Vincere poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Fabrizio Costella, Michela Cescon, Fausto Russo Alesi, Filippo Timi ... see more see more... , Piergiorgio Bellocchio , Corrado Invernizzi , Paolo Pierobon , Bruno Cariello , Francesca Picozza , Simona Nobili , Vanessa Scalera , Giovanna Mori , Patrizia Bettini , Silvia Ferretti , Corinne Castelli

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 c... read more read more...onceived 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, Il 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 classical Italian opera. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Flixster Users

63% liked it

10,779 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

87 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Marco Bellocchio

Release Date: March 19, 2010

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: July 27, 2010

Stats: 254 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Cannes 2009 on the set of 'Vincere' (2009) on the set of 'Vincere' (2009) Filippo Timi and Giovanna Mezzogiorno Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida Dalser Michela Cescon as Donna Rachele 'Vincere' (Bellocchio, 2009) Filippo Timi as Benito Mussolini Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida Dalser Fabrizio Costella as Benitino Pier Giorgio Bellocchio and Filippo Timi Corrado Invernizzi and Giovanna Mezzogiorno Filippo Timi as Benito Mussolini Michela Cescon as Donna Rachele Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida Dalser Filippo Timi as Benito Mussolini Filippo Timi and Michela Cescon Giovanna Mezzogiorno as Ida Dalser
Upload a Photo | View All Vincere Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (254)

  • jennifxu
    April 29, 2011
    jennifxu
    Who would have guessed that a biopic - about Mussolini, no less - could have turned out so avant-garde? Although consistently overshadowed by its (admittedly) superior Cannes counterpart "The White Ribbon," the Italian film "Vincere" still has its strengths, disregarding conventi... read moreonal biopic mechanisms in favor of a taut, yet occasionally overwrought, dramatic storyline.

    By omitting the traditional "this is where he started" bits, "Vincere" immediately catapults the viewers into the center of the action. The film is remarkably operatic, with clamoring swells and swoops and a soundtrack rivaling the likes of "Amadeus." Director Marco Bellocchio ("Good Morning, Night") makes skillful use of old 1930s film reels, masterfully juxtaposing grainy WWI propaganda with scenes from the film, flashing and fading out of victims in mental hospitals with sunken eyes just as the opera voices billow and subside.

    Where "Vincere" succeeds most at is exploring the concept of sex as a mechanism of character - before Mussolini comes into power, he is seen subjugating Dalser, foretellingly, in much the same way. In one particularly harrowing scene, Dalser spreads herself naked on a comforter, having sold all her possessions in order to fund her lover's Socialist newspaper. "Say you love me, just once," the needy Dalser begs. In true fashion, Mussolini responds by violently pressing his lips against hers, obscenely ravishing her naked body. The image fades out, and a troop of advancing soldiers marches across the screen, preliminarily connecting the bedroom to the battleground before the historical events happen.

    Yet the problem with "Vincere" - as with all biopics - is that it comes off as quite one-dimensional, essentially focusing on Mussolini's pathway to power through his character and personal relationships. Once the dictator leaves the film halfway following his abandonment of Dalser to a mental institution, there is fundamentally no more film, leaving us to deal with Dalser's theatrics in the absence of a powerful male figure.

    As a Mussolini biopic, the melodrama had worked wonders. As an Ida Dalser one, it's a bit too much, as the actress Mezzogiorno screams obscenities, psychotically flinging letters onto the ground and generally raising havoc among the ward. Her performance is powerful, to be sure, but her character is simply not interesting nor sympathetic enough to carry the film by herself. Viewers can neither identify nor sympathize with Dalser's overtly masochistic tendencies, and soon, her hysterics begin to grow a little old.

    If the first half were taken in isolation, "Vincere" might have been applauded as a greater film, portraying the gripping story of dictator ravenous for all aspects of power, sex and love. While the second half is not terrible, it falters tremendously in contrast, carefully and destructively losing steam with every second it goes over.
  • bookmunki
    August 16, 2010
    bookmunki
    Without a doubt, this is the best movie I have seen this year! Political unrest, the rise of fascism and Mussolini, interspersed with actual vintage newsreel footage. There are eerie parrallels with Mussolini's relationship with Ida and Italy itself. As always, Mezzogiorno is e... read morequally stunning and enthralling to watch. This is a story that needed to be told and deserves recognition for its complexity and impact on Italian national identity and consciousness.
  • gator681
    April 4, 2010
    gator681
    It is always a good sign for a biopic, which this really is not, to start in a totally unfamiliar place to the viewer. At the start of the stunning mad fever dream of a movie, "Vincere," Benito Mussolini(Filippo Timi) is not a fascist, but at the other end of the political spect... read morerum, a socialist, in Milan in 1914, challenging god to strike him down. Unluckily for a lot of people in the future, he is not but Lady Ida Dalser(Giovanna Mezzogiorno, in a superb performance) is sure as hell impressed and they are soon making hot sex. So, Mussolini who lived on a steady diet of police confrontations where he shouted that the last king will be choked with the entrails of the last pope(Or is it the other way around? I get confused...) sees his opportunity with the beginning of World War I. While most of his colleagues want neutrality, he wants war, publicly claiming it as a revolutionary act. In a coldblooded way, he does have a point, since the world will never be the same way again, and the Russian Revolution has a lot to do with this. But in reality, he sees an opportunity to work the popular sentiment, not against it, creating a newspaper, Il Popolo D'Italia, that Ida sells all of her belongings to support.

