Review: VINCERE

Pardon my French (or, shall I say Italian) but, history has produced some truly monstrous assholes. One of these terrible men of history, among many from the first half of the 20^th century, is Benito Mussolini. VINCERE is the story of how inhuman the man known as Il Duce truly was, measuring Mussolini’s value as a human being on the world stage by how he treated his own family.

Written and directed by Marco Bellocchio, director of the controversial and sexually-charged 1986 film DEVIL IN THE FLESH, he brings Mussolini’s darkest colors to light in this part operatic, part dramatic biographical film, focusing on the torment subjected upon his wife and son in an attempt to hide that part of his personal life from the spotlights of his rising power in the political arena.

VINCERE –which means, “WIN” in Italian– begins with Benito Mussolini as a younger man, played by Filippo Timi, announcing his presence and displaying his powerful public persona. He stands before a crowded room of religiously devoted Italians of stature and with a pocket watch in hand, proclaims he will challenge God. This challenge is a rhetorical experiment in his proving God does not exist.

One thing inhabits Mussolini’s mind… the never-ending pursuit of power and greatness, by whatever means and cost necessary. As the story goes, Mussolini not only was the president who ruled fascist Italy with an iron fist, controlling the people through fear, but was also a bigamist. Having developed a relationship with Ida Dalser, played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno, the two became married and had a son, after Ida sold all her worldly belongings to support Mussolini in realizing his revolutionary ideals.

As it turns out, Ida was not Mussolini’s first wife and when the trumpets of impending political greatness began to sound, Mussolini abandoned Ida and their son, leaving them to fend for themselves.  Favoring his first wife in the eyes of his public, Mussolini spared no expense in silencing Ida, discrediting and libeling her, without getting his own hands dirty.

Mezzogiorno is astounding in her role as Ida, the woman who loved Mussolini with all her heart and mind, but was locked up in a madhouse and called a liar and a deranged lunatic for her wild claims of being Mussolini’s wife and mother of his first-born son, Benito Albino Mussolini. Her mental anguish, emotional torment and unrelenting determination to uphold the truth no matter the cost is heartbreaking and  empowering at the same time.

Filippo Timi has duel roles in VINCERE, playing the father Benito Mussolini as well as the grown son Benito Albino Mussolini, abandoned by his father. Timi’s performance is riveting, powerfully articulate and breaths fire from the mouth of Mussolini, with an edge of the menacing man that lies beneath which emerges primarily through Timi’s dark and brooding eyes.

While the cinematography from Daniele Cipri in splendid, it is rare that the score dominates a film so brilliantly. VINCERE is a clear example of such an illuminating imbalance. Carlo Crivelli’s original score is simply marvelous. His powerfully jarring orchestral pieces are perfectly placed throughout VINCERE, accompanied by softer and darker pieces where appropriate. The film is rarely without the allure of Crivelli’s stringed sirens, pulling the audience fully into each and every moment of the film.

Particularly perfect are the moments throughout the film when VINCERE slips into full operatic mode. This handful of scenes are anything but overdone and add energy to the story, however, the pacing and length of the film as a whole can make VINCERE feel a bit choppy, even stretched slightly. This minor flaw is forgivable and has only minimal bearing on the movie as a whole.

VINCERE is a quality film that delivers two magnificent performances and one stellar score that is worth experiencing on its own as a work of art in and of itself. If nothing else, VINCERE will surely convince audiences of the selfish evil that Mussolini embodied, both in his public and private life.