Review of Tea with Mussolini (1999) by Niel K — 12 Jul 2008

They could be infuriatingly stubborn, annoyingly oblivious to reality and stupidly lived in cuckoo-land, but they could also be fearlessly faithful and honest, you can't help to respect and love them. These are the old British ladies living in the 1930's and 1940's Florence, in the brink of the WW II. Their strong-headedness, their upturned-nosedness and their eccentricity earned them the name of the Scorpionis. Headed by Lady Hester Random (played brilliantly by Maggie Smith), the widow of the late British ambassador to Italy, the ladies refused to move out of Italy along with the other British expatriates in Italy, in the believe that Il Duce himself, who had had tea with Lady Hester, would guarantee their safety.

The film 'Tea with Mussolini' (1999) follows the live of young Luca, an orphaned Italian boy who was raised by one of these ladies, before and during the war when the Scorpionis were detained in a small town. When America plunged into the war two American ladies, an American female archeologist and a wealthy American philantrophist, Elsa (played by Cher) were thrown among them as well. Also in their midst were Lady Hester's grandson. The war bring tense moments and scary situations, yet the ladies seem to be unmoved in their believe that life continues as normal, at least for them.

Apparently the film is a semi-autobiographical tale from the early life of director Franco Zeffirelli. It film is very charming and touching although sometimes feel too simple. It bears the marks of those interesting European quirky films. It has powerfull actresses, including Cher, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, who gave brilliant performance. It is definitely very worth watching.