The first words I learned in Italian were gamba di legno, or wooden leg, for which Benito Mussolini and Walt Disney are to blame: After the war, my mother, who was fluent in Italian, had been involved ...

[EDITOR’S NOTE: “Italian for Beginners” had its world premiere at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. Following are excerpts from G. Allen Johnson’s review, first published by indieWIRE on Feb. 13, 2001.