentment. He remains with Giuliana through the pregnancy, but the child becomes a symbol of his humiliation. His internal deterioration accelerates as social pressure and his own ego warfare intensify.
Collapse
The innocent child is born. Tullio is confronted with the living embodiment of his failure and Giuliana's autonomy. His last illusions of reconciliation and control die as he looks at the infant.
Crisis
Tullio descends into dark contemplation, consumed by hatred for the innocent child. He recognizes his own moral bankruptcy but cannot escape his obsession with possession and revenge.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Tullio decides to murder the infant by exposing the child to cold, rationalizing it as restoring order and freeing Giuliana to be truly his again - a complete perversion of love into possession.
Synthesis
Tullio executes his plan and the child dies. The aftermath reveals the complete moral void of his actions. Giuliana's grief and the emptiness of his "victory" confront him with the irreversible consequences of his narcissism.
Transformation
Tullio, having destroyed everything, stands alone in his guilt. The sophisticated aristocrat who believed himself above morality is revealed as a murderer and a hollow man, transformed into the very monster his vanity created.