    And what writer-director Marco Bellocchio does wonderfully with "Vincere" is use the style of agit-prop movies, especially those by Sergei Eisenstein(yes, there is a baby carriage), with archival footage to ably dissect these movies and the movements they promote.(Movies are also everywhere in the film, not only in theatres, but in hospitals and outdoors, too.) With fascism, they dictate the reality they so much want to control every detail of. Ida is representative of the people in that she is drawn to Mussolini through animal magnetism, as an insanity took hold over the populace.(Another meaning of insanity is somebody who cannot accept reality.) And for many, fascism is an ideology that does its thinking for you. However, there are some things you cannot control and Mussolini could not how his story would end.
  • kylemydude
    May 3, 2010
    kylemydude
    A very prestigious and dramatic character study of Ida Dalser, Mussolini's secret lover. She bore him a son, and sold all of her belongings to fund his newspaper which made him become known to the public, yet he disowned her and pretended he didn't even know who she was. The film... read more was up for the Golden Palm in 2009 at Cannes, and has a great operatic score, with some beautiful cinematograpy. It was directed by Marco Bellocchio, and stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno(Of "Don't Tell" and "Love in the Time of Cholera.") The best scenes in my opinion were when Dalser was watching Chaplin's "The Kid," her eyes in tears, as she could sincerely relate to the film, and the scene when she was outside in the snow, clinging to the gate, throwing letters out into the night, while a scene of her son pushes down a statue of Mussolini's head in his boarding school, that whole sequence was eloquent and beautiful.
  • mvieaddict
    April 30, 2010
    mvieaddict
    From Italian director Marco Bellocchio came this biography war drama Vincere, which told the story of Ida Dalser, who claimed to be Benito Mussolini's secret wife. With this movie she told her story,she was his lover, got a his son, and separated from him, and how they interned h... read moreer in a psychiatric hospital. Access was denied to her to see her son.The movie contained dark shadows but was marvelously constructed and the result was effective.The dialogue was small while the music carried the movie through.Directing was amazing and acting was convincing. Giovanna Mezzogiorno had a strong character, but she was weak in her love for Mussolini.
  • kylegarvey6
    May 23, 2012
    kylegarvey6
    A big hulking biopic about Mussolini's estranged first wife, with a story that's splintered into grand political theatrics and quiet personal drama. The historical moments are melodramatic, loud, even hysterical; and even then they don't say much at all -- I'm still not sure why ... read moreMussolini became a fascist, for example. And the tender moments are muted, stilted, imperceptible -- I'm not sure of anything at all.

View All Vincere Reviews

Critic Reviews

Joshua Katzman
December 30, 2010
Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader

Carol Crivelli's soaring classical score heightens Bellochio's operatic tendencies. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
May 11, 2010
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

Bellocchio has turned the story of Mussolini's discarded wife and son into a movie that has some of the bully swagger and excess of Il Duce himself. Full Review

Colin Covert
April 8, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Vincere is a thrilling period drama about the power of delusions. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
April 6, 2010
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

There's visual poetry here and haunted performances from Mezzogiorno and Timi -- who plays two roles, and is especially gripping as Dalser 1/2 1/2s grown son. Full Review

Tom Long
April 2, 2010
Tom Long, Detroit News

A passionate, bold look at power, paranoia and betrayal in a little-known corner of history, Vincere is steamy, sad and so Italian it feels like an opera. Full Review

Glenn Whipp
April 2, 2010
Glenn Whipp, Associated Press

Bellocchio tells the film's historical story in an electrifying fashion, mixing in newsreel footage, on-screen slogans and Futurist art, a bit of thunder and lightning and Carlo Crivelli's boom-boom s... Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
April 2, 2010
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's grand, heartbreaking material, made even more riveting by the fact that it is very likely true. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
April 1, 2010
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Giovanna Mezzogiorno plays Ida, and if you know Mezzogiorno you know instantly why this film is worth seeing. Full Review

James Berardinelli
April 1, 2010
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The brave and unflinching performance of Giovanna Mezzogiorno is the foundation upon which the bedrock of Vincere rests. She's the heart and soul of the film. Full Review

Steven Rea
April 1, 2010
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

With wild collages of newsreel footage, swirling newspaper headlines, text, and music, Bellocchio fashions a melodrama of epic proportions. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Double Hour
    The Double Hour (100%)

More Movies like Vincere

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Vincere : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Vincere. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Vincere Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Vincere to favorites

Recent News

Submit a Story |

View Vincere News

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?