TEA WITH MUSSOLINI (1999) *** Franco Zeffirelli allows us an autobiographical glimpse of a beautiful culture turning fascist, somehow without making us sick. Certain aspects, the extremeties of prejudice, are no doubt understated but still credible as the perspective of a child or ethereal artist or British aristocrat. Things seem like they're getting a little shaky and the next thing you know the blackshirts are throwing dogs and paintings out the museum window. The attraction of Florence requires no translation, it is easy to understand why the characters stay even as we will them to get out. It is surprisingly difficult to pick a winner among the deep and resonant cast that includes Judi Dench: also Lily Tomlin, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, Cher and Paul Chequer. All of them are entirely convincing throughout and have their moments, pleasantly at precisely the times that they're supposed to. Against the eternal measure of my credibility I'd have to go with Cher-she takes a prepostrously loud and arrogant and wealthy and lusty and uncouth American, and inbues her with a genuine sense of pathos, and vulnerability and relevance and distance. An incredibly difficult role and she shrugs into it so easily that you're tempted to cry out "typecasting!," when you know it's not. Or maybe making me think that was the trick...
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