questions about the end
*spoilers*
The last few minutes of the film (after her escape) were rather confusing and left lots of unanswered questions.
1. Why didn't Adelina and Riccardo retrieve the paper from the stuffed chicken and, say, take it abroad to have it published, or at least produce it, or a copy of it, when it was needed? What was the point of the film having them notice the hiding place if not to do something with it? Does Bellocchio have some source suggesting the wedding certificate was hidden away like this, or is it an invention?
2. Had the police been alerted to Ida's escape and descended on Adelina and Riccardo before they could do anything to warn her that she would be recaptured? -- or were A & R in on the plan to recapture her? Their demeanour suggests the latter, but perhaps that's simply because they're too cowed by the authorities to distance themselves from the others there (?).
3. Who was the guy who promised to let her see her son? Was she able to do so? It wasn't clear where she was being taken in the car when she left. We're then shown the young Benito in an asylum, suggesting this is at the same time and therefore he is not in the navy and Ida has been lied to. However, it seems from reading other sources that he *was* in the navy and only later put in an asylum (perhaps this is a timeline an Italian audience would be expected to know). As a side point, the film's portrayal also suggests he was genuinely quite mentally disturbed, whereas other commentary I've heard implies that he was put away for political reasons, like his mother.
4. How did the crowd gathered outside spontaneously know to assemble when she left? It wasn't really clear if their attitude was hostile or sympathetic.