Marco Bellocchio Movies

This unusual and offbeat historical drama rests on a little-known conceit. Though seldom discussed in history books (and reportedly undisclosed for half a century), fascist dictator Benito Mussolini conceived an illegitimate son by a woman named Ida Dalser -- a son Mussolini allowed to be born, acknowledged, and then promptly denied for the duration of his life. The tale begins in early 20th century Milan, with Benito (Fabrizio Costella) working as the socialist editor of a controversial newspaper called Avanti. His dream in life involves triumphantly leading the Italian masses away from monarchy and toward a "socially emancipated future." He met the young and wealthy Ida (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) once before, in Trento -- where they enjoyed a brief exchange; they re-encounter one another during Mussolini's period at Avanti and it becomes clear that Ida has fallen deeply in love with Benito; she believes wholeheartedly in his ideals and his future as the leader of Italy -- to such an extent that she sells everything she has (her apartment, furniture, jewelry, and the beauty salon she owns) to fuel the development of his newspaper, Popolo d'Italia. While the two become romantically entangled, with Ida positively magnetized by Benito's charisma and Benito hooked on a lust for power, Benito quickly switches spiritual and political allegiances overnight, changing from an atheistic socialist to a deeply Catholic fascist -- Catholic, because an allegiance with the Vatican will enable him to wrest and retain control over Italy's government. Benito and Ida marry and parent a son together, Benito Albino Mussolini (circa 1915), but the marriage certificate soon conveniently disappears and Ida learns, to her horror, that Benito has married someone else. She unwisely begins to protest the situation -- so loudly and persistently that she's first forced into house arrest and then shoved permanently into an insane asylum -- raising key questions about the fate and future of her young son. On a stylistic level, director Marco Bellocchio films this historical material with the passion, theatricality, lyricism, and tragedy of a classicist Italian opera. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

After ending up in a scenic Sicilian town while trying to avoid his daughter's impending wedding to a devout Catholic, a famous film director becomes inexorably involved in the nuptials of another beautiful bride-to-be in director Marco Bellocchio's semi-surreal drama. Though he tries to keep a low profile upon arriving in Sicily, director Franco Elica (Sergio Castellitto) soon catches the attention of the bankrupt prince of Gravina (Sami Frey) -- who cordially invites the filmmaker to attend his daughter Bona's (Donatella Finocchiaro) upcoming wedding. As it turns out, Bona was to appear in the director's latest film, a cinematic adaptation of the Italian literary classic The Betrothed. In the time leading up to the wedding, the smitten filmmaker develops a deep longing for the lovely Bona and starts doing everything in his power to sabotage her marriage to a wealthy lawyer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Ernesto (Sergio Castellitto of Va Savoir) is a successful artist and devout atheist who finds out that his mother, whom he despised, is being considered for sainthood. Ernesto's young son, Leonardo (Alberto Mondini), influenced by his religion teacher, has developed a fear of God, whom he tries to shoo away like a pest. "If He's everywhere," Leonardo reasons, "then I'm not free -- even for a second." Ernesto's estranged wife, Irene (Jacqueline Lustig), encourages Leonardo's faith, and seems to be on the side of Ernesto's family, who are greedily clamoring to get Ernesto to participate in the canonization process. His mentally unstable brother, Egidio (Donato Placido), who will speak only to Ernesto, murdered their mother years earlier, and holds the key to her beatification. At a party, Ernesto insults a deranged monarchist, Conte Bulla (Toni Bertorelli), who then challenges him to a duel. Ernesto goes to complain to Leonardo's religion teacher, expecting to find an ugly old woman, and instead finds Diana (Chiara Conti), an impossibly beautiful young woman who admires his work. Ernesto meets the Cardinal (Maurizio Donadoni), and tells the man that his mother was "stupid" and "had no passion." "Loving someone is the best way to declare my atheism," he declares. But as he gets caught up in all the intrigue, Ernesto recognizes a connection to his hated mother that he cannot escape; he has the same mocking smile. Marco Bellocchio's My Mother's Smile was shown at the 2002 New York Film Festival and at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a Special Mention for the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

