Film as Religious Propaganda


In 1945, Italy really wanted the world to forget they were ever a fascist country. Though Mussolini had ruled for 21 years up until 1943, Italians took the opportunity to focus on the years of 1943 to 1945, when Nazi occupied Italy due to Italy’s attempt to leave the Axis powers. Though Italy had been fascist for over two decades, they utilized these two years of fascist oppression to crate a narrative of themselves as victims. The very first film released in post-war Italy did exactly this. Rome: Open City, directed by Roberto Rossellini, was a fresh look at the destruction of World War II, filmed in the real rubble of the destroyed city. This film shows the entire city of Rome banding together to fight the Nazis, but puts a special focus on the role of the Catholic church in this fight. Rome: Open City focuses on Don Pietro, a pious catholic priest, who by the end of the film has died for this cause. This story was an important one for Italians to construct and ties catholic martyrdom to resistance to fascism. The religious dynamic takes another interesting turn when a Nazi torturer asks Pietro how he can aid his coconspirator, an atheist. Don Pietro replies defiantly that, “All who seek righteousness are on the path to God.” Catholic imagery, prevalent in Rome, is heavily utilized to create a symbolic narrative of the Italian holy crusade against fascism. By incorporating something as huge as the Catholic Church into their supposed fight against fascism, Italy was able to create a strong narrative that they were not on the side of the Nazis, but on the side of God. By using Catholicism and its symbolism, Italy was able to create a film based in religious propaganda to construct a national myth, and paint themselves as victims and martyrs against fascism.


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