See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. See the trailer here. What's "Il divo" about? In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. Approaching seventy, Andreotti is a gerontocrat who, with all the attributes of God, is afraid...
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. ..
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
See the trailer for Music Box Films' "Il divo," starring Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci and Carlo Buccirosso. Paolo Sorrentino ("The Family Friend," "The Consequences of Love") directs and writes the foreign drama which was the Jury Prize winner at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades. At the beginning of the Nineties, this impassive yet insinuating, ambiguous yet reassuring figure appears set to assume his seventh mandate as Prime Minister without arrogance and without humility. ..
- 4/17/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previous credits include "L'Amico di famiglia," a 2006 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Award nominee. See all the images in the gallery for "Il Divo." What's it about? In Rome, at dawn, when everyone is sleeping, one man is awake. That man is Giulio Andreotti. He's awake because he has to work, write books, move in fashionable circles and, last but not least, pray. Calm, crafty and inscrutable, Andreotti is synonym of power in Italy for over four decades.
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previ...
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We love indie film. The passion of the filmmakers, raw talent with no spfx running on low-budget fuel. Now, we offer up images from Music Box Films "Il Divo," a biographical drama helmed and written by Paolo Sorrentino which stars Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Piera Degli Esposti, Paolo Graziosi, Giulio Bosetti, Giulio Bosetti and Flavio Bucci. The film is a winner of the 2008 Cannes Film Festival's Jury Prize and nominee of the Golden Palm Award. Sorrentino's previ...
- 3/20/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Cannes, In Competition
CANNES -- At long last in this year's Cannes Competition, a film on a serious subject that nevertheless consistently entertains and often makes you laugh out loud. Subtitled "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti," the frequently outrageous "Il Divo" follows the career of one of the best-known and most tenacious figures in Italian political history in a lively, sensory-overload, cartoonlike fashion reminiscent of "Amelie" and "Moulin Rouge". The fact that it's often over-the-top goes with saying, and is part of the fun.
The big question is how well the film will play to audiences outside of Italy, since even in its home territory many viewers will be baffled by the overwhelming cast of characters and the sheer complexity of Andreotti's many entanglements. It's a shame that this wildly exuberant, brilliantly crafted film will probably never get the worldwide exposure, in any format, that it clearly deserves.
Andreotti, part of the Christian Democrat government since immediately after World War II and -- despite being beset by multiple scandals and criminal trials -- still going strong, was Italy's prime minister a record seven times. Director Sorrentino wisely concentrates on his seventh and final government (1991-92), as well as his more recent barrage of legal problems, in an undoubtedly vain attempt to keep his material under control.
The Divo is relentlessly caricatured and made fun of from the film's opening titles, presumably on the theory that invincible power can only be challenged by laughter. (It's also clear that Andreotti's larger-than-life personality is intended to make audiences think of the equally egregious Silvio Berlusconi, the recently elected third-time prime minister and a despised figure in Italian cultural and artistic circles.)
However, one of the best things about the film is that on the questions that really matter -- was Andreotti involved with the Mafia and with the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli? -- it always allows Andreotti equal time to make his case and takes pains to point out that he has been acquitted every time he's been on trial.
The closest Sorrentino comes to revealing the heart of the man is in his exploration of the death of party colleague Aldo Moro at the hands of the Red Brigades in 1978, 50 days after he was kidnapped, a miscalculation by Andreotti and his Christian Democrat colleagues that has haunted them ever since.
Toni Servillo does a magnificent job of interpreting, or rather channeling, Andreotti -- down to his trademark stiff slouch, dour, unrevealing face and devastating one-liners. Andreotti's many sidekicks and hangers-on are played with equal serio-comic intensity by a talented cast that will be largely unknown to audiences outside Italy.
The music is another memorable part of the film, ranging from Faure's haunting "Pavane" to Vivaldi, Saint-Saens and Sibelius, and features original, often stunning music by Teho Teardo. Production companies: Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Parco Film
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino; Producers: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti, Maurizio Coppolecchia
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi; Production designer: Lino Fiorito; Costume designer: Daniela Ciancio; Editor: Cristiano Travaglioli.
Sales: Beta Film
No MPAA rating, 117 minutes.
CANNES -- At long last in this year's Cannes Competition, a film on a serious subject that nevertheless consistently entertains and often makes you laugh out loud. Subtitled "The Spectacular Life of Giulio Andreotti," the frequently outrageous "Il Divo" follows the career of one of the best-known and most tenacious figures in Italian political history in a lively, sensory-overload, cartoonlike fashion reminiscent of "Amelie" and "Moulin Rouge". The fact that it's often over-the-top goes with saying, and is part of the fun.
The big question is how well the film will play to audiences outside of Italy, since even in its home territory many viewers will be baffled by the overwhelming cast of characters and the sheer complexity of Andreotti's many entanglements. It's a shame that this wildly exuberant, brilliantly crafted film will probably never get the worldwide exposure, in any format, that it clearly deserves.
Andreotti, part of the Christian Democrat government since immediately after World War II and -- despite being beset by multiple scandals and criminal trials -- still going strong, was Italy's prime minister a record seven times. Director Sorrentino wisely concentrates on his seventh and final government (1991-92), as well as his more recent barrage of legal problems, in an undoubtedly vain attempt to keep his material under control.
The Divo is relentlessly caricatured and made fun of from the film's opening titles, presumably on the theory that invincible power can only be challenged by laughter. (It's also clear that Andreotti's larger-than-life personality is intended to make audiences think of the equally egregious Silvio Berlusconi, the recently elected third-time prime minister and a despised figure in Italian cultural and artistic circles.)
However, one of the best things about the film is that on the questions that really matter -- was Andreotti involved with the Mafia and with the murder of journalist Mino Pecorelli? -- it always allows Andreotti equal time to make his case and takes pains to point out that he has been acquitted every time he's been on trial.
The closest Sorrentino comes to revealing the heart of the man is in his exploration of the death of party colleague Aldo Moro at the hands of the Red Brigades in 1978, 50 days after he was kidnapped, a miscalculation by Andreotti and his Christian Democrat colleagues that has haunted them ever since.
Toni Servillo does a magnificent job of interpreting, or rather channeling, Andreotti -- down to his trademark stiff slouch, dour, unrevealing face and devastating one-liners. Andreotti's many sidekicks and hangers-on are played with equal serio-comic intensity by a talented cast that will be largely unknown to audiences outside Italy.
The music is another memorable part of the film, ranging from Faure's haunting "Pavane" to Vivaldi, Saint-Saens and Sibelius, and features original, often stunning music by Teho Teardo. Production companies: Indigo Film, Lucky Red, Parco Film
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Bonaiuto, Giulio Bosetti, Flavio Bucci, Carlo Buccirosso, Giorgio Colangeli, Alberto Cracco, Piera Degli Esposti; Director: Paolo Sorrentino; Screenwriter: Paolo Sorrentino; Producers: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Andrea Occhipinti, Maurizio Coppolecchia
Director of photography: Luca Bigazzi; Production designer: Lino Fiorito; Costume designer: Daniela Ciancio; Editor: Cristiano Travaglioli.
Sales: Beta Film
No MPAA rating, 117 minutes.
- 5/23/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.