Fascist Cinema
Fascism : A philosophy or system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship to the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with the ideology of belligerent nationalism.
Has become synonymous with the governmental system of Italy under Benito Mussolini.
In 1919, Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party with their hallmark black shirts and Roman salutes. Mussolini rose to power gradually, winning 35 of the 135 seats in parliament by 1921. In 1922, the king of Italy asked Mussolini to form a government and thus began his domination of Italy. The famous march on Rome followed, with the purpose to "free the nation from the nationalists". Finally, after a campaign of violence and intimidation, Mussolini came to power in April 1924. Il Duce's dictatorship had begun.
Mussolini with Hitler during a parade
Mussolini and the fascist party began to influence every aspect of Italian culture, gaining control of the press and trade unions. From 1930-1939, they even began to pay more attention to the film medium. The fascists quickly realised the huge value of films as propaganda tools, describing cinema as their "most powerful weapon". Mussolini hoped to emulate Lenin’s use of cinema in benefiting the Soviet state.
Mussolini's self-promotion through propaganda posters
Production rose markedly with the help of state subsidies and between 1925-1929 L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa (LUCE) was created, to attempt to centralise all cinematic activities under one authority.
In 1933, a board of experts was formed, calling themselves the "Direzione Generale per la Cinematografia". They reviewed all film scripts and many were re-edited. At the same time, the national bank was authorised to subsidise up to 60% of the capital needed for approved films. Films with a particularly pro-fascist message were funded up to 100%.
By 1934, an official film school was opened, managed by Alessandro Blasetti, who remained one of the leading figures in Italian cinema right up until the 60’s. Blasetti made some of the greatest films of the 30’s and 40’s, for example 1860 and Sole. He also worked with and trained some of the most influential figures of the future. For example Roberto Rosselini, Goffredo Alessandrini who later worked on Ossessione with Visconti, and Carlo Montouri who went on the work on De Sica’s Ladri de biciclette.
Many of Blasetti’s best works were of the mythological genre and were typically pro-fascist; some would even describe him as the "spokesperson for fascist nationalism". On the other hand, it has been suggested that Blasetti did not deliberately set out to make films conforming to the fascist regimen, and he was actually ambiguous about his political standings. The fact remains that his films were extremely popular with Mussolini and even Hitler, and that they did usually carry a strong fascist message.
Two very popular genres of these years were the
Mythological genre as previously mentioned, and the "Comedia
all’Italiana" (Comedy Italian Style). These films
were popular with audiences because they covered up the real
issues of the time. They were a vehicle of escapism, and
mythological films could also be used as symbols of nationalistic
feelings. One such film was Scipione L’Africano/ Scipione
the African made by Carmine Gallone in 1937. This film
essentially told the story of the Roman Empire's resistance to a
North African threat. Scipione was a military leader who was
invited to lead the Roman army in its fight against the Africans.
The analogy of the film was Scipione recruiting old comrades to his army, just as Mussolini recruited men to march to Rome. Another example of a purely propagandistic film was Alessandro Blasetti’s Ettore Fieramosca/ Proud Fly. It is set in 1504, when Spain (and Italy) were at war with France over the Italian peninsula. At the very end of the film there is a duel between the French aristocrats and the Italian soldiers. When the French ride in their names and titles are individually proclaimed, whereas the Italians enter as one unit. They are wearing identical black shirts and ride in perfect unison. The purpose of films like this was to create a sense of national unity. This was Mussolini’s ultimate aim for the previously divided country.
Openly pro-fascist films, as described above, were labelled "black films". There were very few films of this type made, as Mussolini had to be subtle in his shaping of the nation’s viewing. Too much overt propaganda could have proved disastrous.
The majority of films made were subtler in their fascist ideals. They were concerned with escapism and covering up the reality of a country torn apart by politics. These films were known by the nickname "pink films", of which there were essentially 2 types.
The first major film movement was known as the "White Telephone films".
A white
telephone was a symbol of wealth in Italy, and these films
imitated the exterior façade of American cinema. They were
usually either comedies or romances, and typically had very
little in common with life. The protagonists of white telephone
films were young, successful, educated, beautiful and usually
wealthy. What’s more, the scenes were always falsely created
and the camerawork fluid. Characters were essentially either
portrayed as being good or bad, with good characters being
rewarded and bad characters reformed. They ended happily and
carried a moral message, in keeping with the fascist ideals.
Examples include Camerini's Il Signor Max/ Mr Max (1937)
which portrays a young, educated man working in a newspaper kiosk
but spending a holiday each year on a cruise with rich members of
the upper-class. Also Acqua di Primavera/Spring Water (1942)
and Teresa Venerdi/ Teresa Friday (1941) directed by De
Sica. It is difficult to believe that so many superficial and
almost ridiculous films were made at a time of such great
suffering. The sentimental romance and trifling comedies were
completely alien to the national mentality of the time. However,
these, along with the action-packed propaganda films, seemed to
please the party, for a time at least.
The other major film movement of the 30’s and 40’s was known as the "Calligraphers".
Calligraphers tended to come from an educated background and a lot of them were former writers and painters. Most of their films were adaptations of novels or plays and their ultimate aim was for cinema to be both beautiful and intellectual. Because of the political requirements of the time, they looked to the past to provide subject matter for films, and tried to separate cinema from politics. Calligraphers were all very different but they had a sensitive, refined style of film making in common. Location shooting was popular, and in some ways, these talented film-makers bridged the gap between the glittering films of the golden age and the first neorealist films of the 40’s.
Mario Camerini was probably the most prominent of the calligraphers. He made many comedies with Vittorio De Sica as his lead male. For example Gli Uomini, che Mascalzoni!/ What Rascals Men Are!. Also well-regarded was Luigi Chiarini, a critic-turned-film-maker who later became the director of the state film school. In 1942 he made the film La Via delle 5 Lune/Five Moon Street. However, even these films tended to lean towards fascist ideals, the reason being that directors were not free to voice their own opinions. Films could not in any way be seen to encourage individuality. Conforming and a unified nation were the only way forward. Any character revolts in these films were concluded with the eventual acceptance and contentment with life. The Utopia of these "pink films" was how Mussolini envisaged Italy. Of course, the reality was somewhat different.
All in all, fascist cinema did not live up to expectations and never amounted to a great deal. However, the government's reorganisation of cinema had resulted in the emergence of a generation of talented young directors, script writers and technicians who were keen to explore their own ideas and had no inclination to follow directives. After the fall of fascism in 1943, they were free to carry on with that which had been created for them, thanks to state subsidies. The only difference was the lack of any fascist censorship. What followed could only be described as revolutionary.