Tea with Mussolini (1999)

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

John Mortimer (writer)
Franco Zeffirelli (autobiography)

Release Date:

14 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | War

Tagline:

A story of civilized disobedience

Plot:

Semi-autobiographical tale from the early life of director Franco Zeffirelli looks at the illegitimate son (Charlie Lucas as a child...

Plot Keywords:

American | Italian | Italy | 1930s | Eccentric

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Cher	...	Elsa Morganthal Strauss-Armistan
Judi Dench	...	Arabella
Joan Plowright	...	Mary Wallace
Maggie Smith	...	Lady Hester Random
Lily Tomlin	...	Georgie Rockwell
Baird Wallace	...	Luca
Charlie Lucas	...	Luca (Child)
Massimo Ghini	...	Paolo
Paolo Seganti	...	Vittorio Fanfanni
Claudio Spadaro	...	Mussolini
Mino Bellei	...	Cesare
Paul Chequer	...	Wilfred Random, aka Miss Lucy
Tessa Pritchard	...	Connie Raynor
Michael Williams	...	British Consul
Paula Jacobs	...	Molly
Bettine Milne	...	Edith
Hazel Parsons	...	Hazel
Helen Stirling	...	Ursula
Kathleen Doyle	...	Norma
Gisella Mathews	...	Elderly Lady (as Giselle Mathews)
Gianna Giachetti	...	Signora Badaloni
Chris Larkin	...	Major Gibson
Giovanni Nannini	...	Sacristan
Pino Colizzi	...	Dino Grandi
Jackie Basehart	...	Count Bernardini (as Jack Basehart)
Giacomo Gonnella	...	First Carabiniere
Clemente Abete	...	Second Carabiniere
Roberto Farnesi	...	Maurizio (as Roberto Farnese)
Chris Tattanelli	...	Carmelo
Claudia Piccoli	...	Anna, Lady Hester's Maid
Allan Caister Pearce	...	American Dealer
Hermann Weisskopf	...	German Officer (as Hermann Weiskopf)
Benedetta Magini	...	Giulia Meyer
Beppe Landini	...	Menotti, Hotel Manager
Giuseppe Rossi Borghesano	...	Butler
Marcellina Ruocco	...	Adriana
Ferdinando Ferrini	...	Professor Cassuto
Massimo Salvianti	...	Leading Fascist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gavino Bondioli	...	American (uncredited)
Fabio Fulco	...	(uncredited)
Rizia Ortolani	...	Lady in the Coach (uncredited)

Directed by
Franco Zeffirelli

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Mortimer		writer
Franco Zeffirelli		autobiography

Produced by
Marco Chimenz	....	executive producer
Clive Parsons	....	producer
Pippo Pisciotto	....	associate producer
Riccardo Tozzi	....	producer
Giovannella Zannoni	....	producer
Frederick Muller	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Stefano Arnaldi
Alessio Vlad

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
Tariq Anwar

Casting by
Mirta Guarnaschelli
Emma Style

Art Direction by
Carlo Centolavigna
Biagio Fersini
Fiorella Mariani		(as Gioia Fiorella Mariani)

Costume Design by
Anna Anni
Jenny Beavan
Alberto Spiazzi

Makeup Department
Gaia Banchelli	....	assistant makeup artist
Desideria Corridoni	....	assistant hair stylist
Franco Corridoni	....	key makeup artist
Maria Teresa Corridoni	....	chief hair stylist
Lamberto Deli	....	assistant hair stylist
Giuseppe Desiato	....	assistant makeup artist
Leonard Engelman	....	makeup artist: Cher
Albert Guiliani	....	assistant hair stylist
Vivian McAteer	....	hair stylist: Cher
Francesco Nardi	....	assistant makeup artist
Zoe Tahir	....	dailies hair stylist
Victoria Wood	....	wig maker: Cher

