Film Review
Director Franco Zeffirelli draws on his childhood recollections of life
in Fascist Italy to deliver one of his most intimate films, a tale of
war-time resistance in the face of adversity that brims with charm and
humanity. Beautifully scripted by John Mortimer (the celebrated
British writer and humorist, best known for his Rumpole stories),
Tea with Mussolini is as visually
striking and life-affirming as much of Zeffirelli's previous work, but
with a touch of bitter irony. With the help of an extraordinary
ensemble cast it exposes the brutality of Mussolini's regime through
the almost surreal experiences of a group of genteel but by no means
easily cowed old dears who appear to be the living embodiment of
Churchillian resolve. Apart from a few scenes which are marred by
some awkward mawkishness, the film is intensely true to life and offers
the most enchanting and touchingly humorous tribute to the resilience
of the human spirit.
A film that can boast the combined talents of Judi Dench, Joan
Plowright and Maggie Smith can hardly go wrong, and ably supported by
Mortimer's witty and humane screenplay, all three actresses are at
their scene-stealing best, collectively making as tough and formidable an opponent as
Il Duce ever faced. Too often crow-barred into films on account
of her celebrity as a singer, Cher is a perfect casting choice for the
part of the brash, art-loving American who comes to the rescue of the
staunch old troopers - her performance (particularly in the later
scenes, when her character's world comes crashing down about her) is
one that even her most fierce detractors will have difficulty
faulting. The highly capable supporting cast includes Michael
Williams (Dench's husband and frequent acting partner) in his final
film appearance before his death in 2001.
Tea with Mussolini was a notable
critical and commercial hit in 1999 and earned Maggie Smith the Best
Supporting Actress award at the BAFTAs in 2000. An unconventional
but captivating tale of resistance, survival and broken illusions, it
is easily one of Franco Zeffirelli's warmest and most engaging films.
© James Travers 2012
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Film Synopsis
Florence, Italy, 1935. A group of harmless old English ladies,
known by the locals as the Scorpioni, live in happy exile, meeting up
to take tea together every afternoon. These include Mary
Wallace, a hard-working secretary who is trying to persuade her
employer to adopt his illegitimate son, Luca. After the death of
the boy's mother, Mary takes it upon herself to look after him, and is
pleasantly surprised when the rich American widow Elsa Morganthal
(detested by the other Scorpioni on account of her wealth and
vulgarity) puts some money in trust for Luca's future. After a
Fascist attack disturbs one of their afternoon get-togethers, Lady
Hester Random, the widow of a former British ambassador, pays a
personal call on the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, who offers his
assurance that no harm will come to her or any other British
national. Five years later, Italy has thrown its lot in with Nazi
Germany and the country is at war with Great Britain. Having
refused to return to their home country, the Scorpioni are rounded up
and are taken to the small Tuscan town of San Gimignano, where they are
effectively treated as prisoners of war. Being an American, Elsa
is still at liberty and uses her money to buy more comfortable
accommodation for the old ladies, whilst using Luca as a messenger boy
to deliver fake passports to Italian Jews. When America enters
the war, Elsa, who is also a Jew, ends up being interned with the
Scorpioni. She plans to escape to America, with a passport
supplied by her lover Vittorio, but Luca discovers that she is about to
walk into a death trap...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.