Il divo (film)

Il divo (Italian pronunciation: [il ˈdiːvo], The Celebrity[3] or more literally The Divine,[4] from Latin divus, god) is a 2008 Italian biographical drama film directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It is based on the figure of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. It competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, where it was awarded the Jury Prize. The film also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Makeup at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010.

Il divo
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPaolo Sorrentino
Produced byFrancesca Cima
Fabio Conversi
Maurizio Coppolecchia
Nicola Giuliano
Andrea Occhipinti
Written byPaolo Sorrentino
StarringToni Servillo
Anna Bonaiuto
Piera Degli Esposti
Paolo Graziosi
Giulio Bosetti
Flavio Bucci
Carlo Buccirosso
Music byTeho Teardo
CinematographyLuca Bigazzi
Edited byChristiano Travagliolo
Distributed byLucky Red
Release date
Running time
110 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian
Budget$6.7 million[1]
Box office$11,260,366[2]

Synopsis

The film presents the story of Giulio Andreotti, a seven-time prime minister of Italy notorious for his alleged ties to the Mafia. The narration covers Andreotti's seventh election in 1992, his failed bid for the presidency of the Italian Republic, the Tangentopoli bribe scandal and his trial in 1995.

As the film opens, Giulio Andreotti gives an inner monologue observing how he has managed to survive his tumultuous political career while his various detractors have died. A montage shows the murders of various people connected to Andreotti, including journalist Mino Pecorelli, Carabinieri general Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, bankers Michele Sindona and Roberto Calvi, and former prime minister Aldo Moro.

Cast

Soundtrack
Il Divo
Film score by
Teho Teardo
Released2008
GenreFilm music
Length64:21
LabelUniversal
ProducerTeho Teardo

In 2008, the film score for Il Divo was composed by Teho Teardo and released on compact disc Universal in Italy. The soundtrack has not been released locally in North America or the United Kingdom and is only available by import.[5]

Track listing
  1. Fissa lo sguardo – Teho Teardo
  2. Sono ancora qui – Teho Teardo
  3. I miei vecchi elettori – Teho Teardo
  4. Toop Toop – Cassius
  5. Che cosa ricordare di lei? – Teho Teardo
  6. Un'altra battuta – Teho Teardo
  7. Il cappotto che mi ha regalato Saddam – Teho Teardo
  8. Notes for a New Religion – Teho Teardo
  9. Gammelpop – Barbara Morgenstern & Robert Lippok
  10. Non ho vizi minori – Teho Teardo
  11. Ho fatto un fioretto – Teho Teardo
  12. Possiedo un grande archivio – Teho Teardo
  13. Double Kiss – Teho Teardo
  14. Nux Vomica – The Veils
  15. Il prontuario dei farmaci – Teho Teardo
  16. La corrente – Teho Teardo
  17. 1. Allegro Flute concerto in D major(Il gardellino) – Antonio Vivaldi
  18. Pavane, Op.50 – Gabriel Fauré
  19. Da, da, da, ich lieb' Dich nicht, Du liebst mich nicht – Trio
  20. E la chiamano estate – Bruno Martino

The film features also:

Themes

Andreotti's win as an incumbent Prime Minister also reveals the theme of "Particracy, (partitocrazia) or rule by parties" in Italian politics - meaning the rule of Italian politics being strongly influence by a single dominant group of players who govern independent of the will of the voters.[6] Some may argue that a new trend of populism rose in the politics of many European countries during the late 20th century, resulting in "a new breed of radical right-wing parties and movements" which gain majority favor through "charismatic leadership" and an appeal to "popular anxieties prejudices and resentments".[7] In the movie, Andreotti served as Prime Minister multiple terms and some argue that he and many other political actors in Italy utilize what is termed “soft populism” which utilizes outlets such as media to appeal to the popular masses.[8] However, in the movie, Andreotti does not seem to emphasize any specific policies nor even campaign. Through the portrayal of Andreotti, the movie displays how political actors are able to maintain their power/position with little to no explanation as to how they did so. Also, the inability to completely distinguish whether Andreotti was or was not affiliated with the mafia murders conveys the lack of clarity in the mechanics of Italy's government. Andreotti's incumbency reveals pentapartito, which consisted of five parties ranging from the right wing to center-right parties. This coalition formed essentially to prevent a left majority and was able to maintain a majority by strategic methods of give and take. By maintaining this system of taking turns, a “systematic corruption” formed where parties were no longer driven by the masses, but rather by their aligned parties, resulting in “exchanging resources”.[9]

Critical reception

Il Divo received mostly positive reviews from critics. As of 14 December 2009, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported 44 positive reviews and 4 negative, giving the film a 92% critical approval rating.[10]

In Peter Brunette's review for The Hollywood Reporter, he praises the movie, pointing out the capacity of entertaining, the brilliant acting and the quality of the soundtrack. He notes that the movie will probably not have a great success outside Italy.[11] The same elements emerge from the review of Jay Weissberg from Variety, who define the movie a masterpiece that will become a comparison stone for the years to come.[12]

Andreotti himself walked out of the movie and dismissed the film, stating that it was "too much" and that he would be, in the end, judged "on his record".[13] Massimo Franco, a biographer of Andreotti, related that upon seeing the film "he was angry, calling it scurrilous." But a few days later, wrote Franco, Andreotti was joking cynically that, "I'm happy for the producer. And I'd be even happier if I had a share of the takings."[14]

Accolades

Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano were nominated for Best Achievement in Makeup for the 82nd Academy Awards. The film was nominated for the Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

References
  1. Povoledo, Elisabetta (9 July 2008). "Cannes Success Gives Italian Cinema a Boost". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  2. "2008 Overseas Total Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. 4 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  3. "divo² in Vocabolario - Treccani". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  4. "divo¹ in Vocabolario - Treccani". www.treccani.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  5. "Amazon.com: Il Divo: Teho Teardo, Finn Andrews, Franco / Zanin, Laura / Martino, Bruno Califano, Cassius, Gabriel Faure, Guido Krawinkel, Barbara Morgenstern, Teho Teardo, Antonio Vivaldi, Charles Dutoit, Doug Pearce, Lee Leibowitz, Patrick Gallois, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, CJ McCloud, Remy Dault, Susan Rosenthal, Alexis Fletcher, Bruna Fantini: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  6. Spotts and Wiesser, Frederic and Theodor (1986). Italy: A Difficult Democracy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 4, 5. ISBN 978-0521315111.
  7. Betz, Hans-Georg (1 January 2001). "Exclusionary Populism in Austria, Italy, and Switzerland". International Journal. 56 (3): 393–420. doi:10.2307/40203575. JSTOR 40203575.
  8. Ruzza, Carlo; Fella, Stefano (2011). "Populism and the Italian Right". Acta Politica. 46 (2): 158–179. doi:10.1057/ap.2011.5.
  9. Bull, Martin; Rhodes, Martin (1997). "Between crisis and transition: Italian politics in the 1990s". West European Politics. 20: 1–13. doi:10.1080/01402389708425172.
  10. "Il Divo Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  11. Peter Brunette (23 May 2008). "Il Divo". The Hollywood Reporter. hollywoodreporter.com. Archived from the original (Web) on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  12. Jay Weissberg (23 May 2008). "Il Divo" (Web). Variety. variety.com. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  13. Andreotti: why I walked out of my own biopic, The Times, 17 March 2009
  14. "John Hooper talks to the former Italian PM Giulio Andreotti about his links to the mafia". the Guardian. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
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