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Told through the pitiable eyes of Benito Mussolini's alleged first wife, Ida Dalser, Vincere begins as a discordant mess and then morphs into a gripping look into the pre-World War I years of the future Italian dictator before turning into an overly drawn out tragedy.

Filmmaker Marco Bellocchio (My Mothers Smile, Good Morning) sets a dark tone early on, both in content and his use of shadows. The former is implemented by Filippo Timi in a brilliant performance as a young Mussolini who in 1914 Milan is a Socialist party member who, with his unique brand of theatrics, proclaims that God doesn't exist and that the king should be removed.

With his steel cold eyes and fiery speech making, Timi flawlessly captures Mussolini's machismo that forever seizes the attention and affection of Dalser. Played with raw intensity by Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Dalser throws herself at Mussolini, stalking him wherever he goes. She becomes his most fervent believer and directly finances his first newspaper, Il Popolo dItalia.

The couple marries in 1914 and have a son, but her world soon comes to a crashing end. His politics mutate into fascism during World War I and he marries another woman while disavowing his original marriage. Because she won't back down from her claims, Dalser is eventually thrown into an insane asylum as is her son who keeps referring himself as Benito's heir.

Bellocchio's volatile pacing ranges from frenetic to laborious. Vincere's speculative start bogs down momentarily in R-rated porn before racing through their brief relationship punctuated with wild bursts of classical and opera music. Some of the images Bellocchio imposes on the screen are too abstract, however, his blending of archival footage of the real Mussolini into the film is brilliant and clearly shows the grand theater Il Duce thrived on.

Bellocchio deserves credit for maintaining a sense of speculation about what happened between Mussolini and Dalser as their relationship remained essentially unknown for several years after the war. Dalser is becomes emblematic of the tragedy Italians suffered at the hands of a despicable megalomaniac. Still, Bellocchio could have improved the pacing by cutting at least 20 minutes out of the film that did nothing to move the story along.

The greatest strength of Vincere, which means "Win," is the performances by its leads. Both are equally unforgettable. Mezzogiorno's is the best of the year in what is a soul-stirring, tragic role.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, Vincere receives a B+.
    
Vincere is rated R and has a running time of 128 minutes.

Now showing through April 29 @
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf, Overland Park
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.

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