Love and Anarchy

This article is about the 1973 film. For the Love & Anarchy film festival, see Helsinki International Film Festival.
Love and Anarchy
Directed by Lina Wertmüller
Produced by Romano Cardarelli
Written by Lina Wertmüller
Starring Giancarlo Giannini
Mariangela Melato
Eros Pagni
Pina Cei
Music by Nino Rota
Carlo Savina
Cinematography Giuseppe Rotunno
Edited by Franco Fraticelli
Distributed by Peppercorn-Wormser (U.S.)
Release dates
 20 May 1973
Running time
 120 min
Country Italy
Language Italian

Love and Anarchy (Italian: Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza...) is a 1973 film directed by Lina Wertmüller and starring Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato. The story, set in Fascist Italy before the outbreak of World War II, centers on Giannini's character, an anarchist who stays in a brothel while preparing to assassinate Benito Mussolini. Giannini's character falls in love with one of the women working in the brothel. This film explores the depths of his emotions concerning love, his hate for fascism, and his fears of being killed while assassinating Mussolini.

Love and Anarchy was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and Giannini was awarded Best Actor.[1]

Plot

The film begins with Tunin (Giancarlo Giannini) learning that his friend, an anarchist who was plotting to kill Benito Mussolini, has been killed by Mussolini's fascist police in the countryside. Tunin decides to take up the cause his friend died for. The movie then shows Tunin entering a brothel in Rome and meeting Salomè (Mariangela Melato). The two have a casual sexual encounter. Salomè explains her reasons for helping in the assassination plot as her former lover was wrongfully beaten to death by Mussolini's police in Milan. The story continues as Salomè arranges for her, Tunin and Tripolina (Lina Polito), another prostitute at the brothel, to spend the day with Spatoletti, the head of Mussolini's police. The four of them go to the countryside near Rome where the assassination will take place in several days time. Salomè keeps Spatoletti busy while Tunin scouts out the area and makes a plan. Tunin takes an interest, however, in Tripolina and they fall in love. Tunin convinces Tripolina to spend the next two days with him before the assassination as he fears they may be his last. On the morning of the assassination, Tripolina is supposed to wake Tunin early. She loves him and is scared he will die so she decides she will not wake him. Tripolina and Salomè argue about this and what to do but in the end they decide to let him sleep. Tunin wakes up and is furious at both of them. He goes into a tirade that draws the attention of the police. He starts a shootout with them and screams that he wants to kill Mussolini. He is captured and beaten to death by the police. The film ends the way it began showing the full title of the film "Stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza..." This morning at 10, on Via dei Fiori (Flowers Street), in a noted brothel which is the headline of an unnamed newspaper. The article, displaying fascist censorship, goes on to say that Tunin (who is unnamed) was arrested and then committed suicide.

Cast

Production notes

Giancarlo Giannini starred in three other films Wertmuller made during this period: The Seduction of Mimi, Swept Away, and Seven Beauties.

English version

For the initial American release, editor Fima Noveck created a prologue which featured a montage of photos of Mussolini, along with a crawl explaining his rise to power and the violent activities sanctioned in his name during his reign. Also, in this edit, the full Italian title is not displayed, in favor of the abbreviated English title Love and Anarchy.

References

  1. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Love and Anarchy". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-04-19.
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