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

Hidden Figures – Lina Wertmüller

,Barbican Cinema 2
Seduction of Mimi

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.

Tagged with: Cinema F-rated Love and Anarchy: The Films of Lina Wertmuller More...

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

Barbican Cinema 2