(Venice) The interwar period and the Second World War are certainly periods that fascinate Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice, Hanna, Anna Karenina). After Atonement (2007), based on the novel by Ian McEwan, set from the 1930s to the 2000s, and Darkest Hour (2017), which traced Winston Churchill’s rise to power, the British filmmaker recounts the origins of fascism in Mr. The son of the secoloon a screenplay by Stefano Bises and Davide Serino.
“It’s a period that I like and that allows me to understand how we got here,” the director explained at a press conference on Friday. “Faced with the rise of the right, this series, which was a cathartic process, allowed me to analyze what is happening.”
Like Antonio Scurati’s novel, M, the child of the century (Strega Prize 2019), on which the eight-episode miniseries is based, the story is narrated by Benito Mussolini, 35 years old, at the time the story begins, in 1919, and punctuated with photos and archive extracts.
“I was very lucky that Antonio suggested I read his novel,” said Lorenzo Mieli, one of the producers of the series. “It’s an important book, both a novel and a documentary. During this very long process, I was surprised to see that very few films and TV series have been made about fascism and Mussolini.”
Embodied with panache by the charismatic Luca Marinelli (The eight mountainsby Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch), the father of fascism and future dictator likes to break the fourth wall at any moment. Directly addressing the audience, charming them with knowing winks or jokes about his enemies and allies, the ambitious politician spouts horrors and lies like a tooth-puller.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VENICE MOSTOR
Luca Marinelli in Mr. The son of the secoloby Joe Wright
“Because of my anti-fascist convictions, at first I found it difficult to get into the character’s skin,” confided the Italian actor. “I wondered if I had to like him to personify him. Then I told myself that it could be a way of assuming my political ideas and a historical responsibility. I understood what I had to do and that I was part of a group that had an important message to deliver. Without Joe, it would have been impossible to shoot.”
Luca Marinelli does not hide the fact that the seven-month shoot was very painful for him: “As usual, I focused on my character, but I had to resist the idea of judging him. So throughout the shoot, I had to suspend my judgment because I had to play him in the most honest way, to try to understand him, even if we will never be able to understand him. I didn’t want to make him the incarnation of Evil, but a human being who has committed horrible crimes.”
Around Mussolini evolved several important figures, including Cesare Rossi, a former socialist turned fascist, and Margherita Sarfatti, a journalist, woman of letters and one of Il Duce’s many mistresses.
“I played Cesare Rossi as if he were a victim of Stockholm syndrome in front of Mussolini,” Francesco Russo said. “He would like to tell him what he thinks, but he says nothing and obeys his orders. For me, he is a metaphor for the people’s adoration and fascination for Mussolini.”
“The relationship between Margherita and Mussolini was based on the power they had over each other. She was very intelligent, powerful, seductive, but in their love letters you can see that they really loved each other. I think Margherita is an important character to tell this story,” explained Barbara Chichiarelli.
Full view
Assisted by director of photography Seamus McGarvey, his faithful accomplice, Joe Wright moves from black and white to color, from archive extracts to reconstituted archives, from breathless, talkative closed-door scenes to spectacular action scenes of great violence with a desire to dazzle the spectators.
“I wanted to convey the feeling of living in that era, to create a mix between the reality of the past, films like Scarface [de Brian De Palma] and the culture of the 1990s. With Tom Rowlands, from the Chemical Brothers, we wanted music that would fit the aesthetic of the film and give it a rhythm. With Valerio Bonelli, we wanted the same thing for the editing; the rhythm of the series had to reflect the dynamism of the time, the evolution of fascism and the character as well as the fear of the people.
“I had read the book and found it to be beautiful, intense and rich, and I had a lot of trust in Joe,” said Tom Rowlands. “I delved into the period and then created a lot of music. I really followed Joe in his way of recreating the story.”
A resolutely anti-fascist series based on historical facts, Mr. The son of the secolo playfully establishes links with the present. In one scene, Mussolini turns to the audience and says in English: Make Italy great again. »
“I couldn’t resist slipping in that phrase,” admitted screenwriter Stefano Bises. “The philological idea behind the script was to find a freedom of tone and a way of telling stories that moves away from historical dramas.”
“For me, the series is the natural continuation of my book. The series maintains the vocation of the book, which is to represent fascism through fascists in order to make it understood. I believe that the specter of fascism is still at our doors in Europe and the aim of the series is to make this specter disappear,” concluded Antonio Scurati.