Vincere

Mar 7

Mar 14

Feb 14

Mar 21

Feb 28

Vincere

Courtesy of IFC Films
Italy, France • 2009 • in Italian & German w/ English subtitles • 128 min • Not Rated

There is a secret in the life of Mussolini: a wife and a son, Benito Albino, who was born, acknowledged and then denied. The secret bears a name: Ida Dalser. It is a dark page in history, one ignored in the official biography of the Duce.

When Ida meets Mussolini in Milan, he is the editor of Avanti! and an ardent Socialist who intends to guide the masses towards an anti-clerical, anti-monarchical, socially emancipated future. Ida truly believes in him and his ideas. In order to finance Il Popolo d’Italia, a newspaper he has founded and the nucleus of the forthcoming Fascist Party, Ida sells everything she has.

When the First World War erupts, Benito Mussolini enrolls in the Army and disappears. When Ida finds him again in a military hospital, he is tended to by Rachele whom he has just married. Ida lashes out at her rival furiously, demanding her rights as Mussolini’s true wife and the mother of his first-born son. She is led away by force.

Club reactions by city:

Mar 7

CINEMETER	69%

46 out of 67 participating members called it excellent or good
69.1% would recommend it • most praised for its Cinematography

moderated by Matthew Bernstein

Seems like a truly fine film – but not for American audiences (other than Italian history students). You really needed more background. You needed to be Italian to really understand it.

Marvelous. Fed my European interest in the 20th century. Dark, but the people and situations were dark! Great acting, editing, music!

Overly stylized, so much so that the story got lost in the look. Beautiful use of shadow, light and color, but unfortunately the drawn out length and overly dramatic direction made the film a miss and mess.

Mar 14

CINEMETER	30%

23 out of 77 participating members called it excellent or good
48% would recommend it • most praised for its Screenwriting

moderated by Brittain Smith
with guest Giovanni Spani, Professor of Italian at the College of the Holy Cross

Such stories need to be told. Kudos to the company for making this film! Visually magnificent. Thank you for showing it.

Very difficult to follow, especially at the beginning. It exhausted me. Much too long. Choppy. Hisorical footage was interesting, but not well-integrated.

Taught me a lot. Never knew this story–thanks!

Feb 14

CINEMETER	70%

63 out of 90 participating members called it excellent or good
92.4% would recommend it • most praised for its Acting

moderated by Rod Armstrong

Visually stunning! A true work of cinematographic art. There is a Gothic splendor to this big mess of a film.

A striking and unique melodrama. Epic yet sharply focused and downright claustrophobic - one can't help but read it somewhat as a metaphor for Italy at the time. I can't decide if I truly loved the film, but won't deny that it was unforgettable.

A 'vincere' for the Cinema Club.

Mar 21

CINEMETER	39%

27 out of 69 participating members called it excellent or good
58% would recommend it • most praised for its Acting

moderated by Harper Barnes

Tedious and confusing. Characterizations were pure overblown melodrama.

Intense and operatic. I loved the concentration on the eyes of the characters and the use of music.

Superb acting, especially by the lead actress. Shows fascism as the shadow of modernism. Exposes the blinding power of seduction and lust for an illusory ideal.

Feb 28

CINEMETER	46%

47 out of 103 participating members called it excellent or good
66% would recommend it • most praised for its Acting

moderated by Peter Brunette

The quintessential Italian tragic opera - masterfully done!

Use of music to stir emotions and set pace, excellent. And Filippo Timi is astoundingly good.

I haven't had this many nap attacks during a movie in a long time. It was 'interesting,' but fairly excruciating to watch. Too disjointed, too difficult to follow, too depressing!