History in color hits different when the monster looks real.
After the World War I, Mussolini's perspective on life is severely altered; once a willful socialist reformer, now obsessed with the idea of power, he founds the National Fascist Party in 1921 and assumes political power in 1922, becoming the Duce, dictator of Italy. His success encourages Hitler to take power in Germany in 1933, opening the dark road to World War II. (Originally released as a two-part miniseries. Includes colorized archival footage.)
Production
Colorization makes 1920s fascism terrifyingly present, not past.
Editing
Jarring cuts between archival pageantry and modern historians.
Writing
Narration that trusts viewers to connect their own dots.
Director
Chris Oxley
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The colorization took over two years; Mussolini's own propaganda films provided reference palettes for his uniforms.
Released during Berlusconi's third term, Italian critics debated whether the doc's urgency was historical or contemporary. Oxley refused to comment.
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