Now that the hype has died down a bit, it seems like the right time to
say a few words about the series that in recent weeks has attracted theattention of the public, critics and, marginally, the political world.
---- We are talking about M - The son of the century, produced by Sky
and based on the novel of the same name by Antonio Scurati. ---- M - The
son of the century is probably, in its genre, the most interesting work
that has been proposed to the general public in recent years in Italy.
---- There were all the conditions to make a mistake, if I may say so.
It was about telling a complicated story that was evidently never
completely resolved in our country: that of Benito Mussolini and his
rise to power.
First of all, let's clarify a concept: M - The son of the century is not
and does not want to be a documentary. It is a fiction inspired by a
novel. Historical, yes, but still a novel. Politicized viewers or those
simply more knowledgeable about the subject will certainly find
inaccuracies or gaps but, in reality, these are never too serious
shortcomings, because, fundamentally, everything that was essential for
understanding the events has been said and described.
Usually, when we talk about fascism, its origins and its evolution, we
do so with the tools and interpretative grids of historiography,
politics, sociology. In this case, however, the facts are narrated with
a dramaturgical approach and languages that are, to say the least,
unexpected.
What is really striking, in fact, is the way in which Mussolini's
personal story is told, a story that is inevitably intertwined with that
of the country, a private and political dimension at the same time.
Meanwhile, let's start with the direction. Joe Wright, who in his career
has directed - among other things - Pride and Prejudice, Atonement,
Darkest Hour and, as far as television is concerned, Charles II: The
Power of Passion and an episode of Black Mirror, has modernized the
story of fascism with a frenetically paced editing, dark photography
that sometimes recalls comic book atmospheres and an always
claustrophobic setting. The screenplay, edited by Stefano Bises and
Davide Serino, is full of ideas and descriptions that serve to outline
the psychological profiles of the many characters that animate the
series. For the music, they did not limit themselves to the period
repertoire or to something that recalls the sounds of the early
twentieth century. Quite the opposite. As absurd as it may seem, in a
series that talks about fascism, they entrusted Tom Rowlands of the
Chemical Brothers with the task of accompanying the narrative
development with electronic music in its most surreal and grotesque
moments with the excellent result of making everything incredibly fresh
and modern.
Much has been said about the immense Luca Marinelli. He himself
confessed, while proudly declaring himself an anti-fascist, that he felt
enormous discomfort in playing Mussolini. We believe him, and we
certainly don't mock him as some right-wing journalists have done, and
above all, those short of arguments. We don't mock Marinelli because he
was simply very good at making such a complex character credible. A
caricature that does not distort but, on the contrary, underlines the
most authentic traits of the leader of fascism. The entire cast, to tell
the truth, was up to the task: a special mention goes to, among others,
Benedetta Cimatti who played Rachele Mussolini and Francesco Russo in
the role of Cesare Rossi.
A modern and credible language, we were saying, starting from the choice
to maintain regional cadences with inserts of real dialect in some
dialogues, as well as the very frequent breaking of the fourth wall with
which Marinelli-Mussolini addresses the audience to clarify his
thoughts, reveal his double-dealing, comment on what happens to him.
Watching this series is surprising and, on several occasions,
disturbing. Mussolini is a histrion, a tragic and comic mask at the same
time, and we almost feel guilty - from time to time - when this mask
even makes us smile. And it is a sense of guilt linked not so much to
the knowledge that each of us may have of the character or the story,
but to what is continually proposed to us with brutal effectiveness: a
ferocious and paroxysmal violence returned by the concreteness of scenes
bordering on splatter or by dreamlike images that never lose contact
with reality.
One of the merits of M - Son of the Century is that fascism is finally
brought back to its essence: a violent movement, born from violence and
imposed with violence. Beyond all the historical, social and political
considerations and analyses that have been made and will continue to be
made, on why - at a certain point - Italy surrendered to Mussolini, this
series demolishes that false belief according to which, after all, the
fascists were not so bad (let alone comparable to the Nazis) or that
Mussolini was nothing more than a kind of harmless clown.
Well, this "clown" was an opportunist, he was willing to do anything to
take power, he was a narcissist, an envious man, a toxic male who
treated women terribly (starting with his wife); he was insecure, a
liar, an individual with no sense of honor. But he was not stupid and he
knew how to sniff the air: «I am like animals, I sense the time coming».
When he prepares to receive the honors of a packed theater, shortly
before going to Rome to receive the appointment of prime minister from
the king, Marinelli-Mussolini explains to us who the "clowns" in
politics really are. They are the ones we don't understand but this is
irrelevant: a fixed gaze into the camera, a thumbs up, and a phrase that
sounds both familiar and sinister: «Make Italy Great Again».
Here lies the great merit of this series: in telling us the nightmare of
fascism with an understandable language, M - Il figlio del secolo tells
us about us, about today's society, about the dynamics and protagonists
that - mutatis mutandis - are repeated and updated, so similar and so
different, in Italy and in the world.
There is one thing we should learn from Mussolini, the protagonist of
the series: the ability to sense the time that is coming and act
accordingly. To unmask the clowns and stop the beasts.
Alberto La Via
https://umanitanova.org/m-il-figlio-del-secolo/
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A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
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