This is one of those movies where you need to be up for active entertainment (read: awake and willing to process data and moments quickly). For the very same reason some people give this movie bad reviews as they are upset that the Director (Sorrentino) does not bother with explaining the history of Italian Politics after World War II and the influence Andreotti had on this. If he had to do such for an unknown to understand the story line, the movie would be one hour longer or it would become a pointless exercise and most likely a tiring one for most of the audience. This movie is made for an Italian speaking audience with knowledge of Italian Politics - not a Hollywood blah blah movie.
Personally, I was a little familiar with the background of Italian Politics but spent a significant amount of time after the first viewing to learn more about entities such as the P2 (Porpaganda due) lodge, Gladio (NATO "Stay behind" organisation), The main characters from the Christian Democrat party as well as a few gentlemen from the Island of Sicily. In light of this sin flood of information I watched the movie a second time and was frankly baffled by it's incredible way of telling such a complicated story in such short period of time.
Speking only a bit Italian but coming from a non English mother tongue country I was able to understand many parts of the movie without subtitles. I am however used to reading subtitles of non-English movies, which might ruin the experience for people who are not used to such due to the speed of dialogues and the general amount of data released during the 110 minute high speed portray of much more than Il Divo Giulio himself - it is about Italy as a country...
Long story short, if you appreciate Italian way of life, accept that the Mafia is something as part of their society (let it be Sicilian, Calabria or Napolitano), you enjoy style, class, quality, good food and music as well as the fact that things might just not be inside what it says on the tin then this is a movie for you. If you rather look for an easy digestible film after work, do not speak Italian and have no interest in reading subtitles, do not like ambiguity in scenes and do not like to put the movie together in your head afterwards - then this is certainly not a movie for you...
If you do not know about Italian Politics and want to grasp this movie at first viewing read on the internet about Andreotti, Craxi and "the years of Lead" for 20 minutes before going to the Cinema.
Enjoy.
Personally, I was a little familiar with the background of Italian Politics but spent a significant amount of time after the first viewing to learn more about entities such as the P2 (Porpaganda due) lodge, Gladio (NATO "Stay behind" organisation), The main characters from the Christian Democrat party as well as a few gentlemen from the Island of Sicily. In light of this sin flood of information I watched the movie a second time and was frankly baffled by it's incredible way of telling such a complicated story in such short period of time.
Speking only a bit Italian but coming from a non English mother tongue country I was able to understand many parts of the movie without subtitles. I am however used to reading subtitles of non-English movies, which might ruin the experience for people who are not used to such due to the speed of dialogues and the general amount of data released during the 110 minute high speed portray of much more than Il Divo Giulio himself - it is about Italy as a country...
Long story short, if you appreciate Italian way of life, accept that the Mafia is something as part of their society (let it be Sicilian, Calabria or Napolitano), you enjoy style, class, quality, good food and music as well as the fact that things might just not be inside what it says on the tin then this is a movie for you. If you rather look for an easy digestible film after work, do not speak Italian and have no interest in reading subtitles, do not like ambiguity in scenes and do not like to put the movie together in your head afterwards - then this is certainly not a movie for you...
If you do not know about Italian Politics and want to grasp this movie at first viewing read on the internet about Andreotti, Craxi and "the years of Lead" for 20 minutes before going to the Cinema.
Enjoy.