Mussolini and I

This four-hour miniseries, an Italian production filmed in English, looks at World War II from the perspective of Il Duce's turbulent domestic life. The focus is on the dispute between Benito Mussolini (Bob Hoskins) and his son-in-law and foreign minister Count Galeazzo Ciano (Anthony Hopkins) over whether Italy should remain faithful to its alliance with Germany even though Hitler ignores the treaty provisions whenever convenient. Caught between the two is Edda (Susan Sarandon), Benito's daughter and Galeazzo's wife, who tries to save her husband from her father's wrath when the younger man becomes involved in a coup against papa in the war's later stages. Under Alberto Negrin's heavy-handed direction, this potentially interesting story receives lavish but ponderous treatment; marred by a pedestrian script, the film comes to life only at the end, when the war is effectively lost. Hopkins hams it up mercilessly as Ciano (a scene in which he mimics both Mussolini and Hitler is unintentionally hilarious), while Hoskins by contrast underplays to a fault; Sarandon's flat American accent contrasts badly, leaving her totally unconvincing. In sum, a plodding misfire. The DVD contains no extras. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)