Maciste

Influence on Mussolini?

On the other hand, some have made Maciste out to be a somewhat darker figure. The character is the enslaved embodiment of physical strength and vitality; as he travels to exotic locations, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, he does battle against Oriental decadence and barbarism, as particularly embodied in the cult of Moloch that figured in the plot of Cabiria. Some have seen in the adventures of Maciste an ominous parallel to the rise of Benito Mussolini, of Italian Fascism, and of Italian military adventurism in Ethiopia in the days preceding World War II. Mussolini himself had a small part in Cabiria.http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/C/Cabiria1914.html Some have even suggested that Mussolini's public speaking style, parodied by Jack Oakie in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, was imitated from Pagano's mugging in the silent Maciste films.

Related Topics:
Enslaved - Africa - Middle East - Oriental - Decadence - Barbarism - Moloch - Benito Mussolini - Fascism - Ethiopia - World War II - Jack Oakie - Charlie Chaplin - The Great Dictator

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Federico Fellini credited the 1926 Maciste all'inferno as the movie that made him decide to become a director.

Related Topics:
Federico Fellini - 1926 - Director

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His 1960s adventures, by contrast, are enjoyed mostly by devotees of camp, and cannot sustain such a dark interpretation. Several have been subjected to the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment.

Related Topics:
Camp - Mystery Science Theater 3000

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