Production Management
Pino Butti	....	production supervisor
Alistair Hopkins	....	post-production supervisor
Alessandro Loy	....	production manager
Marco Olivieri	....	unit manager
Rizia Ortolani	....	unit manager
Flavio Tallone	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Raffaele Veneruso	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Luciano Bacchelli	....	second assistant director
Filippo Fassetta	....	second assistant director
Justin Muller	....	first assistant director (as Justin I. Muller)
Daniele Nannuzzi	....	second unit director
Pippo Pisciotto	....	first assistant director
Luigi Spoletini	....	second assistant director
Roberto Tatti	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Mario Arena	....	dressing props
Carlo De Marino	....	assistant art director
Pasquale De Viva	....	stand-by props
Ettore Guerrieri	....	set dresser
Monica Sallustio	....	set designer
Maria-Teresa Barbasso	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Auguste	....	sound effects editor
Sam Auguste	....	assistant sound editor
John Bateman	....	adr mixer
Tony Bell	....	boom operator
Richard Fettes	....	foley editor
Dean Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Craig Irving	....	sound re-recording mixer
Johannes Kovecny	....	assistant sound editor
Mark Lafbery	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Colin Ritchie	....	adr editor
Steve Schwalbe	....	sound effects editor
Brian Simmons	....	production sound mixer
Fabio Venturi	....	sound engineer
Mike Wood	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects supervisor
Maurizio Corridori	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Alan Church	....	digital effects supervisor: The Film Factory
Sally Clayton	....	digital effects artist: The Film Factory
Simon Giles	....	digital effects producer: The Film Factory
David Sewell	....	digital effects artist: The Film Factory
Trevor Young	....	digital effects artist: The Film Factory

Camera and Electrical Department
Philippe Antonello	....	still photographer
Paola Barbaglia	....	assistant camera
Elio Bosi	....	key grip
Francesco Brioni	....	assistant camera: second unit
Fabio Cafolla	....	electrician
Giancarlo Checchi	....	electrician
Antonio D'Arienzo	....	electrician
Daniele D'Offizi	....	focus puller: second unit
Giuseppe Fabrizi	....	electrician
Dominic Gaughan	....	clapper loader
Mario Massaccesi	....	gaffer
Franco Micheli	....	grip
Mauro Mimino	....	grip
Mark Moriarty	....	camera operator
Carlo Postiglione	....	key grip
Clive Prior	....	focus puller
Massimiliano Sticchi	....	electrician
Claudio Terlizzi	....	electrician
Nicola Terlizzi	....	electrician

Casting Department
Riccardo Bertoni	....	extras casting
Louis Elman	....	adr voice casting
Silvano Spoletini	....	crowd casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ermanno Daelli	....	costumes: Cher
Daria Gianassini	....	wardrobe assistant
Alessandro Lai	....	assistant costume designer
Claudette Lilly	....	wardrobe assistant
Elsa Masseroni	....	wardrobe assistant
Anna Orazi	....	wardrobe assistant
Piero Risani	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Stefano Giovannini	....	color grader
Mark Harris	....	first assistant editor: London
Lucy Smith	....	second assistant editor
Liberata Zocchi	....	first assistant editor: Rome

Music Department
Stefano Arnaldi	....	orchestrator
Claudio Messina	....	music producer
Steve Parr	....	music mixer
Alessio Vlad	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Roberto Leone	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	script supervisor
Tommaso Arrighi	....	set production assistant
Marco Billeri	....	animal trainer
Rebecca Booth	....	assistant to director
Robert Booth	....	dialogue coach
Roberto Canaro	....	production accountant
Gilles Cannatella	....	production assistant
Richard Fontenot	....	pre-production assistant: Los Angeles
Deborah Gherardi	....	location manager
Gina Gherardi	....	location manager
Sally Grace	....	dialogue coach
Pasquale Martino	....	animal trainer
Maria Menarini	....	jewels designer
Janice Mordue	....	title designer
Roberto Ornaro	....	production accountant
Franco Penna	....	production accountant
Stefano Priori	....	production controller
Eugene Rizzo	....	unit publicist
Sara Rossi	....	production coordinator
Jennifer Ruiz	....	assistant: Cher
John Sargent	....	post-production accountant
Stefano Sciarra	....	runner
Patrizia Serantoni	....	assistant to producer
Val Sunderland	....	production accountant
David Sweetman	....	script consultant
Luciano Tartaglia	....	production accountant
Mark Thompson-Ashworth	....	dialogue coach: Massimo Ghini (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cattleya
• Cineritmo
• Film and General Productions
• Medusa Produzione

