Ben Building: Mussolini, Monuments and Modernism

A documentary on Fascist era architecture in Italy and it's influence on the post WW2 modern architecture mostly in the westernized cultures. What the fascist movement brought forth is a strange mix of overly decorative 19th Century style buildings and early 20th Century modern minimalist buildings.

This documentary does not show you the post WW2 architecture rather it shows strictly the Mussolini era buildings and it is up to the viewer to make the connection with today's world. It is doubtful a person that doesn't share an interest in architecture would actually watch this documentary therefore the producers do not need to 'spell it out' for the average viewer. Personally I believe if anyone who has no interest in art and architecture were to watch this production they would be left wondering what they just watched.

But if you do have an interest in early 20th Century politics, art and architecture, and history you will find this documentary informative, spot on, and entertaining. I found many elements on the monuments to WW1 soldiers to be a real eye opener.

Architectural critic Jonathan Meades tours Italy looking for examples of Mussolini's architecture. Some of the relics are true concrete monstrosities; others invoke images of the past, especially from the Baroque era. Although firmly convinced of his godlike status, Mussolini was culturally ill-educated; many of his products veer between austere modernism and archaic neo-classicism, evoking past glories of the classical and medieval periods.

Basically that was all that Frank Hays's production had to say throughout its 90-minute running time. To fill up the space, we had Meades embarking on a long (and theoretically suspect) disquisition about the nature of fascism and what it truly signified, plus some tricksy shots showing the presenter moving among some toy soldiers, or showing his ample torso superimposed on exterior shots of some of the buildings he wanted to analyze.

In narrative terms, this documentary did not really get anywhere: Meades seemed far more interested in denouncing Mussolini as a dictator with little or no knowledge of how to hold on to power. Unlike Hitler or Stalin, he lacked the political know-how to eliminate his opponents and appeal to the people. This is certainly a view, but Meades wanted to ram it home to the viewers at every possible opportunity.