Okay, so a quick heads-up: I’m about to talk about spoilers for both Italian history *and* the series Mussolini: Son of the Century. I’ve watched up to “Chapter 5,” which dropped on MUBI last Wednesday, October 1st, so be warned if you haven’t gotten that far yet!
If you let Joe Wright direct freely, he’ll do exactly what he envisions, whether it’s staging his version of Anna Karenina mostly in a dilapidated theater or having Blackbeard’s pirates cover Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in Pan. Wright often draws attention to the constructed nature of his films, and then uses that awareness to highlight how we’re *all* constantly performing for others-a technique that works brilliantly with a story about politics and those who use ideas to both attract and control. In Mussolini: Son of the Century, Wright has crafted a wildly inventive series about a terrible man, packing each scene with as many visual effects, camera angles, and dramatic details as possible to show just how powerfully captivating and dangerous the Italian dictator was.
Mussolini is adapted from the 2018 novel of the same name by Italian author Antonio Scurati. It’s the first installment in a five-part series detailing Benito Mussolini’s ascent to power and his 20-year rule. (The last book in Scurati’s series was published in April.) Wright’s adaptation focuses solely on the first novel, with its eight episodes covering the years 1914 to 1925-the period when Mussolini began his career as a socialist and then shifted towards fascism. The series highlights that fascism initially struggled, providing a quick overview of Italy following World War I: War veterans felt abandoned, the king was weak, and the divide between the wealthy and military elite, and the country’s farmers and working class, was growing. Mussolini recognized this as a chance to gain influence, and the series showcases this in its opening scene with a striking sequence of the man – Luca Marinelli, almost unrecognisable with a bald spot, a slight belly, and an awkward stance – speaking directly to the camera, declaring, “This is my time.”
As Mussolini approaches the camera, speaking confidently and making direct eye contact, Wright quickly pans the camera to reveal him looking at his reflection in a mirror. He then enters a room filled with cheering veterans-men in uniform and surrounded by weapons. These soldiers were “brave… promised payment and recognition,” but they “received nothing” but scorn from those who opposed Italy’s involvement in the war. Mussolini realizes that their feelings of being let down (and their willingness to use force) give him an opportunity to position himself as their rescuer if they support the fascist movement. By using patriotic language and acting friendly, Mussolini portrays himself as one of the people, and their cheers and applause reinforce his strong statements, such as “My lost people, in need of strong leaders and straightforward solutions… I will lead the revolution with them!”
The room feels both dark and full of energy, as if something is happening in every corner. Mussolini moves around emphatically, and the camera follows him and his growing number of excited followers. The scene clarifies as Mussolini ends up standing behind a projector, starting a film reel – and then we are suddenly *inside* what’s being projected: the very speech we just witnessed him give. He declares that fascism is the only way to save “the fatherland,” and his message reverberates around the room, reinforcing it for the audience. (It’s worth noting the similarity to ICE’s current “Defend the homeland” slogan.) This is a cyclical scene – an Ouroboros – showing Mussolini watching himself create history, highlighting how he gained support from Italians and built a fascist movement that revolved around his persona.
Wright skillfully uses this conflicting dynamic throughout the film, employing fast-paced editing and intricate choreography to highlight how Mussolini manipulated people – persuading both the wealthy and the working class that he supported them, while simultaneously criticizing the king and then flattering him. A tense electronic score by Tom Rowlands of the Chemical Brothers underscores one of the series’ early, shocking scenes: a fascist attack on a socialist newspaper, with police passively observing. The scene is filled with flashing strobe lights, spinning grenades, and gushing blood, all set to a driving, repetitive beat – “unts-unts-unts.”
