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Tea With Mussolini
**
Cinema
Releases - April 2, 1999
Rated on a 4-star
scale. USA. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Written by John Mortimer and Franco
Zeffirelli; from the autobiographical novel by Franco Zeffirelli. Starring
Baird Wallace, Joan Plowright, Cher, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Charlie Lucas,
Paul Chequer, Tessa Pritchard, Lily Tomlin.
One of the most obvious problems in Franco
Zeffirelli's "Tea With Mussolini" is the lack of clear plotting
or emphasis. It's happy to meander through one of the most intense times
of the twentieth century, and for the most part fails to summon up much passion
-- positive or negative.
If the story is pointless, the focus on the characters
is, for better or worse, much sharper. The main character is Luca (Baird
Wallace), a semi-autobiographical figure for Zeffirelli. The illegitimate
son of a vain, promiscuous businessman, Luca is befriended by a group of
haughty English ladies whilst growing up in Florence in the 1930s and 40s.
When World War Two breaks out, all stay in Italy -- some unable to leave,
but the leader of the pack simply steadfast in a nonsensical determination
that because she once drank tea with Mussolini, and her husband was a diplomat,
no harm can come to any elderly Englishwomen.
Upstaging the action at every turn is beautiful
photography by David Watkin ("Out of Africa"), and good period re-creation,
in the authentic costume design and well-chosen locations. Most of the time,
that action isn't bad, merely uninteresting. If the film -- sunny and innocuous
-- were intended as comedy, maybe I would have enjoyed it more, but in the
way it's made, and at the pace to which the story unfolds, it comes across
as a static drama with infrequent, spasmodic flashes of wit.
The wit sometimes works -- the best moment in
the film comes when a character sees a Knickerbocker Glory, only to say of
Americans: "It's amazing... they can even vulgarise ice cream!" The early
drama plays well, too, with touching illustration of Luca's hard times as
a child. Occasionally, however, I became very annoyed. Zeffirelli's deception
and narcissism has real gall, in that a key plot point is Luca's active
participation in the resistance movement, when the real Zeffirelli was never
involved in any such thing. Nor did I particularly care for the old dears.
Mary, the woman who takes young Luca under her wing, is written with depth
and kindness, but played as weirdly and annoyingly as possible by Joan Plowright,
who ruins yet another good role. Judi Dench's character is a mad scruff,
whose short, quiet moments are always followed up by interminable fits of
hysterical crying. Lady Hester (Maggie Smith) is a character of such idiocy
and arrogance that I view her as simply evil.
Outside this circle is a more refreshing female
presence, flamboyant American playgirl Esta, portrayed in Oscar-worthy fashion
by Cher. But she too is surrounded by irritating morons. One is a crass layabout,
Georgie (Lily Tomlin), whose lesbianism is constantly being pointed out for
no reason, and who dresses like no real human being I've ever seen. Another,
the ineptly conceived reporter Connie (Tessa Pritchard), is a walking bag
of ridiculous clichés from 30s screwball comedies.
Most of these women are morally bankrupt snobs
oblivious to their surroundings, and this is shown without apology. When
the biddies cook up a storm at having to share a house together, or at enemy
soldiers not saying "Goodnight, ladies", the film seems to be on their side,
unaware of the ludicrous audacity. This becomes most sickening in the final
scenes, when brave British soldiers travel from the front line to valiantly
offer the women a safe haven, and are met with bitchy impudence. Some members
of the audience laughed with pride -- I sank in my seat and thought how grateful
the poor young lads in "Saving Private Ryan" would have been for such an
offer.
So unlike "Chariots of Fire", which got me emotionally
involved with people I'd normally run a mile from, "Tea With Mussolini" fails
to humanise its priggish characters. And unlike the recent Oscar-winner "Life
is Beautiful", Zeffirelli's film does not carry much power in showing how
spirits can be kept up even when the world seems to collapse. I'm aware that
there are people like this. I don't want to spend two hours watching
them.
COPYRIGHT© 1999 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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