Mussolini and I (2 Disc Set)
Picture: B- Sound: C+ Extras: C
Film: B-
1985’s Mussolini and I was originally a two-hour
show that that was broken into two parts, but for this DVD release it has been
extended to a four part series, that runs four hours. Most of the extra material is just extensions
of scenes, almost like a directors cut for the film, rather than a TV edit,
which summarizes the overall points. At
this point in time few people had heard of the three main highlight actors,
that being Anthony Hopkins, Bob Hoskins, and Susan Sarandon. Sure they had been in some memorable roles
up until this point, but have gone on to bigger roles since then and broken
into the scene much further.
World War II sets the
backdrop for this historical drama in which Benito Mussolini (Bob Hoskins) and
the relationship between his son-in-law Count Galeazzo Ciano (Anthony Hopkins)
is revealed as Mussolini’s daughter Edda (Susan Sarandon) is torn between the
loyalty to her father and her husband.
The true test comes when Mussolini is about to have Ciano taken away for
high treason with Hitler and even his own advisers wanting Ciano gone since he
was a threat being a rebel with too much power, but Mussolini cannot act so
quickly because his daughter happens to have the diaries kept that could
crumble his fascist cause and reveal the secrets that have been kept.
What is particularly
moving about this drama is the fact that it sticks with the facts, but also
paints a picture of Mussolini, which is more than a History book could do. We see with this that he was a flawed man
who was human just like each of us. He
made mistakes and even let his love for his son-in-law and daughter lead him to
betrayal. He tried to stay devoted to
too many things, which in the end would prove his fate modeling his beliefs
after Hitler.
Released through Koch, the
Telefilm is presented in the programs original TV aspect ratio of 1.33 X 1,
which looks somewhat dated and from an analog source, but still has some
richness and vibrancy that show off what a good production it was
nonetheless. Overall detail is lacking,
which can be expected since it was not shot for theatrical release in mind to
begin with. This is a good quality
program and demonstrates some of the really good telefilms that were once
released. The 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
is sufficient and gets the job done with nothing overly impressive going
on.
This is the type of
program that will appeal to anyone interested in this era of History, but also
fans of its three biggest stars as well.
This is a really well done drama that could have been made into a
feature film. This longer cut really
pulls together more of the depth to the story and makes for a more complete
version, which is a nice touch with this DVD.
There is a photo gallery as well, but other than that, it’s just a plain
DVD release with all the goods resting on the main feature.
- Nate Goss
