MovieChat Forums > Giù la testa (1972) Discussion > References to Italian history

References to Italian history

posted 14 years ago by benth04
7 replies | jump to latest

This movie is a Leone commentary on Italian history, especially Italian Fascism and WWII.

The gunning-down of the people in the pit (in Guadix), the massacre in the caves of (amongst the lot) Juan's family are just two examples - experts on Italian history will find a lot more, I'm sure.

The deserter being executed with his back to the firing squad looks very much like the young Mussolini - and a Leone expert (Frayling?) remarks on that. But what is more telling is that Governor Jaime - with his moustache, receding hairline - looks like a even younger Mussolini (as an editor of Il Popolo d'Italia of 1915)! I just found the picture in an old book and that picture gave me a new look on what Leone wanted to tell us with the movie: you can't duck your head forever (or should I say that you some day might have to stick your neck out for somebody else (Casablanca!!!))

No subtle hints, here: No doubt what Leone thinks should have been done to the coming Duce - preferably before he became Duce!

[–] nephihaha 14 years ago

Top.

Good point, deserves more discussion.

Touches of Nazism too, especially with Gunther, or whatever his name is.

Leone is not very appreciative of the Communist movement either though.

---
It's not "sci-fi", it's SF!

[–] benth04 14 years ago

Leone is not very appreciative of the Communist movement either though.

No - because The people who read the books tell the poor people who cannot read the books that it's time for a change. Then the poor people make the revolution.... (and then) they are DEAD - that's your revolution! So don't tell me about revolution..... shhhh

Apart from that: neither the Mexican or the Irish uprisings were revolutions, not to mention communist ones: Sean Mallory's ostensible favorite reading is Bakunin's The Patriotism, one of the cornerstones of Anarchist 'ideology'. Keeping to the people's side of the struggle it is hard to get farther away from communism. What Leone disassociated himself from was first and foremost all the smooth talkers, no matter their alleged ideology.

[–] nephihaha 14 years ago

Depends what you mean by revolutions. I tend to notice Marxism works better in hindsight than as a predictive mechanism.

---
It's not "sci-fi", it's SF!

[–] TheWorldBehindYou 12 years ago

Bakunin's The Patriotism, one of the cornerstones of Anarchist 'ideology'.

By the way, it's not a real book. So it can't be the cornerstone of anarchist ideology.

[–] sandroalgra 13 years ago

"Leone is not very appreciative of the Communist movement either though."

Leone once referred to himself as a disillusioned socialist,to the point of becoming an anarchist but still with a conscience. He still had left-winged ideas but he no longer believed in the effectiveness of politics and he certainly not of revolutions.

While Leone's sympathy clearly goes to the Socialists in this movie, he also wants to point out the Failure of revolutions. In his opinion, family and friends are more important elements in life. They're too precious to loose in a war so you'd better duck your head when the revolution comes.

[–] QuarrellaDeVil 13 years ago

The gunning-down of the people in the pit (in Guadix), the massacre in the caves of (amongst the lot) Juan's family are just two examples - experts on Italian history will find a lot more, I'm sure.

I can't remember if this is referenced in the movie commentary, but today, CNN has an article about the Ardeatine massacre, and reading it brings to mind a certain scene from the movie.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/08/11/wus.italy.war.crimes/index. html?hpt=hp_c2

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]