Il Divo

Oh, those Italians! Paolo Sorrentino bids fair to join the ranks of Scorsese and Coppola, not to mention Fellini and Visconti. This autopsy on recent Italian politics through the character of Giulio Andreotti -- three-time prime minister, with high cabinet posts in four other governments, and currently at 90 still Senator for Life as he was appointed in 1991, despite conviction and then reversal for association with Mafia murders – is both opulent spectacle and sly comedy. Much of the politics and personalities will be highly confusing to the uninitiated, but the film includes a visual clue for American audiences as a key to understanding. There is a brief glimpse of a photo of the real Andreotti sitting next to Nixon in the awkward flesh. Just as an Italian wouldn’t be able to follow every Haldeman or Liddy in some film about Watergate, an American can’t follow all the factions and conflicts in Italian governments’ deadly dance with the Church and Mafia. But the central character, embodied stiffly but evocatively by Toni Servillo, inhabits the halls of power in a convincing manner. Even if one does not comprehend the political maneuvering going on, the scenes set in the Italian parliament, for example, make for a fascinating spectacle, with all the filmmaking stops pulled out for operatic effect. The eye candy carries the day even when the intellect struggles to keep up. (2009, dvd.) *7* (MC-81)