Making people laugh has become an ardous task these days.
But some things (like Trump) are risible and scary at the same time. And doing a film about Mussolini and his era is a joke which becomes particularily relevant nowadays...not only because Mussolini and Trump share facial expressions and body attitudes (as does the entertaining protagonist of our film) but...in this case...the USA comes in late on the triunfal race to 'dominate' Mars! Mussolini's boys got there first, and in the 1930ies!!!
So WHAT IS 'Facists on Mars' ?!?
It's one looong 1930ies pseudo-Newsreel, complete with typical fascist-era speaker and rhetoric.
The jokes are smart, ironic, and mostly wrily funny for an Italian audience. Pity that after almost 25 years of Berlusconi, most Italians have been near zombified, making such satire almost useless.
Corrado Guzzanti and his sister Sabina, have been poking fun with skill and intellect at the Right Wing for a long time. Here, despite the low-fi SFX, FANDANGO FILMS put in quite an effort as one can see. And the film is charming in it's apparent 'vintage' naivité. But more is working behind the façade...and that's what is most appealing. I suspect we are being reminded that the whole US Govt / NASA hoo-ha about the Mars Space Programme is...in fact...hollow and ridiculous Propaganda, for OUR era! This harmless 'mockumentary' may go on a bit too long but, hey!, we may just re-discover it in a couple of decades and...see how HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.
Or maybe not.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed a few good, spontaneous, laughs!
But some things (like Trump) are risible and scary at the same time. And doing a film about Mussolini and his era is a joke which becomes particularily relevant nowadays...not only because Mussolini and Trump share facial expressions and body attitudes (as does the entertaining protagonist of our film) but...in this case...the USA comes in late on the triunfal race to 'dominate' Mars! Mussolini's boys got there first, and in the 1930ies!!!
So WHAT IS 'Facists on Mars' ?!?
It's one looong 1930ies pseudo-Newsreel, complete with typical fascist-era speaker and rhetoric.
The jokes are smart, ironic, and mostly wrily funny for an Italian audience. Pity that after almost 25 years of Berlusconi, most Italians have been near zombified, making such satire almost useless.
Corrado Guzzanti and his sister Sabina, have been poking fun with skill and intellect at the Right Wing for a long time. Here, despite the low-fi SFX, FANDANGO FILMS put in quite an effort as one can see. And the film is charming in it's apparent 'vintage' naivité. But more is working behind the façade...and that's what is most appealing. I suspect we are being reminded that the whole US Govt / NASA hoo-ha about the Mars Space Programme is...in fact...hollow and ridiculous Propaganda, for OUR era! This harmless 'mockumentary' may go on a bit too long but, hey!, we may just re-discover it in a couple of decades and...see how HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.
Or maybe not.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed a few good, spontaneous, laughs!