What really struck me about this series is how relevant it feels, and it’s not just the way it *looks*. It really gets at something happening right now. It shows how far a political promise can go, no matter how ridiculous, if it appeals to those on the edges of society (
The series asks us to consider not only the man spreading these harmful ideas, but also the people – including his Blackshirt paramilitary followers – who readily accept them, prompting us to understand why fear and cruelty are such powerful motivators. This intense focus reaches its peak in the last ten minutes of “Chapter 5,” where the way Mussolini directly addresses the audience and uses deliberately out-of-place elements highlights the disturbing nature of his beliefs and actions. The episode starts after Mussolini becomes prime minister following the fascists’ March on Rome in October 1922. As he reads positive reports about himself from French, British, and American newspapers, Wright includes footage of soldiers and Blackshirts carrying out executions and intensifies the sound of crowds shouting “Duce!” outside his office. Earlier episodes showed Mussolini mistreating his wife, Rachele (Benedetta Cimatti); his mistress, Margherita (Barbara Chichiarelli); and his secretary, Bianca (Cosima Centurioni). The episode begins by introducing Ida Dalser (Jessica Piccolo Valerani) – his first wife, whom he had left years earlier. She confronts him, asking for help to support their son, Benito Albino Mussolini, but is quickly sidelined as Mussolini puts his plans for Italy into motion. He places his supporters in key government positions, takes control of Parliament, establishes a state-funded militia answerable only to him, gains the support of Catholics by promising to restore religion in schools, and ultimately, gives a speech to Parliament arguing that people don’t truly desire freedom.
Wright portrays that speech against freedom as Mussolini at his most extreme. Several things happen simultaneously: As Mussolini begins speaking to Parliament – which is largely supportive except for a small group of socialists – the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley starts playing. Mussolini gestures broadly as he questions, “Does freedom truly exist? We have liberties, but freedom itself has never existed,” and the scene shifts to his men breaking into Ida’s home and forcibly taking her to an asylum. While Mussolini insists to Parliament that he isn’t “some despot,” and Elvis sings “Take my hand / Take my whole life, too,” we see doctors injecting Ida with a sedative and pulling her limp body through slamming cell doors. Wright rapidly cuts between these scenes, heightening the feeling that we’re witnessing something horrific, something fundamentally evil that can’t be fixed.
The contrast between Mussolini separating his first wife from her son, while simultaneously lecturing politicians about how “this is the moment when Parliament and country can be reunited,” perfectly captures Mussolini‘s core philosophy: Fascists readily embrace dishonesty, break apart families, and wreck lives all to increase their own power. The truth is, Mussolini refused to financially support Ida and Benito Albino, and even ordered them to be watched. Both ended up in mental institutions and died there-her death remains unexplained, and his occurred at just 26 years old. After this, Mussolini didn’t need to revisit their story. The sequence, with its surprisingly sad music and fast-paced editing, powerfully shows Mussolini’s personal and national betrayals, and his destruction of systems and relationships, in a way that’s so impactful the series doesn’t need to explicitly tie up the tragic story.
Following the removal of Ida from public life, Mussolini returns home to sexually assault his wife, Rachele, and repeatedly tells her “the best days of our lives are ahead of us” in an attempt to calm her worries about their impoverished living conditions, despite his position as the goddamned prime minister. Simultaneously, Mussolini’s thugs brutally murder a Catholic member of Parliament for refusing to cooperate, leaving blood on the alley walls resembling stigmata. The chapter concludes back in Parliament, where Mussolini, after threatening the representatives with death if they don’t approve his new voting law, reveals his true intentions. Addressing the camera from the center of the chamber, he says with a wave of his hand, “Democracy is beautiful. It gives you a lot of freedom, even the freedom to destroy it. Once that’s finished, we’ll eliminate it.”
The chorus of Presley’s “I can’t help falling in love with you” plays until the very end of the episode, accompanied by black-and-white footage of all the women Mussolini hurt and left behind. First, Margherita, who he discarded after she wrote his speeches, developed his plans, and helped him gain power. Then Rachele, whom he repeatedly abused and ultimately left to raise their children by herself. And finally, Ida, shown screaming while imprisoned, doomed to die for the simple act of once loving a man who likely caused her death. This combination of jarring images and sounds feels deliberately unsettling, especially for a series aiming to link the mistakes of history with the problems we face today. But Wright uses this unusual pairing to create a disorienting mood, highlighting how those in power often glorify their own brutality and disguise hatred as affection. It’s a deception, of course, and Mussolini: Son of the Century makes that clear. A dictator’s only true love is for themself.
Read More
- Shape of Dreams Best Builds Guide – Aurena, Shell, Bismuth & Nachia
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Brent Oil Forecast
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2’s New Update 1.041 Delivers Hotfix 1.4.1 Addressing Quests, NPCs and More
- All Grow A Garden Cheats And Console Commands
- Creation of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Pharloom map reveals cut areas & major changes
- Silver Rate Forecast
- GBP MYR PREDICTION
- LINK PREDICTION. LINK cryptocurrency
- Ray Tracing in Dying Light The Beast? Yes! And no… It’s complicated!
2025-10-01 23:56