Il divo - English subtitled
Bizarre farce about the dark life of the elusive Italian politician Giulio Andreotti by director Paolo Sorrentino (La Grande Bellezza).
Italy, the nineties. The country is startled by a series of terrorist acts committed by the Mafia and political opponents. Ministers are abducted, important industrialists disappear and are found dead. In the midst of all this terror there’s one man who seems untouchable: Giulio Andreotti, played by Toni Servillo, one of the most important and powerful Italian politicians after the Second World War. Since 1945 he participated in thirty-three governments and served as Prime Minister seven times since the restoration of democracy in 1946. Whether we see him at official parties, in consultation with his ministers, in conversation with journalists or in private with his wife, the man and his actions are incomprehensible. Until everything changes. The previously untouchable Andreotti is now being called to account by the government – trials are being started against him for alleged links to the Mafia. Will ‘the divine one’ be able to save his career?
Pablo del Hierro will give the introduction (language: English). He is an Assistant Professor in History at the University of Maastricht, and obtained his Doctorate in the European University Institute in Florence. He will talk about what we can learn from the biopic of Giulio Andreotti, as it gives a better understanding of the history of Italy, Spain and Europe during the second half of the twentieth Century. In a time in which Europe's democracies are increasingly challenged by far-right populist movements, the movie by Sorrentino offers interesting insights on crucial issues like the role of political parties and parliaments, political violence, corruption, etc.