Film Clip
1900, starring Robert DeNiro, Gerald Depardieu
This film is an interesting and visually very vivid attempt
to come to grips with the agrarian question in early 20th century
Italy through the device of intertwining the lives of a couple of generations
of a landowner family and rural workers through the sons. The film takes one
through the First War and its aftermath when there were real struggles by the
Italian peasants (in conjunction with the working class in the cities) to fight
for a socialist solution to the land question. The failure to win that fight
was one of the conditions that led to the rise and success of fascism in the early
1920’s.
The highlight the film is the fight during World War II by
the next generation of rural workers against fascism led by Communist partisans
and the overthrow of Mussolini with the promise that again the socialist
solution would finally occur. The most poignant moment is when at the behest of
the local Communist leader (played by Gerald Depardieu one of the central
characters of the piece) who had real authority in the struggle cajoled his
fellows to put down their arms. At that point you know no socialist solution
will occur, and none did. A very powerful and well-thought out movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment