Prince Leo (Marcello Mastroianni), last in the line of rulers of a long-deposed monarchy on continental Europe and jaded with the frenetic search for kicks with the European jet-set, returns to his father's London town house for rest. With him are social-climber Margaret (Billie Whitelaw), to whom he is engaged, and Laszlo (Vladek Sheybal), who is planning a counter revolution which will restore Leo to the kingship of the monarchy. Leo is shocked to discover the one exclusive neighborhood has degenerated into a ghetto inhabited mainly by poor blacks on the brink of desperation. His nearest neighbors are the Mardi family and their beautiful daughter, Salambo (Glenna Forster Jones), who catches his eye as does her boy friend the procurer Roscoe (Calvin Lockhart.) Using the excuse of watching birds he watches them closely through field glasses with the coolness and detachment of a scientist watching insects under a magnifying glass. When Salambo is forced to become a whore in order to keep her family together, Leo, despite the pleadings of Margaret and Laszlo who has just about finished the steps toward the restoration, does something of which he always though himself incapable.
剧情
意大利红星马塞罗·马斯楚安尼进军国际主演的第一批影片，由当时的英国大导演约翰．保曼执导。作品风格相当晦涩，有些人会觉得故事内容莫测高深，但也有一些亮丽动人的时刻。剧情描述一名被流放的欧洲君主多年后回到伦敦的大宅中居住，该地已变成一个贫民窟，但他却视若无睹，只是一心一意用望远镜赏鸟。直至发现一名女孩子被人强迫去卖淫，他才开始采取行动，自愿照顾女孩，又帮贫民解决生活上的问题。后来君主的侍卫发动叛变，他跟贫民一齐用烟火把大宅烧掉。本片显然有意对欧洲的君主制度和阶级结构有所讽刺，但拍得有点气氛沉重和混乱不清。
编剧
bill stair
george tabori
约翰 保曼
评论
mayfog@@@@@讲英语的marcello mastroianni。难懂的叙事。从旁观者,偷窥者到参与者,毁灭者。
刘池树@@@@@左翼童话片 导演炫技忙
奇诺比奥队友@@@@@厉害 食物那段真的喜欢！那个音轨！表情特写很有趣 喜欢
惧色@@@@@3.5
艾习角™@@@@@左派单纯的一厢情愿的童话。
豆瓣短评
Kubrick is God@@@2014-03-15@@@0@@@补，戛纳最佳导演，好强的政治隐喻，向来钟爱戛纳导演奖作品，不过这次导演部分倒没看出多么强大，马斯楚安尼几乎成了欧洲文艺大导们的金牌御用，群欢的场景又仿佛回到了费里尼片场
Mazzy@@@2012-07-20@@@1@@@望远镜的镜头太漂亮了，像是在看默片，通过这些镜头来叙事的做法很独特。结尾的攻城极富戏剧性。另外，全片的配乐也很出彩。
mayfog@@@2010-07-26@@@0@@@讲英语的Marcello Mastroianni。难懂的叙事。从旁观者，偷窥者到参与者，毁灭者。
丁一@@@2010-04-19@@@0@@@二世后窗观察帝， 旧时王孙堂前鸽， 飞入街头贫民窟。 黑鬼巷战白宫馆， 忽喇喇嘶大厦倾。
刘池树@@@2018-03-04@@@0@@@左翼童话片 导演炫技忙
