| Tea with Mussolini | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Produced by | Clive Parsons Riccardo Tozzi Giovannella Zannoni Frederick Muller Marco Chimenz Pippo Pisciotto |
| Screenplay by | John Mortimer |
| Story by | Franco Zeffirelli (autobiography) |
| Starring | Cher Joan Plowright Judi Dench Maggie Smith Lily Tomlin |
| Music by | Stefano Arnaldi Alessio Vlad |
| Cinematography | David Watkin |
| Editing by | Tariq Anwar |
| Distributed by | G2 Films |
| Release date(s) | 26 March 1999 (Italy) 2 April 1999 (UK) 14 May 1999 (US) & (Canada) |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom Italy |
| Language | English Italian |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $45,566,200 (US only) |
Tea with Mussolini is a 1999 British-Italian[1] semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, telling the story of young Italian boy Luca's upbringing by a circle of English and American women, before and during World War II.
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The film begins in Florence, Italy in 1935, where a group of cultured expatriate British women — called by the Italians the Scorpioni — meet for tea every afternoon. Young Luca (Charlie Lucas) is the illegitimate son of an Italian businessman (Massimo Ghini) who shows little interest in his son's upbringing; the boy's mother, a dressmaker, has recently died. Mary Wallace (Joan Plowright), who works as the man's secretary, steps in to care for him, turning to her Scorpioni friends – including eccentric would-be artist Arabella (Judi Dench) – for support. Together, they teach Luca many lessons about life and especially the arts. Elsa Morganthal (Cher), a brash rich young American widow whom Scorpioni matron Lady Hester Random (Maggie Smith) barely tolerates, sets up a financial trust for Luca when she learns of the death of his mother, whom she was fond of and to whom Elsa still owed money for her dressmaking services.
One day, when the ladies are in a restaurant for afternoon tea, it is vandalized by Fascists, reflecting the increasingly uncertain position of the expatriate community. Lady Hester, widow of Britain's former ambassador to Italy, retains an admiring faith in Benito Mussolini (Claudio Spadaro), and takes it upon herself to visit him, receiving his insincere assurances of their safety, and proudly recounting her "tea with Mussolini". But the political situation continues to deteriorate, and the Scorpioni find their status and liberties diminishing. Luca's father decides that Italy's future is with Germany rather than the United Kingdom, and sends Luca to an Austrian boarding school.
Five years later, Luca (now played by Baird Wallace) returns to Florence with the intention of using Elsa's trust fund to study art. He finds that most British nationals are fleeing the country anticipating Mussolini's declaration of war on Great Britain, and Mary has moved in with Lady Hester and the other English hold-outs. He arrives at the house just as they (and Hester's ineffectual grandson Wilfred (Paul Chequer) disguised as a young woman for his safety) are being rounded up and put onto a transport truck, which he follows to the nearby city of San Gimignano. Because the United States is not at war, Elsa and her American compatriot Georgie Rockwell (Lily Tomlin), an openly lesbian archaeologist, remain free, and Elsa uses Luca to deliver forged orders and funds to have the ladies moved from their distressingly barracks-like quarters to an upper-class hotel. Believing that Mussolini himself issued the orders, Lady Hester is delighted, proudly brandishing the newspaper photo of her tea with Il Duce.
As the war progresses, oppression of Jews starts to grow, and Jewish Elsa – protected somewhat by her citizenship and wealth – provides some Italian Jews with fake passports, further enlisting Luca, who has becoming enamored with her, to deliver them. But Luca becomes jealous when she forms a romantic alliance with Vittorio (Paolo Seganti), a shrewd Italian lawyer.
When the United States enters the war, Elsa and Georgie are interned with the English women. Elsa falls for Vittorio's scheme to embezzle her art collection and money, and which would ultimately deliver her to the German Gestapo in a phony escape to Switzerland. Luca was aware of the deception, but didn't tell anyone, out of jealous spite for Elsa. Mary learns of it from Elsa's art dealer (Mino Bellei) and scolds Luca. His attitude changes, and he gives his trust funds to members of the Italian resistance movement, which Wilfred has joined. But Elsa refuses to believe the betrayal, and is convinced only when Lady Hester, informed by Mary and Luca of what Elsa has secretly done for them, repents of her contempt for Elsa and offers her gratitude and help. Surprised by Lady Hester's change of heart, Elsa believes her and consents to an escape plan hatched by Mary, Luca, and Wilfred. Before she departs, Elsa tells Luca how she once helped his young mother choose to go through with her pregnancy, thus allowing him to be there for her.
Years later, as Scottish Allied troops advance toward San Gimignano, Arabella frantically defends her beloved frescoes from demolition by German troops, and is heroically joined in the line of fire by Georgie and the English women, including Lady Hester. They are saved when the Germans receive orders to retreat, leaving the women and the towers untouched. The city rejoices as the Scots arrive, with Luca now serving as their commander's Italian interpreter. The major has orders to evacuate the Scorpioni, but Lady Hester refuses to cooperate, resolved that they will resume their former lives in Italy. Mary is delighted to see that Luca – now in British uniform – has become the "English gentleman" his father once wished him to become after all.
Closing texts explain the mostly-happy fates of the characters, concluding with the remark that Luca went on to become an artist and "helped in making this film" — i.e., as writer and director.
Lady Hester Random is based upon a real resident of Florence whom Zeffirelli knew in his childhood. Zeffirelli mentions her and a couple of other ladies of the Scorpioni in his autobiography. He said: "I don't remember if she was called Hester, but I remember this terrible, fantastic woman. She was the dowager of the community. I remember the many outrageous things she did because she could afford to be arrogant and bossy."
The film opened tenth at the U.S. box office with $1,633,183 for the weekend, eventually grossing a total of $14,401,563, considerably more than its budget. Cher's previous film in a starring role, Faithful, earned only $2,104,439 in 1996.
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