Il divo
Italy
2008
110 Min
Color, Black and White
2.35:1
Italian
Synopsis
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 of no one and does not know the meaning of awe, since he is accustomed to seeing it stamped on the faces of all his interlocutors. His satisfaction is muted, impalpable.
For him, satisfaction is power, with which he has a symbiotic relationship. Power the way he likes it. Unwavering and immutable, from the outset. He emerges unscathed from everything: electoral battles, terrorist massacres, slanderous accusations. He is untouched by it all, unchanging. Until the strongest counter power in Italy, the Mafia, declares war on him. Then things change. Perhaps even for the enigmatic, immortal Andreotti. But the question is: do they really change or only appear to?
We can be sure of one thing: it is difficult to tarnish Andreotti, the man who knows the ways of the world better than any of us.
Director
Paolo Sorrentino
Paolo Sorrentino (born May 31, 1970) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He was born in Naples.Sorrentino’s first film as screenwriter, Polvere di Napoli, was released in 1998. He began directing several short movies, like L’amore non ha confini, in 1998, and La notte lunga, in 2001. His debut with a long feature is One Man Up (L’uomo in più), awarded with the Nastro D’Argento for the best young director.
He achieved international recognition in 2004 for his stylish thriller, The Consequences of Love (Le conseguenze dell’amore). The film, which explores the mindset of a lonely businessman being used as a pawn by the Mafia, won many awards and was nominated for the Palme D’Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Sorrentino’s next feature, The Family Friend (L’amico di famiglia), was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May1 and the London Film Festival in October 2006. It tells the story of a malicious septuagenarian loan-shark who develops a fixation with the beautiful… read more
Wall
Displaying 4 of 25 wall posts.
Joe Silver
31Oct11
Visto in ritardo: 4 stelle su 5 perché apprezzo sempre il talento, sebbene qui sfoci troppo spesso nel vezzo e nell'autocompiacimento (cosa che tra l'altro già succedeva ne "Le conseguenze dell'amore"), ma la frammentazione narrativa e il disegno dei personaggi sono efficaci nel rendere quel mondo e quell'epoca. Tutti in gamba gli attori, con una menzione speciale, per quanto mi riguarda, per Buccirosso/Pomicino.
Robin Whenary
19Oct11
Total masterpiece! Reminded me of Leone in it's controlled, operatic and playful visual style.
Alarico Ciaramelli likes this
Alarico Ciaramelli likes this
Related Films
Fans
Displaying 5 of 293 fans.
Articles
Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
IFFR 2009: IL DIVO Review
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
A good nine months after winning the Jury Prize at Cannes, Paolo Sorrentino’s “Il Divo” arrived at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It’s a biopic about the famous Italian politician Giulio Andreotti
IFFR 2009: IL DIVO Review
By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
A good nine months after winning the Jury Prize at Cannes, Paolo Sorrentino’s “Il Divo” arrived at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. It’s a biopic about the famous Italian politician Giulio Andreotti
Lists
Displaying 5 of 79 lists.
Reviews
Displaying 2 of 2
Les effets de styles nous perdent
By hubertguillaud on April 21, 2010
Les effets de styles nous perdent – 16/09/2009
Les qualités formelles du film de Paolo Sorrentino ne rendent pas le scénario politique à charge plus lisible, au contraire. On se perd très vite… read review
Definitely designed for people that already have a strong grasp of the history.
By Joshua Dysart on March 5, 2010
I’ve heard several American viewers complain that this film is all
style over substance. I couldn’t disagree more.
I think that if a viewer is familiar with Italian Political History
read review
Forum
Displaying
0 discussion topics.