Tea With Mussolini
Set
initially in Florence, Italy, in the 30s and 40s, Tea With Mussolini
shows the beauty and tranquillity of the city and its surroundings
before the intrusion of war. It tells the story of Luca, a boy born
out of wedlock, who is virtually adopted by a group of expatriate
British ladies, locally named “the Scorpioni” for their biting wit
and critical ways. Maggie Smith is formidable as Lady Hester Random,
the leader of the pack. As the story unfolds, war approaches and
rising fascism begins to affect the lives of these ladies, drawn
together by an unbounded love of their Italy and its culture. Judi
Dench plays the dotty but sweet Arabella and Joan Plowright is Mary,
who becomes Luca’s foster mother and instils in him an enduring
love of art and Shakespeare.
Knowing that the story is based on director Franco Zeffirelli’s own experiences only makes it more intriguing. At 75, Zeffirelli is as vital a film maker as he has ever been. Tea With Mussolini is told with great sensitivity but also with a glint in the eye. On the outskirts of the group hovers “Georgie” (Lily Tomlin), an archaeologist who is full of life, flippant and unabashedly lesbian. She provides comic relief along with Elsa, a brash, uninhibited American art-collector played by Cher, at her best. Elsa represents everything that Lady Hester despises but young Luca is taken in by her charm and beauty. He is also forever grateful to her for a fund she sets up for him when she learns of his mother’s death.
In many ways Tea With Mussolini is a serious film about making the right decisions in life and being brave enough to admit your own fallibility. Yet, it is also a humorous drama filled with lively, memorable characters, and a story of the horrors of war. It is one of those films that not only tries to tell us something but actually manages to do so.
Anna Solding
