Il Divo [Region 2]

So much about Andreotti and his political life is, idk, no one could make this up! Talk about a villain! Very apropos for present American politics. I'm Italian, and can say that Italian politics is a never-ending series of disasters.

In life Guilio Andreotti was an enigma. More precisely, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Outwardly the most unassuming of persons, diminutive, quiet and complacent. In his obituary the Economist called him “The Keeper of Secrets” and a “Sphinx.” What did he know? According to this movie, quite a lot, maybe too much. He was apparently the puppet-master behind every major scandal or political killing in late 20th Century Italy, including the assassination of Aldo Moro.A movie treatment of such a character could have easily failed due to the extreme blandness of the main protagonist. This movie does not. Il Divo (“the divine”) is the best political drama to come out in many years. It convincingly and dramatically portrays not only the sinister, secretive psyche of Andreotti, but engagingly shows the Byzantine, labyrinthine, raucous, rough and tumble nature of Italian politics, where alliances and allegiances are made and broken by the minute, and shows the complex relationships Andreotti carried out in his personal and political cohorts life. It also successfully shows how amid the chaos and uproar, Andreotti always emerged unscathed, even when he was tried for murder. The Teflon Prime Minister.It is also a portrait of a tortured soul. Andreotti in life suffered from migraines all his professional political career. His placid external, calm demeanor and whispering voice was due no doubt that if he were to spoke too loud he would fall apart. That persona betrayed the horrorshow that lurked below. The film implies, but does not actually posit, that these migraines were the result of the tremendous conflict and pressure of being a part of so many sordid political adventures.There is a definite surrealistic feel to this movie, a fitting complement to the character it portrays. (A possible spoiler): Andreotti apparently resorted to acupuncture treatments to treat his migraines. In the very beginning of the film the camera freezes on the face of Andreotti, his face full of needles.This very first scene sets the tone of the entire movie. The soundtrack vacillates between pop songs and eerie tonal ambient pieces, which is entirely consistent with Andreotti’s creepy visage.The movie succeeds so well because director Sorrentino has skillfully chosen to employ both documentary-like features and dramatic portrayal to the story of Guilio Andreotti. The docu-drama features of this movie feeding the audience with intermittent banners telling the story of those associated with Andreotti is absolutely necessary. Of all of the political leaders of Western Europe, Andreotti was perhaps the most unfamiliar. He attended along with the other leaders whenever a G7 Conference was convened. But he was also the most unnoticeable among the politicians, and almost always the most diminutive figure. President Clinton and ValeryGistard D’Estaing, both of whom are tall people, towered over him.Most do not know of him, and don’t know of him still, and this is the way he would have wanted it. You’ll get the complete picture when seeing this movie.

A brilliant film based on the complex and enigmatic character of Andreotti, and Italy itself. The Italian political scene during the Christian Democrats' reign was rife with clientelism, corruption and terrorism. Servillo's portrait of Andreotti is appropriately ambiguous and opaque. The primary strength of this film is Sorrentino's masterful direction, settings, framing, film composition and montage. Plus, any film that can successfully incorporate Trio's 'da da da' into a soundtrack predominately composed of classical music deserves commendation. Bravo!!!

This movie is about a notion of power---Catholic and authoritarian embodied in the most famous Primer Minister of Italy until the 1990s. The exercise of political power is exposed in all its ugliness, alliances, betrayals, contradictions, unjustice. Power as it were capable of existing without the people's legitimacy. Power as a game played at the highest spheres of Italian politics that after all only concerns the political caste. Prostitutes, dancers, and feathers are the background to a party where important things are still being decided while a young mulatto woman sensually dances or sings in the background.If you follow Italian politics, this is a penetrating analysis of an Italian political figure that sheds light on the nature of Italian politics themselves. That is, it goes beyond the psedo biographical.It is an outstanding job that makes you feel like there is hope for Italian cinema after Fellini.

This movie is brilliant in every aspect - acting, casting , direction, script writing, scenery - and is extremely absorbing. It is about a former Prime Minister of Italy who may (or may not) have had his faults. The Director of the movie puts a hit on the former PM, which may (or may not) be justified. The movie appears to be historically correct - if suspicions can be counted as facts. The politician is brought to trial a number of times but is always acquitted - to the fury of people like the Director of the movie. The movie is witty, even funny - if you have no political opinions. This reviewer found it to be continually entertaining. It is definitely worth buying and saving.

