''Il divo'' (, ''The Celebrity'' or more literally ''The Divine'', from Latin ''divus,'' "god") is a 2008 Italian

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a Nonfiction, non-fictional or History, historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. The ...

film directed by

Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino (; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film ''The Great Beauty'' won the Academy Awards, Academy Award, the Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe, and the British Academy of Film and Te ...

. It is based on the figure of former Italian Prime Minister

Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti ( , ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992) and leader of the Christian Democra ...

. It competed at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, where it was awarded the

Jury Prize A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England duri ...

. The film also screened at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and was nominated for the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for Best Makeup at the

82nd Academy Awards The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

in 2010.

Synopsis

The film presents the story of

, a seven-time

Prime Minister of Italy The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

notorious for his alleged ties to the

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

. The narration covers Andreotti's seventh election in 1992, his failed bid for the presidency of the Italian Republic, the bribe scandal ''

Tangentopoli ''Mani pulite'' (; Italian for "clean hands") was a nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy held in the early 1990s, resulting in the demise of the so-called " First Republic" and the disappearance of many Italian ...

'' and his trial in 1995. As the film opens, Giulio Andreotti gives an inner monologue observing how he has managed to survive his tumultuous political career while his various detractors have died. A montage shows the murders of various people connected to Andreotti, including journalist

Mino Pecorelli Carmine "Mino" Pecorelli (; 14 September 1928 – 20 March 1979) was an Italian journalist, shot dead in Rome a year after former prime minister Aldo Moro's 1978 kidnapping and subsequent killing. He was described as a "maverick journalist wit ...

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

general Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, bankers

Michele Sindona Michele Sindona (; 8 May 1920 – 22 March 1986) was an Italian banker and convicted felon. Known in banking circles as "The Shark", Sindona was a member of Propaganda Due (#0501), a secret lodge of Italian Freemasonry, and had clear connecti ...

and

Roberto Calvi Roberto Calvi (13 April 1920 – 17 June 1982) was an Italian banker, dubbed "God's Banker" () by the press because of his close association with the Holy See. He was a native of Milan and was chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in ...

, and former Prime Minister

Aldo Moro Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July 1 ...

Cast

Toni Servillo Marco Antonio Servillo (), known as Toni Servillo, is an Italian actor and theatrical director. He has won the European Film Award for Best Actor twice, in 2008 for both '' Gomorrah'' and ''Il Divo'' and in 2013 for ''The Great Beauty'', as wel ...

Anna Bonaiuto Anna Bonaiuto (born 28 January 1950) is an Italian actress. She has appeared in 48 films and television shows since 1973. She starred in '' L'amore molesto'', which was entered into the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Selected filmography Referen ...

as Livia Danese, Giulio Andreotti's wife *

Flavio Bucci Flavio Bucci (25 May 1947 – 18 February 2020) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film producer. Biography Born in Turin, Bucci began appearing in film and television in 1971, making his debut appearance in the film ''The Working Class G ...

as Franco Evangelisti * Carlo Buccirosso as

Paolo Cirino Pomicino Paolo Cirino Pomicino (born 3 September 1939) is an Italian politician, who was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 2006 Italian general election representing the Christian Democracy for the Autonomies. Biography Pomicino was born in Napl ...

* Piera Degli Esposti as Mrs. Enea, Giulio Andreotti's secretary *

Alberto Cracco Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic '' Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Alber ...

as Don Mario *

Giorgio Colangeli Giorgio Colangeli (born 14 December 1949) is an Italian stage, television and film actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Colangeli graduated in nuclear physics, then he started a stage career. After several minor roles, Colangeli's breakout rol ...

Salvo Lima Salvatore Achille Ettore Lima (; 23 January 1928 – 12 March 1992) was an Italian politician from Sicily who was associated with, and murdered by, the Sicilian Mafia. He is often just referred to as Salvo Lima. According to the ''pentito'' ...

Massimo Popolizio Massimo Popolizio (born 4 July 1961) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Massimo Popolizio studied at the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome in 1984, Popolizio started his career as a stage actor and, after gradu ...

Vittorio Sbardella Vittorio Sbardella (8 January 1935 – 26 September 1994) was an Italian politician, who was a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies for Democrazia Cristiana (Italian Christian Democracy) from 1987 until few months before his death. He was ...

* Aldo Ralli as Giuseppe Ciarrapico *

Giulio Bosetti Giulio Bosetti (26 December 1930 – 24 December 2009) was an Italian actor and director. Career Giulio Bosetti appeared in film, on television and on stage over 30 times. In 1972, he narrated the television special ''La vita di Leonardo da Vi ...

Eugenio Scalfari Eugenio Scalfari (; 6 April 1924 – 14 July 2022) was an Italian journalist. He was editor of the news magazine ''L'Espresso'' (1963–1968), a member of parliament in the Chamber of Deputies (1968–1972), and co-founder of the newspaper ''La ...

* Gianfelice Imparato as

Vincenzo Scotti Vincenzo Scotti (born 16 September 1933) is an Italian politician and member of Christian Democracy (DC). He was Minister of the Interior and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Biography Born in Naples, he graduated in economics at the Università d ...

