Vincere (2009)

The story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino.

Director:

Marco Bellocchio

Writers:

Marco Bellocchio (story), Marco Bellocchio (screenplay)

Stars:

Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Filippo Timi, Fausto Russo Alesi

47 wins & 40 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giovanna Mezzogiorno	...	Ida Dalser
Filippo Timi	...	Benito Mussolini / Benito Albino adulto
Fausto Russo Alesi	...	Riccardo Paicher
Michela Cescon	...	Rachele Mussolini
Pier Giorgio Bellocchio	...	Pietro Fedele
Corrado Invernizzi	...	Dottor Cappelletti
Paolo Pierobon	...	Giulio Bernardi
Bruno Cariello	...	Giudice
Francesca Picozza	...	Adelina Dalser
Simona Nobili	...	Madre Superiora
Vanessa Scalera	...	Suora Misericordiosa
Giovanna Mori	...	Tedesca
Patrizia Bettini	...	Cantante
Silvia Ferretti	...	Scarpette rosse
Corinne Castelli	...	Lacrime

Storyline

The story of Ida Dalser, who fell in love with the future Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, supported him while he was unemployed in the early 1910s, and married him, presumably around 1914. She bore Mussolini a son, Benito Albino, before the outbreak of World War I. The two lost touch during the war years and, upon discovering him again in a hospital during the war, she also discovered Rachele Guidi, who had married Mussolini in 1915, and a daughter born in 1910 when Guidi and Mussolini were living together. Historically, following his political ascendancy, Mussolini suppressed the information about his first marriage and he (through the Fascist party) persecuted both his first wife and oldest son and committed them forcibly to asylums.

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Plot Keywords:

female full frontal nudity | mussolini | 1910s | asylum | marriage | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United States]

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian German

Release Date:

20 May 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Vincere

Filming Locations:

Trento, Trentino, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,096, 21 March 2010

Gross USA:

$619,162

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,698,001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Offside, Rai Cinema, Celluloid Dreams

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 118 min (cut) 118 min (cut) 118 min (cut) 121 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (inserts only)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chosen by "Les Cahiers Du Cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2009 (#02).

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Quotes

Benito Mussolini: With the guts of the last pope, we'll strangle the last king!

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Connections

Features The Kid (1921)

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Soundtracks

Inno di Garibaldi (Va' fuori d'Italia, va' fuori stranier)
(uncredited)
Performed by Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Filippo Timi

User Reviews

Splendid movie.

I found this movie extremely absorbing, from beginning to end. It's true what other critics have observed that the real Mussolini in the old newsreels looks quite different from the actor personifying him, and the sudden confrontations between one and the other are quite unsettling.

Could it be that recreating this historical newsreels with this actor as Mussolini was not possible due to the insufficient budget? Or maybe the director wanted to show us the real Mussolini to give us a good idea about the individual? Another confusing issue: The actor playing Mussolini also plays his adult son.

And we don't get to see the final days of this dictator, when he was involved with Clara (Claretta) Petacci, his last lover, twenty eight years younger and executed with him (and both corpses hanged upside down in the public square).

The photography and the camera work are exquisite, as are the lighting --absolute perfection-- the acting --masterful-- and the music --excellent.

Very somber movie, shot most of the time in heavy darkness; there is no comic relief whatsoever, not even light humor, but then, the story is extremely dark and tragic, something that could have come out from a Dorothy Parker story.