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Tea With Mussolini
Genre | Drama |
Format | AC-3, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Letterboxed, Color, Full Screen, Widescreen |
Contributor | Joan Plowright, Paul Chequer, Paolo Seganti, Lily Tomlin, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Claudio Spadaro, Cher, Franco Zeffirelli, Massimo Ghini, Mino Bellei, Baird Wallace, Charlie Lucas, John Mortimer See more |
Language | English, French |
Runtime | 1 hour and 57 minutes |
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Product Description
Product Description
Here is a drama with comic accents about a group of British & American travelers going to Italy in 1935. Luca (Charlie Lucas) is a boy living in Florence whose family situation is precarious at best. Fortunately, he's a welcome guest with Mary (Joan Plowright), Lady Hester (Maggie Smith), Arabella (Judi Dench), Elsa (Cher) and Georgie (Lily Tonlin). They enjoy all Italy has to offer and their initial response to the rise of fascism is to arrange a meeting with Mussolini and make sure he means well. (1995) 116 minutes.
Amazon.com
In filming this semi-autobiographical account of life in Italy during the dawn of World War II, director Franco Zeffirelli imbues Tea with Mussolini with the mixed blessings of fond reminiscence. It's a warmly inviting film, as impeccable as any Merchant-Ivory production, but like a hazy memory it's uncertain in its narrative intentions. And yet with an exceptional cast to compensate, the film's as engaging as it is inconsequential.
Zeffirelli's alter ego is Luca (Charlie Lucas in youth; Baird Wallace as a teenager), who is raised in Florence by Mary (Joan Plowright), the middle-aged secretary of his absentee father. Luca lives among a loose band of British and American women, nicknamed "Il Scorpioni" for their stinging wit in the shadows of Mussolini's thuggish dictatorship. Along with Mary there's Hester (Maggie Smith), a crusty ambassador's widow; Arabella (Judi Dench), a lively bohemian; lesbian archaeologist Georgie (Lily Tomlin); and Elsa (Cher), a flamboyant American who quietly finances Luca's education.
Il Scorpioni witness the rise of fascism and the dangers of resistance, weathering dictatorial custody and (in Elsa's case) falling prey to heartbreaking betrayal. But Tea with Mussolini carries little dramatic weight; you have to forgive its unfocused structure to appreciate its merits. Zeffirelli gently conveys the passage from pleasantry to wartime, and he's drawn uniformly fine performances from this seasoned cast. If the film is vaguely unsatisfying, it's only because it had the makings of greatness and settles instead for an ethereal quality of anecdotal enchantment. --Jeff Shannon
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.66:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.4 ounces
- Item model number : 907918
- Director : Franco Zeffirelli
- Media Format : AC-3, NTSC, Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Letterboxed, Color, Full Screen, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 57 minutes
- Release date : April 3, 2012
- Actors : Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Cher, Lily Tomlin
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Studio : 20th Century Fox
- ASIN : 630560097X
- Writers : Franco Zeffirelli, John Mortimer
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #18,148 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #2,916 in Drama DVDs
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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With Maggie Smith and Judi Dench in the cast, comparisons to Merchant-Ivory's "A Room With A View" and "Downton Abbey" are inevitable. Of the three, I think this film is the least convincing in setting it's period. To me, much of the film seems to be a period costume performance in Florence, than a depiction of 1940's Florence. That said, it's a Zefferelli film, and it is pretty to look at. The costumes are gorgeous, and it shows some good shots of Florence streets and piazzas.
While I purchased this film, it was more as a "souvenir" of Florence---had it taken place elsewhere, I probably would not have made such a commitment. I recommend this as a rental. The problem is, you can't. Not on Amazon or Netflix-Streaming. It's not available. I had to go to VuDu to watch it. Sadly, our rapid acceptance of new technology has sunk much of the video rental business before the Studios and Streamers have worked out the copyright details and thus, all too often, gaps appear, with few brick and mortar options available to fill the void. If you can find it, I think you'll enjoy it.
Top reviews from other countries
It has nothing to do with Opera which is how he became famous, but shows how a group of Middle class women with an interest in the Art around them, managed to foster an all but orphaned boy through until he could sho his gratitude.
Based on the autobiography of Zeffirelli, no doubt these women, or Scorpione as the locals called them, were real, had guts, loved Art, and loved this child until he became an artistic genius whilst WWII waged around them.
Funny in places, sad in others, and refreshing as Zeffirelli once a teenager, helps one of his Jewish stepmothers to escape from the Nazi's.
J'ai été suffisamment critique à l'égard de Franco Zeffirelli en d'autres occasions (sa manière de charcuter et d'amputer les oeuvres littéraires et les opéras qu'il adapte à l'écran m'horripile), mais l'impartialité m'oblige ici à saluer le très grand metteur en scène qu'il peut aussi être. En mettant en scène ses souvenirs d'enfant grandissant dans la Florence des années 30-40, il réussit non seulement son meilleur film, mais aussi un must absolu que tout amoureux du cinéma se doit de voir (je ne parle pas de cinéphiles grincheux, mais de tous ceux qui, comme moi, aiment les beaux et bons films tout simplement).
Et si vous aimez les grands numéros d'actrices, alors vous serez comblés : on réalise ici (comme dans «Mask» de Bogdanovitch, pour lequel elle fut primée à Cannes en 85) que Cher est une magnifique actrice. Son numéro d'Américaine richissime et excentrique qui cache un coeur d'or est éblouissant. Face à elle, trois «vieilles» actrices anglaises tout simplement géniales : Maggie Smith, Judi Dench et Joan Plowright... On sait que ce sont de grandes, grandes actrices, et dans ce film, il est impossible de les départager et de dire laquelle est la meilleure (nul besoin de le faire, d'ailleurs). Mentionnons aussi Lily Tomlin, excellente comme toujours. Sacré casting vous en conviendrez. A regarder impérativement en anglais pour savourer les différences d'accent et de ton entre les héroïnes américaines et les anglaises (une bonne partie des répliques est en italien), mais les sous-titres français permettent de suivre la trame très aisément. Si vous ne l'avez pas encore vu, n'hésitez pas, et je vous souhaite bien du plaisir à visionner ce petit bijou.