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MovieMail's Review
The film's subject matter - a biopic of the Italian politician Giulio Andreotti - may not sound exciting but Michael Brooke assures you that Paolo Sorrentino's latest is something extraordinary.
With The Consequences of Love and The Family Friend, Paolo Sorrentino has already staked a strong claim to being one of the most accomplished and intriguing directors in modern Italian cinema – but this extraordinary film pushes his career onto an altogether higher plane.
On paper Il Divo sounds decidedly prosaic: a biopic of the veteran Italian politician Giulio Andreotti doesn’t exactly set pulses racing, and surely the notoriously Byzantine machinations of postwar Italian politics (especially the anti-corruption ‘tangentopoli’ investigations of the early 1990s) would demand a lengthy miniseries rather than a two-hour film? But Sorrentino defies expectations from the start with a series of Mafia-inspired assassinations and bravura visual flourishes straight out of GoodFellas.
What have these got to do with Andreotti? Well, the film can’t spell anything out (the man is still alive, and although Sorrentino cheekily shows him claiming that he’s never sued anyone, there’s always a first time), but it’s made abundantly clear that climbing the greasy pole of Italian public life not only involves living wildly and ostentatiously beyond your means but also forging links with some very shady characters whose testimony might later prove devastating.
The film opens with an onscreen glossary and identifies dozens of characters with one-line biographical sketches, but don’t worry about the intimidating amount of detail: it’s there purely to swirl around Toni Servillo’s riveting performance in the title role (‘Il Divo’ is one of Andreotti’s more printable nicknames). Although literally at the centre of almost every scene, Andreotti seems weirdly detached from the proceedings, letting his ‘faction’ fight his battles for him and carry the can for any failures. He belies the national stereotype by regulating his life to the nearest millisecond, something gleefully mocked when he’s taken aback by an encounter with a cat whose different-coloured eyes momentarily pierce his very soul. Small wonder that his only true confidant is his priest, though he’ll probably take his darkest secrets to the grave. Has Andreotti seen the film? Oh yes, says Sorrentino proudly, and he was absolutely livid. Now that’s an endorsement worth any number of glowing poster quotes.
Additional interviews with director Paolo Sorrentino
Special effects featurette
Deleted Scenes
Trailer.
Film Description
A riveting tale of political intrigue and organised crime, based on the extraordinary life of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, whose long career was dogged by persistent accusations of conspiracy, Mafia connections and state-sponsored terror.
