This film is one of my all time favourites.
The acting and directing are first rate. The music really carries the mood and tone of the film.
I have to say that the best performances were Judi Dench as artist Arabella. The eccentric english woman (makes you proud) and Lily Tomlin as lesbian archeologist Georgie. She was very powerful despite having the least screen time.
Got to love all the actors though for giving their all in the film!!
saw this film for first time last night,it was enchanting and mesmirising. wonderful
its mother,she just goes a little mad sometimes
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I agree with everything you say.Story shows that there are many sides to war.
Thought Judi Dench's performence was definately oscar worthy
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
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i agree.when the film came out they didn't show it in any mainstream cinemas.i saw it in a very small art house cinema.why do any films shown in mainstream cinemas have to be with big hollywood stars and fans of not so well know films have to go t6o the ends of the earth for small decent independent films
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
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Because it has actual acting and deals with real events and real people.
Something Hollywood seems to be scared of.
The film I thought really captured the desperation of the war against the backdrop of broken and fragile women all displaying their love into this young boy in their own certain way.
Its almost poetic is the film, the language and location really are beautiful but what it really comes down to is the first rate acting by all involved. Judi Dench really is the utter eccentric English woman and the delightful tough talking but tender American lesbian, Lily Tomlin is beautiful on screen.
Plus it gets better the more you watch it, which really is a bonus with films.
you are right.Hollywood is scared of films that deal with real life events.If a movie hasn't got a Heath ledger or a Bruce Willis for example and doesnt include a lot of bad language or violence then they seem to hide the movie away in some forgotten file.
Shame as i am sure there are alot of really decent films i have missed.
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
Yeah and that is Hollywood.
It has more concern making money than acting caing about what is shoud be doing, which is representing a view of life.
Ok so it can be slightly manipulated a little but film should represent life as that is its mission really.
Hollywood represents money and power and when power exceeds everything else, well all forms of reality stop.
It is a shame as they have the power to make important statements. They get paid a heap load of money, yet are too scared to make a valuable and important point.
Films need to represent humanity, in all forms of life. The beauty of life and how precious it is should never be taken for granted.
very deep aand very true.Not enough human interest stories in Hollywood.Movies are one of the greatest mediums we have to put across the human stories and Hollywood seems to have forgotten that.
If you want a great human interest film then watch an oscar nominated german film about Hitlers last twelve days in his bunker.The film is called"downfall" and is a blockbuster about the human spirit in adversity.
Hollywood should sit up and take notice
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
Yeah I have seen it. Really brilliant film. Moving and poignant.
Hollywood seems to shun any work about the human condition. That is why the OSCARS is a load of pretentious garbage in my mind. It is meant to be the biggest and greatest night of the year praising Talent but yet the two words OSCARS and TALENT don't really seem to fit together.
You only have to look at last nights awards. Apart from the grace and dignity of Lily Tomlin, Meryl Streep and Robert Altman the awards were a vechile for power driven celebrities to doll up like they just got dressed in the dark. As if real people dress like that. Complete hypocracy.
Also with them the celebrities, they act all loving and giving yet shun other awards like the BAFTAs etc. I would be happy to be presented with any award but the main award is that the public like it. That is what should matter.
Sorry to rant. It really annoys me. Give me directors like Mike Leigh and Ken Loach who actually make films about people and society and which make the world a more realistic place rather than leading to dissenchantment for the younger generation who believe the world be perfect and told who is and who is not normal.
Plus you know what are going to win an oscar about 3 months in advance films
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
Exactly, were there any surprises. NO.
I knew Crash would win because of the Conservative voters. Brokeback Mountain was never going to win Best film. I have to say this year was the most predictable in Oscar history.
They seem to get more predictable every year.
I live in England and am going to watch the Oscar highlights tonight so please don't say anything else about them.
God bless
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
Yeah I live in England too.
Sorry I just thought you knew the results. SORRY!!
seriously.I haven't got sky movies see,i have to wait till tonight when they show the highlights.Apology accepted think nothing of it you weren't to know
cheers, God bless
i am a drewketeer
one for all and all for DREW
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Second that.
Tea with Mussolini, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie and The Secret Garden are the best performances Maggie has given.
But all the actresses in Tea with Mussolini were billiant. You cannot fault any of the performances.
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Be fiercefull but restrained, don't steep to their level. Minnie Driver.
I just saw this wonderful movie and can only ad by saying that i agree with you all!! The Oscar's do indeed not alway's ambrase material which should have binn...... Shame on them.
I love this film, I saw it a few years ago on sky movies, and it was just on film4. I love maggies lines in the film, so typicaly british. "Major who ever you are, the italians and the germans couldn't get us to move, theres no reason why we should listen to the scots" I just crack up at that line.
If you havn't seen the film, get it its fab!!
Have any of you people ever seen the American film CROSSING DELANCEY? Now there's a low budget, unknown cast film that really rings true! By the way, I also love Tea With Mussolini!
