Love and Anarchy (Film d’amore e d’anarchia, ovvero ‘stamattina alle 10 in via dei Fiori 
nella nota casa di tolleranza…’)
Directed by Lina Wertmuller
Written by Lina Wertmuller
1973/Italy
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
Salome: Feelings are a luxury and this is war.
After my third Lina Wertmuller film, I consider myself a fan.
It is 1930’s Italy. Tunin (Giancarlo Giannini) is a simple, uneducated, timid peasant. His anarchist friend is killed by Fascists. Tunin is no anarchist but is seized by an unquenchable thirst for revenge. He volunteers to be the hit man in an anarchist plot to assassinate Mussolini. This brings him to Rome where Salome (Mariangela Melato) is the most popular whore at the most popular whorehouse in the city. Salome also appears to be the mastermind behind the plot to assassinate Mussolini. She introduces Tunin to the other girls as her cousin.
Tunin becomes increasingly melancholy and nervous as the date for the assassination approaches. He doesn’t lose his determination when he falls in love with Tripolina (Lina Polita), one of the whores, and they have a blissful two day honeymoon before D-day.
Giancarlo Giannini is one of those chameleon actors who is excellent in a wide variety of roles. After playing the clown in The Seduction of Mimi (1972), here he is lovable and tender. The ladies are equally good. Wertmuller manages to combine humanity and real emotion with broad Felliniesque comedy set-pieces. The film also contains one of Nino Rota’s better scores IMO. Recommended.
