He arrives at the house just as they – and Hester's ineffectual grandson Wilfred (Paul Chequer), disguised as a young woman for his safety – are being rounded up and put onto a transport truck, which he follows to the nearby Tuscan town of San Gimignano. Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright), who works as the man's secretary, steps in to care for him, turning for support to her Scorpioni friends, including eccentric would-be artist Arabella (Judi Dench). The major has orders to evacuate the Scorpioni but Lady Hester refuses to cooperate, resolved that they will resume their former lives in Italy. Lady Hester Random is based upon a real resident of Florence whom Zeffirelli knew in his childhood. At a home for retired musicians, the annual concert to celebrate Composer Giuseppe Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean (Dame Maggie Smith), an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents. TEA WITH MUSSOLINI follows a group of British and American ladies living in Florence between 1935 and 1944, and their relationship with a local boy … Her stepmother and her half-sisters ... See full summary ». 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. His attitude changes and he gives his trust fund money to members of the Italian resistance movement, which Wilfred has joined. padding: 10px 5px 10px; You watch Downton Abbey/i> too? ''Tea With Mussolini'' belongs to an old-fashioned tradition of escapist moviemaking in which star turns, romance and melodrama are swirled together with … Huggo. “Tea With Mussolini” is based on the semiautobiography of the film’s director and co-screenwriter Franco Zeffirelli. Luca's father decides that Italy's future is with Germany rather than Britain and sends Luca to an Austrian boarding school. Use the HTML below. 2000 – Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards – Best Period Hair Styling Feature; Vivian McAteer. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Maggie Smith as the widow of a former British ambassador, the character that actually has tea with Mussolini, is the dominant figure in the film. When Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies, she finds solace in her trusted servant, Mr. John Brown, but their relationship also brings scandal and turmoil. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Title: An orphaned Italian boy is raised amongst a circle of British and American women living in Mussolini's Italy before and during World War II. Tea with Mussolini Mary and her cultured friends -- including artist Arabella (Judi Dench), young widow Elsa (Cher) and archaeologist Georgie (Lily Tomlin) -- keep a watchful eye over the boy. Tea with Mussolini 1999 | 13+ | 1h 57m | Dramas When a boy's mother dies, a group of Englishwomen living in Italy do everything they can to protect the child and preserve their way of life. November 23, 1999. When the United States enters the war in 1941, Elsa and Georgie are interned with the British women. However Luca becomes jealous when she forms a romantic alliance with Vittorio (Paolo Seganti), a shrewd Italian lawyer. Tea with Mussolini contains few surprises, but this amiably ambling drama is too likable -- and well-cast -- to completely resist. "[citation needed]. Choose Expedited Shipping at checkout for delivery by Friday, April 23. But the political situation continues to deteriorate and the Scorpioni find their status and liberties diminishing. Closing texts explain the mostly happy fates of the characters, concluding with the remark that Luca went on to become an artist and "helped in making this film" – in other words, as writer and director. In 1935 a group of elderly British women, whom the Italians have named the Scorpioni, have chosen Italy, specifically Florence, as a place to live to blend their proper British sensibilities with their love of Italian art and culture. Tea with Mussolini (Italian: Un tè con Mussolini) is a 1999 Anglo-Italian[1] semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli,[2] scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of a young Italian boy's upbringing by a circle of British and American women before and during the Second World War.[2]. Laura Henderson (Dame Judi Dench) buys an old London theater and opens it up as the Windmill, a performance hall which goes down in history for, amongst other things, its all-nude revues. Two sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930s Cornish seaside village. As such, he often runs away looking for his mother. One day when the ladies are in a restaurant for afternoon tea, it is vandalised by Italian Fascists, reflecting the increasingly uncertain position of the expatriate community. All the best people in Europe have empires.’ So affirms the imperious British expat Lady Hester Random (played by Maggie Smith) in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1999 semi-autobiographical film, Tea with Mussolini, to be screened at the British Institute on March 20. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Set and shot in Florence and San Gimignano, the […] Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Elsa consents to an escape plan hatched by Mary, Luca and Wilfred. He finds that most British nationals are fleeing the country, anticipating Mussolini's declaration of war on Great Britain, and that Mary has moved in with Lady Hester and the other English hold-outs. See the fabulous presenters and gracious winners at this year's Oscars. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and TV content across all platforms. Before she departs, Elsa tells Luca how she once helped his young mother choose to go through with her pregnancy, thus allowing him to be there for her. Released by DRG in 1999 containing music from Tea with Mussolini (1999). Tea with Mussolini soundtrack from 1999, composed by Stefano Arnaldi, Alessio Vlad. Elsa still refuses to believe Vittorio's betrayal and is ultimately convinced only when Lady Hester, informed by Mary and Luca of what Elsa has secretly done for all of them, repents of her contempt for Elsa and offers her gratitude and help. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways. His father, a callous businessman, sends him to be taken care of by British expatriate Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright). Zeffirelli mentions her and a couple of other ladies of the Scorpioni in his autobiography. Tea with Mussolini is one of the most popular works by the director Franco Zeffirelli. Rated PG for thematic elements, language, brief nudity and some mild violence, Franco Zeffirelli, Italian creator of sumptuous visuals, dies at 96, Franco Zeffirelli, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Director, Dead at 96. Elsa Morganthal (Cher), a brash rich young American widow whom Scorpioni matron Lady Hester Random (Maggie Smith) barely tolerates, sets up a financial trust for Luca when she learns of the death of his mother, whom she was fond of and to whom Elsa still owes money for her dressmaking services. A film adaptation of Dante's Inferno that was never realized. A depressed housewife whose husband is having an affair contemplates suicide, but changes her mind when she faces death by a killer hired to do her in. One of those Scorpioni, Mary Walsh (Dame Joan Plowright), works as the English secretary for Paolo Innocente (Massimo Ghini), who, in part because of his own wife's adamant refusal, largely neglects his illegitimate adolescent son, Luca (Baird Wallace), despite Paolo's want for Luca to grow up to be a proper young man, much like the English. Tea With Mussolini is Franco Zeffirelli's heartfelt love-letter to British cinema's most dependable export -- indomitable old ladies in white linen. 1999 – Golden Trailer Awards – Best Drama. In 1935 a group of elderly British women, whom the Italians have named the Scorpioni, have chosen Italy, specifically Florence, as a place to live to blend their proper British sensibilities with their love of Italian art and culture. Tea with Mussolini (Italian: Un tè con Mussolini) is a 1999 Anglo-Italian semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of a young Italian boy's upbringing by a circle of British and American women before and during the Second World War. British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Elsa falls for Vittorio's scheme to embezzle her art collection and money, which would deliver her to the German Gestapo in a phony escape to Switzerland. "Tea With Mussolini" is based on an early chapter from his own memoirs and takes place when he was a child. There are four very good reasons to see this film -- … Together, they teach Luca many lessons about life and especially the arts. Cher's performance is the most amazing -- she holds her own in formidable company -- but one expects, of course, to be dazzled by Maggie Smith, Joan Plowwright, Judi Dench and even by Lily Tomlin. Here's our roundup of the best new series of the year so far, and where to watch them. This FAQ is empty. An unlikely group of people find solace and friendship after being thrown together in the wake of a terrorist attack. This DVD omits that ending and leaves the reporter's change in behavior unexplained. On a mutual agreement between Paolo and Mary, Mary becomes Luca's guardian, she who will receive help in raising Luca by her fellow Scorpioni and financial help from Paolo as needed. Tea with Mussolini (1999) Full Cast & Crew Directed by (1) Writing credits (3) The last days of legendary opera singer Maria Callas. The plot of Tea with Mussolini revolves around a … This is one of the beautifully shot movies of its time and features various picturesque locations. Michael Williams, who was married to Judi Dench in real life, died not long after the film was finished. As the war progresses, oppression of Jews increases and the Jewish Elsa – protected somewhat by her citizenship and wealth – provides a group of Italian Jews with fake passports, enlisting Luca – who has become enamored of her – to deliver them. 