Sprawling epic ‘Il Divo’ charts real-life Italian politician’s shady career

Published 4:57 pm Thursday, September 3, 2009

Blessed with an Oscar nomination earlier this year and a prize at the Cannes Film Festival the year before, “Il Divo” comes swathed in laurels, some of which might have been earned by the movie’s ambitious political story.

But rest assured: This is a compelling film, not a news report. “Il Divo” swoops along like a Francis Coppola gangster epic, a stylized portrait that happens to be about a real Italian politician.

That man is Giulio Andreotti, now 90 years old, who’s been serving in the Italian parliament since the mid-1940s and has been Prime Minister more than once. In the eerie lead performance by Toni Servillo, Andreotti is a hunched, bug-like fellow with Frisbee-sized glasses and a habit of not looking others in the eye.

This guy comes across as so soft-spoken and unprepossessing, you wonder how he scaled the heights of power. But his will is unbendable throughout, and his comment that he has “a vast archive in place of an imagination” suggests his ability to gather and maintain information on his enemies. And probably his friends, too.

The real Andreotti has been accused of all manner of political chicanery, from approving the assassination of various opponents to exploiting Mafia connections.

Earlier this decade he was put on trial for possible mob involvement, but once again managed to wriggle free of punishment.

Director Paolo Sorrentino wisely avoids a linear approach to Andreotti’s biography, instead delving into the latter parts of the politician’s career.

Andreotti’s persistent migraine headaches suggest a cumulative guilt about the brutal methods of the past.

One incident keeps returning: the notorious 1978 terrorist kidnapping of Aldo Moro, a former prime minister himself. Andreotti’s government refused to negotiate with the kidnappers, and Moro was shot to death after a couple of months.

“Il Divo” looks so sharp and contains so many witty exchanges (some of them actual aphorisms credited to Andreotti) that it should work for U.S. audiences, despite the unfamiliar stew of Italian politics — a mix of the Mafia, the Vatican and allegiances between various parties.

It’s probably confusing even for Italians. But if you have a taste for high-level skullduggery, it’s hard to resist.

“Il Divo”

A real-life Italian political saga that comes on like a Francis Coppola gangster epic: the story of Giulio Andreotti, now 90, who’s been in Italy’s parliament (with occasional stops in the Prime Minister’s chair) since the 1940s. Some of the twists and turns will be hard for non-Italians to keep straight, but the skullduggery is compelling anyway.

Rated: Not rated; probably PG-13 for violence

Showing: Varsity