Distributors

• United International Pictures (UIP) (Greece) (theatrical)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• G2 Films (USA)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (Germany)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (France)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (UK)
• United International Pictures (Far East)
• Universal Home Video (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2000) (Germany) (VHS)

Special Effects

• The Film Factory at VTR (digital effects)

Other Companies

• A.T.A.  period cars and carriages
• ARS IMAGO di A. Cerquetti  post-production facilities
• ATI Music  music published by
• Angels  costumes
• Annabella  furs
• Annamode 68  costumes
• Cine 800  set dressing
• Cosprop  costumes
• Costumi d'Arte  costumes
• Emporium  set dressing
• Film Finances  completion bond
• Forum Music Village  music recorded at
• General Screen Enterprises  opticals and titles
• Grevi Mode  hats
• Hear No Evil Studios  music mixer
• Irell & Manella  legal services
• Orchestra di Roma  music performed by
• R.E.C.  lighting equipment
• Rocchetti  wigs
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes
• Twickenham Film Studios  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

Un te con Mussolini (Italy)
Chá com Mussolini (Brazil) (Portugal) (video title) [pt]
Un thé avec Mussolini (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
La ceai cu Mussolini (Romania) [ro]
Té con Mussolini (Spain) [es]
Te med Mussolini (Denmark) [da]
Tee mit Mussolini (Germany) [de]
Teetä Mussolinin kanssa (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements, language, brief nudity and some mild violence.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

Italy | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cattleya

Trivia:

The combat scenes late in the picture are clips from A Bridge Too Far (1977).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The tanks the Germans ride in on are in-fact U.S. Army M4 Sherman's, not German Built Panzer's.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title Card: Florence 1935.
Title Card: The love affair between the artistically-inclined English community and Florence was soon to be overshadowed by the clouds of war.
Title Card: But at the moment the sun is still shining on the squares and statues, and the dictator Mussolini is the gentleman who makes the trains run on time.
Connie Raynor: Excuse me, are you the Consul?
British Consul: Yes.
Connie Raynor: Connie Raynor of the Morning Post. I'm fascinated to know what His Majesty's Consul in Florence makes of it all?
British Consul: I can't believe your readers would be interested in our little ceremony.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Roseanne Show: (#1.8)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Creole Clarinet

I Want to Grow Up with Cher, Judi, Lily, Maggie and Joan

TEA WITH MUSSOLINI is Zeffirelli's tribute to his own war-time

upbringing, and while it is undeniably sentimental, it is also a

wonderful movie. A young, illegitimate boy who is rejected by his

father (who is married to another) is raised by his secretary (Joan

Plowright). She is part of a group of English ex-pats living in life on

very fixed incomes in Florence on the eve of WWII. Plowright's

other peers include Maggie Smith as the insufferably snobbish

widow of a consulate, who never lets anyone forget her status.

There's also Judi Dench, an artist, who is a gentle soul and an

animal lover. Lily Tomlin is an American who keeps a watchful eye

on the ladies at the danger comes closer to engulfing them all.

And then there's Cher, the widow of a rich man who comes and

goes throughout Europe in search of good art and a good time. All

these women have come to love the young boy who is now about

14 when the movie begins. Cher, whose character is Jewish is

damn near ruined by a scheming lover, and her life is in danger.

The British contingent has been sent to close quarters in Sienna

where they are forced to live in close proximity to each other, as

prisoners of war. The war is nearly over with the Americans

advancing on Sienna. The young man helps to arrange Cher's

escape and the woman stop bickering long enough to help the

Americans liberate Sienna and all ends happily.

Some have complained that Cher is terrible in this movie.

Nonsense. She's playing a head-strong, independent woman

who is in charge of her own life. This is a variation of the same

theme she has worked as an actress, entertainer and personality

for more than 40 years. The final parting with the young boy is

tear-inducing. Cher looks sensational and gives a heart-felt

performance. The ladies--Dames Joan, Maggie and Judi are

adorable and winning as expected with Lily Tomlin offering a

wonderful portrait of a tough journalist who comes to their support

when the going gets rough. The young boy as Zeffirelli is also

terrific. The scenery is gorgeous, and you can't see too many

stories about interesting, off-beat characters on the loose in Italy

as far as I'm concerned.