Gundle, Stephen (2013) Playing the dictator : re-enactments of Mussolini in film and television. Modern Italy, Volume 18 (Number 2). pp. 177-195. doi:10.1080/13532944.2013.780427 ISSN 1469-9877.

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Abstract

This article explores the portrayal of Mussolini in film and television drama. It considers the contexts in which films and mini-series were made from the 1970s and the problems faced in bringing the Duce to the screen, mostly in dramas that stressed the final phase of his rule. Despite efforts to ensure authenticity in the reconstruction of locations, events and people, there was a notable emphasis on the private and personal dimensions of the dictator's life, a sphere in which screenplays had to indulge in invention in keeping with the practices of all ‘biopics’. The resulting ‘screen Mussolini’ is more human and potentially more sympathetic than the Mussolini of historiography. In a situation in which the legacies of Fascism and anti-fascism are still debated, this media construction has been controversial. The article assesses, using textual analysis, the meanings of the different representational solutions deployed in the films and considers some of the issues involved in playing Mussolini.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts > Theatre, Performance and Cultural Policy Studies
Journal or Publication Title:	Modern Italy
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	1469-9877
Official Date:	2013
Dates:	Date Event 2013 Published
Volume:	Volume 18
Number:	Number 2
Page Range:	pp. 177-195
DOI:	10.1080/13532944.2013.780427
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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