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. Tea with Mussolini 1999 | 13+ | 1h 57m | Italian Movies When a boy's mother dies, a group of Englishwomen living in Italy do everything they can to protect the child and preserve their way of life. It's nice to get a perspective from those who refused to leave the country during wartime and were subsequently held as political prisoners with less restrictions that you'd actually think. Because the United States is not at war, Elsa and her American compatriot Georgie Rockwell (Lily Tomlin), an openly lesbian archaeologist, remain free. I remember the many outrageous things she did because she could afford to be arrogant and bossy. Franco Zeffirelli borrowed from his own childhood for this joyous tale about British and American expatriates living in WWII Florence. Elsa uses Luca to deliver forged orders and funds to have the ladies moved from their distressingly barracks-like quarters to an upper class hotel. The MGM DVD, ISBN 0-7928-4300-2, is missing least one shot: The original tea with Mussolini scene ends with Mussolini forcing himself upon the reporter, forcing her onto his desk (i.e., he rapes her.) Scripting of the film was done by John Mortimer. 24 of 27 people found this review helpful. Luca has lived in an orphanage since his dressmaker mother's death, death a concept that Luca does not yet understand. Lady Hester, widow of Britain's former ambassador to Italy, retains an admiring faith in Benito Mussolini (Claudio Spadaro) and takes it upon herself to visit him, receiving his insincere assurances of their safety, and proudly recounts her "tea with Mussolini". Believing that Mussolini himself issued the orders, Lady Hester is delighted, proudly brandishing the newspaper photo of her tea with Il Duce. Tea with Mussolini cast list, listed alphabetically with photos when available. Check out the full list of winners. The film opened tenth at the U.S. box office with $1,633,183 for the weekend, eventually grossing a worldwide total of $45,566,200, considerably more than its budget. Set in the period between 1934 and 1945, Tea With Mussolini tells the tale of a group of elderly British ladies who lived in Florence, Italy, during the 30s and 40s. This film marks his last on-screen appearance. They are saved when the Germans receive orders to retreat, leaving the women and the towers untouched. The original soundtrack to Franco Zeffirelli's Tea with Mussolini features compositions by Alessio Vlad and Stefano Arnaldi that complement the film's tale of a young, born-out-of-wedlock boy raised by the "Scorpioni," a group of female expatriates in World War II-era Italy. The film begins in 1935 in Florence, Italy, where a group of cultured expatriate English women – called the "Scorpioni" by the Italians – meet for tea every afternoon. The director and photographer plainly love the city, matching the love for it of the characters. Five years later, Luca (now played by Baird Wallace) returns to Florence with the intention of using Elsa's trust fund to study art. Cher, Smith, Plowright, Tomlin, Dench are all … An epidemic of cholera is hitting the region. However, it isn't long before George unexpectedly enters her life again. Ship This Item — Qualifies for Free Shipping Buy Online, Pick up in Store Check Availability at Nearby Stores. It tells of a boy named Luca (he is supposed to be the director), born out of wedlock to an English clothing designer living in Florence. He said: "I don't remember if she was called Hester, but I remember this terrible, fantastic woman. Written by She was the dowager of the community. Lucy meets George in a Florence pensione and the two share a brief romance before Lucy returns home, where she becomes engaged to Cecil. Add the first question. Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy. As such, he often runs away looking for his mother. Search for "Tea with Mussolini" on Amazon.com, Title: When her fellow. San Gimignano Bell Tower: Where TEA WITH MUSSOLINI was filmed - See 1,386 traveler reviews, 1,120 candid photos, and great deals for San Gimignano, Italy, at Tripadvisor. This page was last edited on 4 April 2021, at 12:45. 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