Paolo Graziosi Paolo Graziosi (25 January 1940 – 1 February 2022) was an Italian stage and film actor. Biography Born in Rimini, Graziosi was rejected for the admission exams at the Academy of Dramatic Arts Silvio D'Amico in 1961. He then enrolled at the C ...

Lorenzo Gioielli Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo ...

Giovanni Vettorazzo Giovanni may refer to: * Giovanni (name), an Italian male given name and surname * Giovanni (meteorology), a Web interface for users to analyze NASA's gridded data * ''Don Giovanni'', a 1787 opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, based on the legend of ...

as Magistrate Scarpinato *

Cristina Serafini Cristina Serafini (born 22 September 1978) is an Italian actress. Early life Cristina Serafini was born in Turin, Italy, the only child of a journalist and a restaurant owner. She soon decided to pursue an acting career and won a scholarship ...

as Caterina Stagno * Achille Brugnini as

Fiorenzo Angelini Fiorenzo Angelini (1 August 1916 – 22 November 2014) was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers in the Roman Curia, and was elevate ...

Pietro Biondi Pietro Biondi (born 13 October 1939) is an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Spoleto, Biondi has appeared in over 12 films and 14 television shows. He has also made numerous appearances on stage. As a voice actor, Biondi is bes ...

Francesco Cossiga Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (; sc, Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, ; 1928 – 2010)
. was an Italian pol ...

Fanny Ardant Fanny Marguerite Judith Ardant (born 22 March 1949) is a French actress and film director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two César Awards and a Lumières Award. Early life Ardant was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Fr ...

as French Ambassador's wife

Soundtrack

The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

for ''Il Divo'' was composed by

Teho Teardo Teho Teardo is an Italian musician and composer. He is a founding member of the rock band Meathead. In the 1990s he collaborated with Mick Harris, Jim Coleman and Lydia Lunch. With Scott McCloud (Girls Against Boys) he started a new project ca ...

in 2008 and released on compact disc by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

in Italy. The soundtrack has not been released locally in North America or the United Kingdom and is only available by import.

Track listing

# ''Fissa lo sguardo'' – Teho Teardo # ''Sono ancora qui'' – Teho Teardo # ''I miei vecchi elettori'' – Teho Teardo # '' Toop Toop'' – Cassius # ''Che cosa ricordare di lei?'' – Teho Teardo # ''Un'altra battuta'' – Teho Teardo # ''Il cappotto che mi ha regalato Saddam'' – Teho Teardo # ''Notes for a New Religion'' – Teho Teardo # ''Gammelpop'' –

Barbara Morgenstern Barbara Morgenstern (born March 19, 1971) is a German electronic music artist, keyboardist and singer. Biography Born in Hagen, Germany, Morgenstern describes herself as self-taught, although she had piano lessons as a child and jazz lessons at ...

& Robert Lippok # ''Non ho vizi minori'' – Teho Teardo # ''Ho fatto un fioretto'' – Teho Teardo # ''Possiedo un grande archivio'' – Teho Teardo # ''Double Kiss'' – Teho Teardo # '' Nux Vomica'' –

The Veils The Veils are an English/New Zealand indie rock band fronted by singer and songwriter Finn Andrews. History Early years, ''The Runaway Found'' (2001–2004) Finn Andrews was born in London but spent his teenage years at high school in A ...

# ''Il prontuario dei farmaci'' – Teho Teardo # ''La corrente'' – Teho Teardo # ''Flute concerto in D major (Il gardellino): Allegro'' –

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

# '' Pavane, Op. 50'' –

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

# '' Da, da, da, ich lieb' Dich nicht, Du liebst mich nicht'' – Trio # ''E la chiamano estate'' –

Bruno Martino Bruno Martino (11 November 1925 – 12 June 2000) was an Italian composer, singer, and pianist. Career Martino learned to play the piano at the age of fourteen. A Jazz fan, he spent the early years of his career performing with European radio an ...

The film features also: * ''Pohjola's Daughter, Op. 49:'' ''Symphony n. 2'' and ''Violin Concerto'' –

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...

* '' Danse macabre, Op. 40'' –

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

* ''I migliori anni della nostra vita'' –

Renato Zero Renato Fiacchini (born 30 September 1950), known by the stage name Renato Zero (), is an Italian singer, songwriter, producer, dancer and actor whose career spans from the 1960s to the 2020s. Zero is the only artist to have reached the top of th ...

* ''Conceived'' –

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

Themes

Andreotti's win as an incumbent Prime Minister reveals the theme of "

particracy Particracy, also known as partitocracy, partitocrazia or partocracy, is a form of government in which the political parties are the primary basis of rule rather than citizens and/or individual politicians. As argued by Italian political scient ...

