{"product_id":"tea-with-mussolini","title":"Tea With Mussolini","description":"Amazon.com\n\nIn filming this semi-autobiographical account of life in Italy during the dawn of World War II, director Franco Zeffirelli imbues Tea with Mussolini with the mixed blessings of fond reminiscence. It's a warmly inviting film, as impeccable as any Merchant-Ivory production, but like a hazy memory it's uncertain in its narrative intentions. And yet with an exceptional cast to compensate, the film's as engaging as it is inconsequential.\nZeffirelli's alter ego is Luca (Charlie Lucas in youth; Baird Wallace as a teenager), who is raised in Florence by Mary (Joan Plowright), the middle-aged secretary of his absentee father. Luca lives among a loose band of British and American women, nicknamed \"Il Scorpioni\" for their stinging wit in the shadows of Mussolini's thuggish dictatorship. Along with Mary there's Hester (Maggie Smith), a crusty ambassador's widow; Arabella (Judi Dench), a lively bohemian; lesbian archaeologist Georgie (Lily Tomlin); and Elsa (Cher), a flamboyant American who quietly finances Luca's education.\nIl Scorpioni witness the rise of fascism and the dangers of resistance, weathering dictatorial custody and (in Elsa's case) falling prey to heartbreaking betrayal. But Tea with Mussolini carries little dramatic weight; you have to forgive its unfocused structure to appreciate its merits. Zeffirelli gently conveys the passage from pleasantry to wartime, and he's drawn uniformly fine performances from this seasoned cast. If the film is vaguely unsatisfying, it's only because it had the makings of greatness and settles instead for an ethereal quality of anecdotal enchantment. --Jeff Shannon\n\nProduct Description\n\nJOIN A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CAST FOR SOME CULTURE, EXCITEMENT AND TEA, WITH THIS CHARMING AND PICTURESQUE DRAMA ABOUT A GROUP OF ECCENTRIC WOMEN WHO WILL LET NOTHING GET BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR CIVILIZED LIFESTYLE, EVEN WORLD WAR II. SPECIAL FEATURES: BEHIND-THE-SCENES BOOKLET AND THEATRICAL TRAILER.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 630560097X\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: HBSV.630560097X.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Maggie Smith|Judi Dench|Joan Plowright|Cher|Lily Tomlin|Baird Wallace|Charlie Lucas|Massimo Ghini|Paolo Seganti|Claudio Spadaro|Mino Bellei|Paul Chequer|Franco Zeffirelli|John Mortimer\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Dvd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Dvd comes in original case and case has original artwork. Disc may have some minor scratches but is in good condition.Case may have some general wear. Be sure check out thousands of our other dvds on this platform. If dvd came with digital code, code may be used.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"The Happy Book Stack ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67869984162093,"sku":"HBSV.630560097X.G","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/6799\/6205\/files\/630560097X-0.jpg?v=1793306546","url":"https:\/\/www.thehappybookstack.com\/products\/tea-with-mussolini","provider":"The Happy Book Stack ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}