a naked room and a dead old woman lie on a wooden coffin and across the coffin we see her son . his head down and his face slightly contort . we move in to notice with a chill that he just try to get some dirt from under his fingernail . mersault . visconti mersault inspire by camus mersault . the film be attack in it day and the albert camus purist shout blue murder or bad and they do not say a word . visconti know what he be do . he choose marcelo mastroianni to play mersault . by that choice alone he be depart from camus intention and yet and if you read the book today and see the film today and mastroianni be camus mersault . it be the driest of all visconti film . his toughest . mastroianni give a performance that defy description . if you have see more than once and xxx by choice and i do not promise you that you will surrender and automatically and to the power of this film and but i can assure you that both film belong to the same universe and yours and ours . give it a try . then and you tell me .