" (''partitocrazia'', or "rule by parties") in Italian politics, the rule of Italian politics being strongly influenced by a single dominant group of players who govern independent of the will of the voters. A new trend of populism rose in the politics of many European countries during the late 20th century, resulting in "a new breed of radical right-wing parties and movements" which gain majority favor through "charismatic leadership" and an appeal to "popular anxieties prejudices and resentments". In the movie, Andreotti served as Prime Minister multiple terms; some argue that he and many other political actors in Italy utilize the so-called "soft

populism Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

", which employs outlets, such as media, to appeal to the popular masses. However, Andreotti does not seem to emphasize any specific policies nor even campaign. Through the portrayal of Andreotti, the movie displays how political actors are able to maintain their position and power with little to no explanation as to how they did so. Also, the inability to completely distinguish whether Andreotti was or was not affiliated with the Mafia murders conveys the lack of clarity in the mechanics of Italy's government. Andreotti's incumbency reveals the

pentapartito The Pentapartito (from Greek , "five", and Italian , "party"), commonly shortened to CAF (from the initials of Craxi, Andreotti and Forlani), refers to the coalition government of five Italian political parties that formed between June 1981 an ...

, which consisted of five parties ranging from centre-right to centre-left. This coalition formed to prevent a left majority and was able to secure a majority by strategic methods of give and take. By maintaining this system of taking turns, a "systematic corruption" formed where parties were no longer driven by the masses, but by their alignments, resulting in "exchanging resources".

Critical reception

''Il Divo'' received mostly positive reviews from critics. ''Il divo'' has an approval rating of 92% on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 50 reviews, and an average rating of 7.51/10. The website's critical consensus states, "While the web of corruption in this Italian political thriller can be hard for a non-native to follow, the visuals and the intrigue are compelling and thrilling in equal measure". It also has a score of 81 out of 100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Peter Brunette Peter Brunette (September 18, 1943 – June 16, 2010) was a film critic and film historian.Obituary ''Los Angeles Times'', June 22, 2010, page AA6. He was the author of several books, including biographies of Italian directors Roberto Rossellini ...

of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' praised the movie, pointing out the capacity of entertaining, the brilliant acting and the quality of the soundtrack. He noted that the movie will probably not have a great success outside Italy. The same elements emerged from the review of Jay Weissberg from ''Variety'', who defined the movie "a masterpiece" that "will become a touchstone for years to come".

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', while acknowledging that "the shadowy relationships among politicians, the Mafia and the Vatican are difficult to decipher" to the American audience as most of the real-life characters are little known outside Italy, describes the filmmaking as "a tour de force of indelibly flashy imagery" and ranks the film "alongside the best of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola". Andreotti himself walked out of the movie and dismissed the film, stating that it was "too much" and that he would be, in the end, judged "on his record".

Massimo Franco Massimo Franco (6 November 1954 in Rome) is an Italian journalist, author, and member of the editorial board for the Italian newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. Biography Massimo Franco is a journalist for ''Corriere della Sera.'' He previously w ...

, a journalist and biographer of Andreotti, related that upon seeing the film "he was angry, calling it scurrilous." However, a few days later, Franco wrote that Andreotti joked cynically: "I'm happy for the producer. And I'd be even happier if I had a share of the takings."

Accolades

Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano were nominated for Best Achievement in Makeup for the

. The film was nominated for the

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

of the

Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics The Belgian Film Critics Association (french: Union de la critique de cinéma, UCC) is an organization of film critics from publications based in Brussels, Belgium. History The Belgian Film Critics Association was founded in the early 1950s in Br ...

. *

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

** Prix du Jury (

) **Prix Vulcain (

Luca Bigazzi Luca Bigazzi (born 9 December 1958) is an Italian cinematographer. He has won seven David di Donatello for Best Cinematography awards and received fourteen nominations, making him the highest awarded artist in this category. He is the first Ital ...

and Angelo Raguseo) *Sannio FilmFest **Premio "Capitello d'Oro" Migliore Attore ( Carlo Buccirosso) *Premio "Sonora", una Musica per il Cinema **Premio Migliore Colonna Sonora (

) *

Venice film festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

**Premio "SIAE" alla Creatività 2008 (

) *Festival du Cinéma Italien d'Ajaccio **Prix Meilleur Acteur (

) *Martini Premiere Award **Menzione Speciale per la Locandina **Premio "The Most Innovative Movie" *Premio Internazionale Cinearti "La Chioma di Berenice" **Premio Migliore Arredamento ( Alessandra Mura) *

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

**Best European Actor (Toni Servillo) *Sevilla Festival de Cine: **Eurimages *

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...

**Best directors of photography (Luca Bigazzi) *

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003. History Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ' ...

**Volta Award (Paolo Sorrentino) *

San Diego Film Critics Society Award The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) is an organization of film reviewers from San Diego-based publications that was founded in 1997. Overview The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) is composed of print, television, radio and digital ...

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

(Paolo Sorrentino)

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Divo 2008 films 2000s Italian-language films 2008 biographical drama films Films set in Rome Italian epic films Films directed by Paolo Sorrentino 2000s political drama films Italian political drama films Films about the Sicilian Mafia Biographical films about prime ministers Giulio Andreotti Films set in 1992 Films set in 1993 Films set in 1994 Films set in 1995 Italian biographical drama films Cultural depictions of politicians Cultural depictions of Italian men 2008 drama films Films with screenplays by Paolo Sorrentino