DesbUK The Italian Anglophile Franco Zefferelli's endearing account of Englishness in 1930s/40s Italy is amongst his finest films. He co-wrote it with the English writer John Mortimer. It begins in Italy in 1935 at Elizabeth Barret Browning's grave - a symbol which bonds England and Italy. The English expatriates are represented by Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and a compelling Maggie Smith (winning the 1999 Bafta for Best Supporting Actress). Plowright is secretary to an Italian businessman who wants his young son Lucca to grow up to be a proper English gent - so Plowright teaches him Shakespeare and feeds him bacon and eggs. Then the rise of fascism means Lucca must be sent off to Austria. There follows a quite touching scene where the English ladies say goodbye by reciting the St Crispin Day's speech from Henry V at the railway station.The remainder of the drama follows the ladies' fortunes under the dictatorship of Mussolini. Smith's character, Lady Hester, is the widow of a former British ambassador, and does indeed take afternoon tea with Il Duce. The English ladies end up being in-turned but their Englishness remains defiant. During the Allied invasion of Italy, they are liberated by a Scottish regiment. Lady Hester declares: "The Germans and the Italians couldn't get rid of us, so there's no reason why we should surrender to the Scots."

Billyjhobbs-1 That Franco Zeffirelli is a genius when it comes to directing films is a given. In "Tea with Mussolini," not only does he present his genius at directing, but he manages to use a score of what must have been a maven of egos with the assembled cast. Apparently he's good at this as well. This ensemble of actors would make ANY film worth seeing. Set in Italy (primarily in Florence), this "bio-pic" captures the eternal beauty of the country yet at the same time presents the macabre, the unacceptable, the dis-ingenuousness of the political system (Mussolini--what more needs to be said in terms of relegating him to "ogre" status, the little creep!).It is 1935 when we meet "the ladies" (the Scorpioni, they're called, "because they bit," Lily Tomlin says. A group of ex-patriot English women (and two Americans) are living "la dolce vita" in la belle Italia and then the war comes along. Zeffirelli's portrayal of the times, the scene, the inter-dynamics make this a movie that is one not to miss.

Emaisie39 After nearly 20 years as a top pop and television star, Cher suddenly skyrocketed to film stardom in the mid-80's, walked off with an Academy Award, ranked among the top ten box-office stars and just as suddenly disappeared from the big screen in 1991 after one last hit "Mermaids"(1990) cleaned up at cinemas. In 1999 she made a tremendous comeback with a multimillion selling CD "Believe"(Warner Bros, 1998) and most impressively returned to the big screen with a luminous performance in Franco Zefferelli's "Tea With Mussolini"(MGM,1999). Reviews were mixed but after I saw this in the movie theater, I felt the film was rather good. Based on an autobiography by Zefferelli recounting his early years trying to survive the Nazi-Mussolini atrocities of WWII. During this dangerous time Zefferelli was protected by a coterie of socialite dowagers played splendidly by Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Lily Tomlin and of course Cher who was perfectly cast as a gorgeous Jewish chanteuse. The story has some holes and the film was probably edited down too much for its US release that cause some continuity issues but this is overall a charming, thoughtful period piece highlighted by Cher at her latter day peak. Shame this success did not resuscitate her dormant film career. She has made nothing of note since.

Syrchek Tea with Mussolini is a story about several women from England that live in Florence during the prewar era of the 1930's. At this point the story focuses on a young boy named Luca who is abandoned by his only parent, a careless and inconsiderate father and is now an orphan. He is taken into custody by one of the English women, Ms. Wallace. Later the boy is sent to school in Austria which was provided by a close friend of his deceased mother, a wealthy American, Elsa Morganthal. During that time the general atmosphere is getting more and more intense and insecure. Specifically for these women for whom it is no longer safe to dwell in Italy, for they become so-called 'enemy aliens'. The story is quite diverse and it never becomes too messed up. Most of the characters are represented in a fair amount of time. Despite the unkind environment, the only grumbler here turns out to be one of the English women, Lady Hester Random. The one that had tea with Mussolini. It is funny how the film is titled, because the tea part is the least important event in the movie. What seems important here is how these women will get around their disagreements. The war really isn't that important because nobody actually loses anything that would have great value. No, they actually gain a few things, reunite and widen their friendships. What I like about the film is the smooth narrative style, which isn't the least gushy. Nothing special but it evolves the characters in a surprisingly even tempo.But the movie just isn't centered on something specific. You feel as if there isn't even a central character in the story. First I thought the main character would be Luca or Ms. Wallace. The movie isn't even that strong in describing the wartime atmosphere. The best part of it is the optimistic and kind look on life that these women seem to have. It's not one of the best dramas, nor comedies and certainly not war films, but it's worth a look....... 3/5 ......