Amazingly quotable and had me looking up this history of this man’s deeds (or misdeeds) during his time in power. Very intelligently written and acted

Could not watch it to the end. Lots of pretty scenes, but the movie was hard to follow. I did not care about a single person in the movie. At the time I ordered it I thought it was a documentary, but it is a docudrama.

The film has all the elements which few years later made the director Paolo Sorrentino the winner of the Golden Globe and the Oscar for The Great Beauty (La grande belezza). Great screenplay, exceptional cinematography,interesting mixture of documentary style and highly stylized, almost Greek drama makes this political film totally contemporary and universal.Tony Servillo - possibly the best actor in Italy and one of the best in the world makes his character - the Prime Minister of Italy Giulio Andreotti - mysterious, dangerous and in the same time a tragic figure.

seppur datato è un ottima parodia del periodo in causa ottimo il servizio amazon come sempre

... von Regisseur Paolo "The Young Pope" Sorrentino, welcher hier ein ganz und gar außergewöhnliches Meisterwerk vorlegt.Bei diesem Kunstwerk handelt es sich für mich nicht um den ersten, und wohl auch nicht um den letzten italienischen Film, welchen ich mindestens zweimal sehen will/ muss.Auch wenn dieser Film in einer mir völlig fremden Welt angesiedelt ist, brachte er mir schon beim erstmaligen Sehen/ Hören all die Emotionen rüber, auf die es in einer großen Geschichte ankommt. Sehr gute Dialoge/ Monologe, dunklere, aber prächtige Kulissen und passende, teils traumhafte Musik tragen dazu bei.Im Gegensatz zu manch anderen hier, die nur ein, zwei Sternlein vergeben, finde ich, dieser Film erzählt eine konsequente Geschichte. Freilich folgt diese nicht dem üblichen Muster, und wird collagenhaft zusammengeführt.Um die Zusammenhänge besser verstehen zu können, empfiehlt es sich zudem mal ins Bonusmaterial zu sehen.

Thanks

Una de las películas italianas más importantes de los últimos tiempos. Totalmente imprescindible para los amantes del buen cine y más que recomendada para aquellos que quieran entender la reciente historia de Italia.Formalmente es una joya. Bien escrita e interpretada. De lo mejor.

A film that focuses solely on one of modern Italy's most enigmatic politicians but only a small part of that life, from when his seventh premiership started through to when that government quickly collapsed and he failed in a bid for the then vacant Italian presidency, followed by his indictment and trial for Mafia murder connections as the major Mafia trials started due to the prior efforts of the recently assassinated state prosecutor Falcone . Like many other UK viewers I had only a general basic knowledge of Italian politics so had to watch the film a few times before the characters and their names became familiar enough that the plot started to make sense. Well, sense in that whatever has or has not been proven as the closing credit story lines show the case is still very open as to what Andreotti did or did not do.But in turn that is what makes this such an enthralling film with a free wheeling approach to depicting events in that limited time frame as pieces of hints are placed in different scenes to be linked back to later. And as for Andreotti the central performance of Tony Servillo, delivers why this man was a survivor from the post WWII years till currently, constantly hiding his feelings, being non-emotive in success and disappointment and alert to balancing the interests of his supporters in his own defence while not exposing himself to personal or public attack as the bodies pile up. The slouched shoulders and down at luck countenance offset the endless dry wisecracks as different persons challenge him as to what is the truth especially in the scenes with his wife and his priest. Though not stated in the film, one is left feeling that even if all the claims are true, in Andreotti's mind the prime need to have authoritarian government to save Italy from the communists and socialists justified the ends, including the sacrificing of his old political colleague Moro to the Red Brigades after his kidnapping.The film is brilliantly scripted, acted, and edited plus makes fascinating use of music and sound effects to maximise the impact of the story and events. Definitely a film that will bear being seen several times.The only minor gripe is that a few of the extras (notably the deleted scenes and special effects video) do not have English sub titles.