Italian Cultural Arts Council Presents Cinema Italiano! (Orange County)

When: SUNDAY, February 20, 2011

Where: Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA 92706 Norma Kershaw Auditorium

COST: Adults $10, Students: $5 (no need to RSVP)

SCHEDULE Sunday, February 20, 2011 Arrival: 1:30- 2:00 pm, Reception Seating in Auditorium: 1:45 pm Program Begins: 2:00 pm

Vincere - The story of Mussolini's secret lover, Ida Dalser, and their son Albino. It is a daunting task to try to create a sympathetic character who’s devotedly in love with one of history’s most notorious tyrants, and yet that’s just what this film does. Director/writer Marco Bellocchio’s Vincere tells the little known tale of Ida Dalser, the first wife of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who ultimately becomes one of his victims and yet never stops loving the madman. The film is visually engrossing, simultaneously capturing the growing architectural grandeur of Italy in the 20s and 30s and revealing the growing darkness in the increasingly restrictive police state. Bellocchio makes good use of archived news footage as a story telling device.

We see actual speeches performed by Il Duce, whose favorite word to use was “Vincere” (meaning “win”.) Our tragic tale begins prior to World War I, when a young Mussolini (Filippo Timi) is the editor of “Avanti” and an up-and-coming socialist party leader. - Rob Young Vincere was one of the five Italian films pre-selected as the Best Foreign Film submission for the 82nd Academy Awards. 128 minutes, with English subtitles.