The Seduction of Mimi (18*) + introduction by Cecilia Zoppelletto

The film that launched the Wertmüller vogue in the US remains a hilarious satire, as a married man with communist ideals finds his commitment tested when he returns to town with his mistress.

When Mimi (Giancarlo Giannini) is fired after voting against the Mafia candidate in a local election, he leaves his wife (Agostina Belli) and quits Sicily to seek work in Turin. There he falls in love with a sexually liberated anarchist (Mariangela Melato). When the couple move back to Turin, a revelation about his wife leads to a series of crazed events, and Mimi’s political ideals begin to ebb away.

Lena Wertmüller’s bawdy satire boasts hilarious set pieces, and Giannini’s gift for larger-than-life comedy is exploited to its hilt. It’s the film that most evokes her love of commedia dell'arte tradition. T

Two scenes – one of domestic violence, one of a seduction attempt of a plus-size woman played by Wertmüller regular Elena Fiore – throw political correctness out the window, but Wertmüller’s critique of inadequate men is as sharp as ever.

This screening is introduced by Cecilia Zoppelletto, filmmaker and visiting lecturer at University of Westminster.

Italy 1972 Dir Lina Wertmüller 121 min

* = locally classified by the City of London Corporation

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From the curator

Screen Notes: The Films of Lina Wertmüller

Explore the work of one-time arthouse sensation Lina Wertmüller, one of the most acclaimed directors in world cinema in the 1970s whose work has been near-impossible to see in the UK, until now.

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The Seduction of Mimi (18*) + introduction by Cecilia Zoppelletto

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From the curator

Screen Notes: The Films of Lina Wertmüller

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The Seduction of Mimi (18*) + introduction by Cecilia Zoppelletto

Hidden Figures – Lina Wertmüller

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