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Gospel of Il Divo
"Never overdramatize things. Everything can be fixed. Keep a certain detachment from everything. The important things in life are very few." -- former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, whose political career, particularly the events that led to revelations about his ties to the Italian mafia and reported complicity in the murder of a journalist, is dramatized in Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo.
(l. to r.) Seven-times-elected Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti; actor Toni Servillo; Servillo as Andreotti in Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo.
Wisdom, or a semblance of same, sometimes comes from very odd places. There's nothing very admirable about the Andreotti portrayed in Il Divo -- an uptight, coldly calculating Machievellian politician of the highest (or lowest, as the case may be) order. But since hearing the above lines during Thursday night's screening, I haven't been able to shake them. It's almost become a kind of mantra to me. A way of fending off life's unruliness that I've considered and agreed with in discussions from time to time, but hearing the above spoken by actor Toni Servillo (whose performance as Andreotti is somewhere between a marvel and a hoot) led to some kind of "aha!" moment.
Since Thursday night I have become, as far as this approach to life is concerned, an Andreotti convert of sorts. As far as dealing with life's hassles is concerned. Be cool, don't get all cranked up, there's always a way through it. Call me Darth Implacable.
I seem to recall Oliver Stone saying something to the effect that the experience of making Nixon led him to admire or at least appreciate some of the virtues of Richard Nixon. The big-time politicians with the darkest souls have frequently passed along some very choice pearls, it seems. The wit and wisdom of Ferdinand Marcos, Josef Stalin, Pol Pot, etc.
Il Divo hasn't a prayer of betting distributed in the States. As Variety's Jay Weissberg noted in his 5.23 review, the film's "sole drawback is that non-locals will feel inundated by names, most of which are familiar only to Italo auds...this is a brave, bold film whose chances of international success are relatively small, but whose ramifications are huge."
He called Il Divo "a masterpiece for Sorrentino...an intensely political film so wildly inventive and witty that it will become a touchstone for years to come. Pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Servillo."
I knew I was seeing something intensely audacious and stylistically exciting, but the political arena it depicts is so dry and complex and wholly-unto-itself that gradually the film makes you feel as if you're lying in an isolation tank. Most of the journos I spoke to after the screening expressed admiration for it, but at the same time confessed they weren't all that drawn in, a result of the syndrome Weissberg described.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 24, 2008 at 8:21 AM
comment #1
gruver1
says ...
See? Zero interest. Not a damn remark about this film or the Andreotti quote or anything. No reference points for anyone stateside, no echoes...flatline. Which is why Sorrentino's striking film, which is certainly worth a viewing, probably won't open in the U.S.
Posted by gruver1
at May 25, 2008 3:43 AM
comment #2
nemo
says ...
I confess the name Giulio Andreotti didn't mean a thing to me. But when I looked up his Wikipedia entry last night, I couldn't believe I'd never heard of him. He sounds like Richard Nixon and the old Mayor Daley raised to the nth degree, but with more organized crime connections and more verbal wit.
The article explains the movie title: "He is called sometimes Divo Giulio (from Latin Divus Iulius, "divine Julius", an epithet of Julius Caesar) because of his authority and importance . . ."
Besides the "never over-dramatize" quotation, Andreotti also said: "You sin in thinking bad about people — but, often, you guess right."
His opponents in Italy often call him Belzebù (Beelzebub).
There is also a popular joke about a fellow member of his party encouraging Andreotti to attend the funeral of a judge who specialized in prosecuting the Mafia and was assassinated by the mafia. Andreotti's friend said to him: "The State must give an answer to the Mafia, and you are one of the top authorities in it!". To which Andreotti answered puzzled, "Which one do you mean?"
It's a short article, but there's more there about not only Andreotti's possible involvement in the murder of the journalist, but also the murder in prison of a banker and felon. He is also strongly suspected of impeding rescue attempts of Aldo Moro, the prime minister who was kidnapped in the 70s by the Red Brigade, held for two months, then murdered. Andreotti may have impeded the rescue attempts since Moro was a hated rival.
Spoiler alert -- Andreotti was actually convicted in 2002 of his role in the death of the journalist and sentenced to 24 years at age 83, although the conviction was later overturned.
There is also a great picture of Andreotti hanging out with Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon at the White House in 1973 -- a portrait of three powerful scumbags.
I only know about contemporary Italian politics comes from the wonderful Andrea Camilleri detective novels and from some 1970s movies such as Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and The Spider's Strategem. Thanks for telling us about this film, I'm looking forward to it, if I can find it in the US.
Posted by nemo
at May 25, 2008 7:48 AM
comment #3
nola
says ...
It's getting harder and harder for foreign films in the U.S. It seems like there were more released back in the late 80s/into the 90s. Am I wrong? MIRAMAX used to distribute quite a few of them.
The only reason I know about this film is because I live in Rome now and there is a lot of press here about it and GOMMORAH.
Posted by nola
at May 25, 2008 12:25 PM
comment #4
nycfilmguy28
says ...
I would absolutely love to see this film distributed in the US... simply because I'm very curious to see it. I love Italian cinema and wish more of it made its way over to our screens. Foreign films are so much better at exploring the intersections of the personal and the political (I'm thinking of The Lives of Others, The Barbarian Invasions, The Best of Youth), rather than grandstanding like most movies about American politics. I hope at least some small distributor picks this up for release in NY and LA and on DVD.
Posted by nycfilmguy28
at May 25, 2008 12:47 PM
comment #5
JosephB
says ...
I find this type of film fascinating. Hopefully, with it's win of the festival jury prize, it might make it to American screens. There's a fantastic documentary called "Excellent Cadavers" by Italian director Marco Turco that explores the relationship in the 70's and 80's between Italian politics and the mafia. It's a compelling expose with tons of names, dates and murders that begins to make you scratch your head because SO much is going on, and it sounds like "Il Divo" has the same hump to get over. But if you invest time with it, it's a great documentary. Problem is, I don't know how many audience-goers are willing to invest that much in a film. Here's hoping for the best for "Il Divo".
Posted by JosephB
at May 25, 2008 4:22 PM
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