Tea with Mussolini (1999)

Tea with Mussolini presents a semi-autobiographical story that is finely crafted and meticulously told. His biological father’s disinterest causes Luca (the director, as a boy) to be taken in by the man’s secretary and a circle of art-loving English expatriate women in Florence, Italy known as the “Scorpions.” The brash American heiress Elsa (Cher) secretly sets up a trust fund for Luca’s education and all the women (esp. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) teach him their indelible love of culture and art. As Fascists multiply and security devolves, the women insist on speaking their minds directly with Benito Mussolini over tea; his unctuous reassurance of a personal interest in their safety is apparently insincere, but the former British ambassador’s widow (Smith) retains her admiration and faith in him to nearly the last. Ultimately, as war looms and Jews are being rounded up, the truth becomes apparent and secret steps must be taken to safeguard their lives. Ultimately, the women’s pluck and grit carry them to a final defense of their adopted city and its treasures, and Luca returns to them full circle. The revelations that arise across the intervening years’ developments ring a clarion call for free will, courage, and faith in humanity. It is much better than The Grass Harp meets Miracle at St. Anna. Enjoy! 5 stars. (4-27-2016)