Review movies: Il Divo | Paulo Sorentino | Toni Servillo | Italian politician

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with DAN CARRIER
Published: 19 March 2009

Toni Servillo as Giulio Andreotti in Il Divo

Pick of the Indies

IL DIVO
Directed by Paulo Sorrentino
Certificate 18

IT’S hardly surprising that the life of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti has eventually made it on to the big screen.
This is a Mafiosi movie writ large, a brilliant portrayal of a key figure in recent Italian history.
Andreotti has commanded the attentions of the country since he was first elected back in 1947. His influence stretches even further back: during the Second World War he was politically active, working for the Christian Democrats, and his early career set the scene for a lifetime of intrigue.
He strode through the murky world of Italian post-war politics like a Goliath, demanding loyalty from those who followed him and wooing those who opposed him.
Director Paolo Sorrentino admits he has always been fascinated by a man who is the figurehead for modern Italy, but, like the country he represents, has had murky allegations thrown at him involving organised crime.
Andreotti has been the Italian premier seven times. However, his cushy world began to fray in 1992 when corruption at the heart of the government was laid bare. Andreotti was implicated but somehow managed to escape the charges. Found not guilty, he enjoys the title “senator for life”. We join the story just as this scandal is about to break.
This is no straight forward piece of biographical history. A violent opening shows that there is little room for the dry consideration of coalition backroom deals. We watch as handguns are pulled and murders committed. It sets the tone for the rest of the film.
Toni Servillo is superb as Andreotti, recreating a figure who was publicly slick, and had a burning intelligence coupled with burning ambition that makes him a wonderful polymath.
Even if you have zero interest in Italian politics, Il Divo is as exciting as any contemporary thriller.

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