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well we can always hope that with the advent of the internet,maybe some of the power of the studios will be gradually eroded and more independent films will be made and get greater exposure. one can always hope. hollywood has to make money, and they way they do that is give people what they THINK they want. which is not really right because I have faith in people that they know what is crap and what isn't. but it's the way it is. they do studies and focus everything on the 14-24 year olds who want pretty people and lindsy lohan and movies like ski school 2.
this movie, zeffarelli, what a great director. I don't really like cher much, but she can really act. she's really good and should have been in many more movies.
whenever I see movies like this that portray life before the war, it always makes me sad, because the war was so incredibly bad, so unnecessary, so many innocents died. europe looks so beautiful in this movie, it makes it more the hard to believe that such a great grand civilization could have ever come to what it did.today just for the heck of it, I was reading a neo-nazi website, just to see how crazy they are, and this guy in it said hitlers mistake was that he should have gone after the blacks first, because that would have generated sympathy with the other european countries, then later he could have gone after the jews. then other neo-nazi's got after him for giving them a "bad name". so the hate still exists out there, it's scary.
This is one of the best films I have ever seen
*I'm your stranger ... Jump!*
Wonderful movie ! I can't understand why it is so underrated. For me, it's 10 out of 10. Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright and Cher are at their best. The rest of the cast is great, including both actors who play Luca. The story is a complex mixture of history, emotion and comedy (nearly all Smith's lines are pure gems). But I wouldn't recommend it to people who hate Britain and britishness : they simply couldn't enjoy the story of an Italian "bastardino" who, thanks to the love and lessons of an old expat, turns into a "perfect English gentleman".
shareI think Maggie Smith shone more than Judi in this, and she did get a BAFTA for it!
shareTaking nothing away from Judi Dench, this is an ensemble cast and Maggie Smith and Joan Plowwright are also wonderful, as was to be expected. The surprise is
Cher, who holds her own in this distinguished company, and -- to a lesser extent -- Lily Tomlin, best known for her outrageous comedic style. And let's not forget Franco Zeffirelli, the director and co-author of the script, on whose life story this film is supposedly "based," and Florence itself, that most glorious of Italian cities. In the end, Oscars are rarely given to films like this but it is a better film by far than most Oscar winners.
I thought it was horribly boring. But that may have been because I was 10 or 11 when I saw it, and I had wanted to see another movie, and it is long.
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It was so pleasant and enjoyable that I wanted to watch it over even before I finished watching it all the way through, no kidding!
"Wherever you go,there you are"
I thought this movie was fantastic! I went in with a bit of trepidation as I've been disappointed by similar movies recently, but I loved Tea with Mussolini. It was actually entertaining and I took a genuine interest and liking to the characters. There were brilliant performances all around, and the production design, costumes and score were beautiful.
shareOh my Gosh - when Arabella ran to the towers to stop them bombing the frescos my heart was in my throat, tears welled up. I was so afraid for her I forgot I was watching a movie. It felt as though I was watching my grandmother, as if it was her life in peril. I love when a film can do that.
What an amazing film, and what an incredible true story it's based on. It holds a special place in my heart. I love the relationship that develops between Hester and Elsa, what brilliant performances. Lily Tomlin is phenomenal. Nothing is overplayed, the women are amazing.
I too wish this film had won more accolades. I think it won a Golden Globe (?). I do think everyone should watch this film at least once.
I agree with the OP this film was brilliant!
I caught it on Film4 last weekend and actually thought that it might be boring but seeing as I was bored I thought I'd give it a chance and I absolutely loved it.
The story was wonderful and I thought that each character was beautifully perfomed by their respective actress. I was also amazed at how well developed and fleshed out each character was, which is a hard thing to do sometimes with a largish ensemble cast. I was definitely left wanting to know more about what was truth and what was fiction plus it was nice to see a very different perspective to the events of WWII.
Oh and beautiful Florence! It made me wish that I hadn't only been there for a day on a European Contiki tour and had time to explore it properly along with it's surrounding towns! Oh well maybe one day I'll go back and see that frescoe too!
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Judi Dench as Arabella was my favourite character and performance and it was great to see Dame Judi play an eccentric artist lady.
Fatima had a fetish for a wiggle in her scootshare
I agree fabgirl...I have seen it so many times since it came out. You can't beat zefferelli and this was semi autobiographical.
What a gem it is and all my fave actors. Cant go wrong with Smith, Plowright, and Dench. I hope they live and make movies forever. Cher and Lily Tomlin added just the right touch.
Another enchanting fil staring some of the same characters is Enchanted April and the new Exotic Marigold hotel...can't remember the whole name but some of the same characters like Judi Dench and Maggie Dench. What will we do without them when they pass on.
IMDb; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...another poster
I was most impressed with Joan Plowright's interpretation of Mary. Throughout, this character is both pragmatic and sweet. She is, perhaps, the kindest and most emotionally open of all the characters, yet she is also has the most realistic outlook regarding their circumstances in particular and war in general.
Considering the amount of screen time Ms. Plowright got, I'd say this was her movie.
Watta ya lookn here for?