Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

Maria Montessori: A Life Dedicated to the Children – a mini-series in two parts – is a historical drama that is based on a true story: the life and career of Maria Montessori (who was born in Italy in 1870 and who died in Holland in 1952). It was shown on Italian television (Canale 5) and released on DVD in 2007. Here is some basic information about it:

** Director: Gianluca Maria Tavarelli
** Writers: Gianmario Pagano, Pietro Valsecchi, and Monica Zapelli
** Musical score composed by Marco Betta
** Run time: 91 + 96 minutes = 187 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Paola Cortellesi as Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

** Adalberto Maria Merli as Alessandro Montessori (1832-1915) – Maria’s father

** Giulia Lazzarini as Renilde Montessori (1840-1912) – Maria’s mother

** Alessandro Lucente as Mario Montesano Montessori (1898-1982) – Maria’s son

** Massimo Poggio as Giuseppe Ferruccio Montesano (1868-1961) – a psychiatrist – Mario’s father

** Lisa Gastoni as Gemma Montesano – Giuseppe’s mother

** Gianmarco Tognazzi as Mr Cardi – a government official

** Giovanni Bissaca as Mr Talamo – an engineer

PLEASE NOTE: there are two versions of this drama:

(1) The original version with Italian soundtrack and Italian subtitles: 

Maria Montessori: una vita per i bambini.

(2) A German version with German soundtrack and no subtitles: 

Maria Montessori: Ein Leben für die Kinder.

[Subtitles in other languages are available on the Internet; in order to use them, you must know how to download the file and activate it while the movie is rolling.]

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I feel free to mention some of them here.

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown in this drama, but the basic story-line is true.

In this drama we follow the life and career of Maria Montessori, but it is not a complete biography. The story begins in 1892 and ends in 1927. The time 1870-1892 is excluded (more than two decades). The time 1927-1952 is also excluded (again more than two decades). Maria was more than 80 when she passed away in 1952. But more than four decades are excluded. This means this movie covers less than 50 per cent of her life. As stated above, it is divided into two parts:

** Part one covers the years 1892-1898

** Part two covers the years 1898-1927

Since part one covers only six years, it is quite detailed. The pace is rather slow. Since part two covers almost thirty years, it is not so detailed. The pace is much faster.

In this movie the focus is on Maria as a person. We follow her life and her career. This is not a movie about the Montessori Method of teaching which she developed after she left the world of medicine and devoted herself to the world of education.

The story begins in 1892 when Maria enters the school of medicine and surgery in Rome. She is the first woman in Italy who is allowed to study medicine. Her mother encouraged her to get a good education. Her father did not encourage her, but on the other hand he did not stand in her way. In 1896 when Maria graduates, she is the first woman in Italy who can call herself a doctor of medicine.

While studying at the university, she begins a relationship with one of her teachers, Giuseppe Montesano, who is a psychiatrist. This must be a secret, because she is a student and he is a teacher. Even after her graduation, he still wishes to keep the relationship a secret.

When Maria is pregnant, it is hard to keep the relationship a secret. What will happen now? Giuseppe’s mother does not want her son to marry Maria. She has another candidate for him. Someone who will not be his rival. A traditional wife.

Maria’s mother says Maria must stop working and get married. But Maria refuses to do this. Giuseppe will not (or cannot) marry her. He tells her to leave Rome for a while and have the baby in a secret place. He offers to give the child his name, but he is going to marry another woman, as his family wants.

Maria is devastated, but there is no way out for her. At the time, Italian society was not ready to accept a single mother who was working as a doctor or a teacher.

The child is born in 1898. His name is Mario. This is her only child. In order to continue her work, she must accept that he is placed in a foster home where she can visit him from time to time. For many years Mario does not know that Maria is his mother.

Maria leaves the world of medicine and devotes herself to the world of education. At first she works with children who are placed in a mental hospital and who are regarded as retarded. Working with these children she is able to teach them how to read and write.

At one point her students must take a test. They must take the same test as “normal” children. When they take the test, they all pass! The official who gives her the result of the test cannot believe it.

Maria gives lectures and writes articles about her “method” of teaching. Learning must be like a game for the children. They must have freedom, different activities and they must be allowed to run around from time to time. The first “House of the Children” is built in a suburb outside Rome in 1906. Now the word is spreading all over Italy and all over the world.

In 1914 Mario realises that Maria is his mother. But he does not call her mother in public. They must respect the conventions of the times. In 1915 Maria travels to the US. Mario is with her. He falls in love with an American woman, and stays there when Maria returns to Europe.

When Fascism comes to power in Italy in 1922, Mussolini is interested in her method of teaching. At first, he wants all schools in Italy to use her method. But later, things begin to change. In 1927 Maria and Mario want to leave Italy. The police are looking for them, but they are allowed to leave. This is where the movie ends.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 74 per cent, which corresponds to 3.7 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low.

On the Italian version of Amazon there are 10 reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.7 stars. On the German version of Amazon there are 8 reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.8 stars. If you ask me, both these average ratings are too high. Why?

The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. The movie is captivating, dramatic, and emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story. But it is not perfect. There some flaws. The most obvious is the exclusion of the early part of her life (1870-1892) and the last part of her life (1927-1952). There is more:

** During the years 1915-1936, Maria lives mostly in Spain and Mario joins her there when he leaves the US and returns to Europe. But this is never shown or mentioned in the movie.

** In 1924, Maria has a meeting with Mussolini, but this is not shown or mentioned in the movie. Instead we see that she has a meeting with a government official (Cardi) during which she asks: “Does Il Duce know about my teaching method?” Since she had met Mussolini in person, Maria would never ask such a question.

** During the years 1939-1946, Maria and Mario live in India where they are briefly incarcerated by the British authorities, because they are enemy aliens. But this is never shown or mentioned in the movie.

** During the years 1946-1952, Maria and Mario live in Holland. But this is never shown or mentioned in the movie.

I like this movie and I want to give it a good rating, but as you can see, there are some flaws, which cannot be ignored. I have to remove one star because of them. Therefore I think it deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. Maria Montessori wrote several books and articles. Some of them have been translated into English. Here are a few examples:

** Maria Montessori’s Own Handbook (1992)

** The Secret of Childhood (1996)

** The Montessori Method (2014)

PS # 2. For more information, see the following books:

** Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work by E. M. Standing (1959, 1998)

** Maria Montessori: A Biography by Rita Kramer (1976, 1988, 1997)

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 Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

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