Italian Fascism In Color

This is the untold story of how Mussolini seized power through systematic intimidation, violence and murder.

Before the iron fist of Stalin, before Hitler, before even Franco, there was "Il Duce" - Benito Mussolini and his Blackshirts - the fascisti. Italian Fascism In Color tells the dramatic and violent story of Italian fascism from 1919 to 1946. Even though the Fascists seized power through systematic intimidation, violence and murder, they were supported by the Italian Monarchy, the Vatican and some world leaders. The Pope said Mussolini was sent by "Divine Providence". Winston Churchill called him the "Roman Genius".
The film uses an extensive array of archival material - letters, diary entries, newspaper accounts, secret memos, and expert interviews combined with rare archival film and photographs. Among the revelations told for the first time on film is the role of a strong Jewish wing of Mussolini´s fascist movement - and how that wing was sold out when Il Duce climbed into bed with Nazi Germany.

The first program of this two-part film chronicles the rise of fascism from its birth following the chaos of World War I to its full flowering in the mid-1930s. By 1936, Mussolini was riding high, and many foreign admirers came to marvel at his model government. The second program covers the collapse of fascism brought on by ill-advised military adventures and Mussolini´s growing flirtation with his one-time protege Adolph Hitler. Mussolini dreamt of restoring the glories of the Roman Empire, but the poison of allying with Germany would prove to be his downfall.

Upplagd i sortimentet: 19 September, 2007