This sad tale of an obsessive woman scorned recalls "The Story of Adele H." (1975). The based-on-reality plotlines are similar, and both end grimly.
I discovered this film while reading the backstory of Mussolini, whose profile I'd viewed in the "Evolution of Evil" documentary series.
Giovanna Mezzogiorno turns in a very strong performance as Ida, as does Filippo Timi as the single-minded, charismatic "Il Duce."
We find excellent examples here of obsession ("I have to see you again"), self-effacement, ideas of reference, fatalism, and narcissism. Ida's a truth-teller, but seriously lacks common sense. Clearly, Mussolini could harm her. Not even her love for her son could halt her self-destructive descent.
Despite its strengths, this movie is way too long. Mussolini disappears half-way through, other than in newsreel footage, and interest flags as we watch Ida waste away in an asylum.
I'd love to see "Claretta" (1984) as a companion piece, about the Mussolini mistress killed and hung upside-down with the dictator on April 28, 1945, a day after their capture by partisans near Lake Como. Alas, it seems nowhere to be found on the internet and lacks even one review here on imdb.
I discovered this film while reading the backstory of Mussolini, whose profile I'd viewed in the "Evolution of Evil" documentary series.
Giovanna Mezzogiorno turns in a very strong performance as Ida, as does Filippo Timi as the single-minded, charismatic "Il Duce."
We find excellent examples here of obsession ("I have to see you again"), self-effacement, ideas of reference, fatalism, and narcissism. Ida's a truth-teller, but seriously lacks common sense. Clearly, Mussolini could harm her. Not even her love for her son could halt her self-destructive descent.
Despite its strengths, this movie is way too long. Mussolini disappears half-way through, other than in newsreel footage, and interest flags as we watch Ida waste away in an asylum.
I'd love to see "Claretta" (1984) as a companion piece, about the Mussolini mistress killed and hung upside-down with the dictator on April 28, 1945, a day after their capture by partisans near Lake Como. Alas, it seems nowhere to be found on the internet and lacks even one review here on imdb.