What a new series about Mussolini teaches us about Italy's memory culture
21 January 2025
Benito Mussolini's spectre still hangs over Italy and often dominates the public debate. Most recently, the TV series M – The Son of the Century, based on the novel by Antonio Scurati, brought the politicised topic back to the public sphere. The actor playing the dictator, Luca Marinelli, spoke at length about how painful it was to play Italy's dictator and father of fascism.
Rightwing pundits criticised his comments as an exaggeration and called him "a crybaby who took advantage of Mussolini to gain more fame and money," a criticism the author Scurati also faced when his prize-winning book was first published in 2018.
This debate shows how Italy has become even more susceptible to open nostalgia in recent years, helped by the rise to power of far-right parties like the governing Brothers of Italy (FdI).
Several FdI politicians were caught making fascist salutes or showing fascist memorabilia at home, including Italy's Senate president. Public gatherings in commemoration of the regime still take place despite public outcry and criticism of the police's inactivity. Meanwhile, two out of three Italians between 16 and 25 agreed Mussolini's regime was "a dictatorship to condemn in part but which also brought benefits" in a 2021 IPSOS survey.
 | Giacomo Fracassi The TV series, directed by British director Joe Wright, shows a pop portrait of the dictator, seeking to warn about the dangers of fascism. It's more than necessary in Italy, where right-wing governments, including the current one, are unwilling to unequivocally condemn the regime. So far, institutional attempts to oppose this slow drift have failed. In 2017, a proposal to strengthen punishment against public display of support for fascism didn't pass, and current laws on the issue aren't enforced strictly either. However, the other side of Italy’s history is often overlooked in discussions about Mussolini – its strong antifascist tradition. Italian resistance fighters (so-called Partigiani) were crucial in overthrowing the fascist regime, and their legacy continues in songs like Bella Ciao. These nuances reveal a contradictory national identity where lingering nostalgia for Mussolini exists alongside a deep-rooted anti-fascist tradition. |
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