Tea with Mussolini movie storyline. In 1935 a group of elderly British women, whom the Italians have named the Scorpioni, have chosen Italy, specifically Florence, as a place to live to blend their proper British sensibilities with their love of Italian art and culture. One of those Scorpioni, Mary Walsh, works as the English secretary for Paolo Innocente, who, in part because of his own wife’s adamant refusal, largely neglects his illegitimate adolescent son, Luca, despite Paolo’s want for Luca to grow up to be a proper young man, much like the English.
Luca has lived in an orphanage since his dressmaker mother’s death, death a concept that Luca does not yet understand. As such, he often runs away looking for his mother. On a mutual agreement between Paolo and Mary, Mary becomes Luca’s guardian, she who will receive help in raising Luca by her fellow Scorpioni and financial help from Paolo as needed. Associated with the Scorpioni is a brash younger nouveau riche Jewish-American woman named Elsa Morgenthal, who, because of her affection for Luca’s mother to who she owed money, sets up a trust for Luca’s future.
Among the Scorpioni, Lady Hester Random, the widow of the former ambassador to Italy, in particular and Elsa do not get along because of their fundamental outward differences. The life for the Scorpioni changes with the onset of WWII, more specifically when Italy declares war on Britain and France. Despite all of the Scorpioni taken into custody of sorts by the Italians, they are eventually housed in the comforts of a hotel.
Lady Hester wrongly believes it is her association with Mussolini that has gotten them into their comfortable surroundings, but which in reality was arranged and paid for by Elsa. Luca, who has just returned to Italy after attending school in Austria, helps Elsa with her efforts to assist those persecuted in Italy. Luca, now a teenager, has fallen in love with Elsa.
As such, Luca is jealous of Elsa’s professional and personal relationship with Italian lawyer Vittorio Fanfanni. Elsa’s own situation becomes more precarious with the United States’ entrance into the war, the Nazis’ increasing persecution of Jews, and Luca discovering that Fanfanni has ulterior motives in his relationship with Elsa. Through it all, Mary still tries to be the voice of what is right to Luca, who may be tainted by his own immature teenaged thoughts during these difficult times.
Tea with Mussolini is a 1999 Anglo-Italian semi-autobiographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, scripted by John Mortimer, telling the story of a young Italian boy’s upbringing by a circle of British and American women before and during the Second World War.
Lady Hester Random is based upon a real resident of Florence whom Zeffirelli knew in his childhood. Zeffirelli mentions her and a couple of other ladies of the Scorpioni in his autobiography. He said: “I don’t remember if she was called Hester, but I remember this terrible, fantastic woman. She was the dowager of the community. I remember the many outrageous things she did because she could afford to be arrogant and bossy.”
The film opened tenth at the U.S. box office with $1,633,183 for the weekend, eventually grossing a total of $14,401,563, considerably more than its budget.
Awards and Nominations
Won
2000 – BAFTA Awards – Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role; Maggie Smith.
2000 – Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards – Best Period Hair Styling Feature; Vivian McAteer.
2000 – Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists – Best Costume Design (Migliori Costumi); Anna Anni, Alberto Spiazzi.
Nominations
1999 – Golden Trailer Awards – Best Drama.
2000 – BAFTA Awards – Best Costume Design; Jenny Beavan, Anna Anni, Alberto Spiazzi.
Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Cher, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin, Charlie Lucas, Baird Wallace, Massimo Ghini, Paolo Seganti, Michael Williams, Massimo Ghini
Screenplay by: John Mortimer
Cinematography by: David Watkin
Film Editing by: Tariq Anwar
Costume Design by: Anna Anni, Jenny Beavan, Alberto Spiazzi
Set Decoration by: Marco Allegri
Art Direction by: Carlo Centolavigna, Biagio Fersini, Fiorella Mariani
Music by: Stefano Arnaldi, Alessio Vlad
Distributed by: G2 Films
Release Date: March 26, 1999 (Italy), April 2, 1999 (United Kingdom), May 14, 1999 (United States & Canada)
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