During the Thirty Years War between Germany and Sweden in the 1600s, a young prince must choose whether to continue to pursue his private fantasies of becoming a romantic hero or to face the public responsibilities and obligations of his position. The resulting tale is one part costume drama, one part adaptation of a classic verse play, two-parts psychological character study with a dash of love story thrown in for spice. It begins as the Prince of Homburg, who is in charge of Germany's calvary during the war, is caught sleepwalking in the midst of a disturbing dream. It is during the somnabulistic state that he first encounters the beautiful Natalia, the daughter of the powerful Grand Elector. He sees the girl again the next day before riding into battle against Swedish invaders. During the heat of the struggle, the impassioned prince disregards the Grand Elector's orders and leads a daring counterattack that results in victory. Though he saved the day, the Prince was wrong for disobeying his superior and the Grand Elector has no choice but to order his execution. Terrified of death, the Prince begs for his life. Touched, the Elector grants him clemency, but only on one condition: to stay alive, the Prince must publicly admit his wrongdoing. If he refuses, the death sentence will be carried out. Von Kleist's verse play was written in 1811 as a means of inspiring his countrymen to stand up against Napoleon and strongly advocates the notion that the most patriotic soldiers are those who blindly follow orders. Considering that Von Kleist's play was addressing German troops, that is a chilling notion indeed from a late 20th-century perspective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This unusual film looks at the issue of rape from the male point of view, in particular one man's nightmare of being unfairly accused of the crime and having no recourse against the accusations of a persuasive "victim." In this drama, a student finds herself locked in a museum after closing time with a man who has arranged for that to happen. He indicates his interest in having sexual relations with her, and she appears willing each of the times they have sex -- even to the point of complaining when he leaves prematurely. Afterwards, he is surprised to be hauled into court on a charge of "rape without force" and convicted. However, his is not the nightmare vision being considered -- the prosecutor who has won his case begins having nightmares, especially after his girlfriend takes the side of the man he prosecuted. Despite some oddities in the acting, this film won a Silver Bear at the 1991 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Bearing no particular relation to any literary or cinematic work of the same title, this erotic drama by Marco Bellocchio uses sexual expression to work out a character's hang-ups, problems, and personality. Andrea (Federico Ptizalis) is in his last year of high school when he meets Giulia (Maruschka Detmers). Her father was killed by terrorists, yet Giulia is engaged to marry a former terrorist who is released from prison after he names names. After Andrea and Giulia meet, they have some torrid sexual encounters, though Giulia continues her engagement to the ex-terrorist because her wealthy family opposes any liaison with the lower-class Andrea. Mixed in with Giulia's two love affairs are several odd characters, such as the former terrorist's mother. No one is particularly stable, least of all Giulia. This film was released in the United States in both R and X-rated versions, the latter featuring a brief but explicit oral sex scene. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Giovanni (Lou Castel) comes home after his brother's suicide to encounter the same family problems that have been around for years: his mother is a religious fanatic now obsessed with her son's errant spirit, his older brother has a cold and uncaring relationship with his children and his wife, and Giovanni's uncle who runs the wealthy family's house is always out to turn a profit for himself. When Giovanni goes to berate his dead brother's lover for not even coming to his funeral (his brother gave her an apartment and an income, and then she broke off with him because she did not love him), an unexpected attraction starts that builds in intensity as time goes on. Eventually, they start an emotionally-charged relationship that goes up and down like a roller coaster, their conflicts fueled in part by the ghost of the dead brother, by the fact that she is pregnant with his child, and by the difference in their economic status. As their relationship continues, it becomes a question of whether or not they will be able to overcome their differences -- a question that looms larger every day. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The old Guy De Maupassant story The Devil would seem to be the springboard for the Italian-made Leap Into the Void. Michel Piccoli plays an Italian jurist whose sister Anouk Aimee is a bit "light in the belfry". Piccoli entreats Michele Placido to convince the awkward Aimee to kill herself. The results are unexpected, and fascinating. As with most of his work, director Marco Bellocchio uses the seemingly petty problems of his bourgeois characters as a mirror of what is going on in society at large. Leap Into the Void was originally released as Salto nel Vuoto; both Michel Piccoli and Anouk Aimee won Best Acting awards at the 1980 Cannes Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young writer is trapped between his awful actress mother (Laura Betti) and the knowledge that he has only a mediocre talent as a playwright and almost no force of character. After the young man in this story suffers the loss of his mistress to his self-satisfied novelist stepfather, his self-respect is so shattered that he commits suicide. This is an Italian adaptation of The Sea Gull by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The final work of notorious Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini, this film updates the Marquis de Sade's most extreme novel to fascist Italy in the final days of WW II. Dispensing with the novel's meditations on sexual liberation and the search for truth, Pasolini presents four decadents who kidnap dozens of young men and women and subject them to the most hideous forms of torture and perversion in an isolated villa. Rape, murder, and a coprophagic banquet are only the beginning of the atrocities on display. Photographed by Tonino Delli Colli, the film also features a lavish score by Ennio Morricone. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

A major Milanese newspaper publisher makes moves to frame a student protest leader for the murder of a young college coed. This political thriller takes the student and political unrest of the late '60s and early '70s in Italy as its background. It includes previously unseen documentary footage of demonstrations that took place at that time. Tension builds as the network of lies and pressures grips both men more firmly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This obscure film is directed by five well-known cinematographers. "Apathy" is directed by Carlo Lizzani and concerns a New York rape victim whose cries for help fall on deaf ears. Bernardo Bertolucci directs "Agony." Members of the Living Theater mime death scenes. In "The Paper Flower Sequence," directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, a man carries a paper flower through Rome. Part four is directed by Jean-Luc Godard, a tedious segment where two people watch some actors give a boring performance. The last story is directed by Marcello Bellochio. Students at a Roman university engage in dialogue with members of the Establishment. While the stories averages 20 minutes each, this gang-directed effort quickly fell into cinematic oblivion. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide