Key Points
VENICE (Reuters) The meteoric rise of fascist leader Benito Mussolini in 1920s Italy has hit the Venice Film Festival in the shape of a TV series, providing a much-needed reminder of the threat posed by populist politics, its British director said.. M Son of the Century was directed by Joe Wright and shows Mussolini clamber out of obscurity to become prime minister in just a few short years an unscrupulous but charismatic chancer who took advantage of a fractured society to seize power...
His brutal story still resonates today with far-right parties, some inspired by his fascist doctrine, once again growing in popularity across Europe, and beyond, Wright said...
Wright said it helped to bring a foreigners perspective to Mussolini, who is still viewed in a sympathetic light by many Italians, despite the disasters he inflicted on his homeland...
Although it is a fictional account of a bleak chapter in Italian history, a lot of what Mussolini says in the series, such as his speeches in parliament, are verbatim, lending authenticity to the script...
Mussolini is played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli, who won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 for his portrayal of a poor, aspiring writer in Martin Eden...
