Joe Wright On Making Benito Mussolini TV Series With A ‘Rave Culture Aesthetic And A Techno Score
British director Joe Wright, who directed Winston Churchill's drama "Dark Times," which earned Gary Oldman an Academy Award for his portrayal of the British Prime Minister, has now spoken on the historical side.
Wright is at Rome's Cinecitta studio on the popular TV series M. Son of the Century", which tells the story of Benito Mussolini's rise to power. A modern legend because, as he says, "people's leaders thrive all over the world."
Aesthetically, the show will be "very unusual," with rich, deep florals framed with a "techno effect," the director said during a recent visit to the set. Although Wright "didn't tell the story in a matter-of-fact fashion," he notes that "all the facts of what happened are there."
Luca Marinelli (Eight Mountains, Martin Eden) gave Mussolini's infamous speech in 1919, when he founded the Fascist Party in Italy, and in 1925, when he took power in March 1922. to Rome. He declared himself dictator at the Italian Council.
M is based on the Premio Strega award-winning and international bestseller Antonio Skorati, which takes a creative approach to the rise of fascism in Italy and the rise of Mussolini. The screenplay was written by Stefano Pezez (The Bleeding, The New Pope) with David Serino (1992).
Fremantle-based Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli's Apartment Pictures are producing in association with Pathé and Small Forward. The show is broadcast on Sky in the European territories (UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland) with international sales in Fremantle.
Thanks to a deal between Cinecittà and Fremantle, the production used five pavilions, including an outdoor space with a large LED wall and several buildings and interiors from the Mussolini era. It was painstakingly rebuilt under the supervision of production designer Mauro Vanzatti.
In his first interview in six months of filming, which has now entered its final quarter, Wright answered questions from the international press.
Does the task of telling this particular story seem overwhelming to you, especially since it is an Italian story?
Yes! I know this is a big responsibility. In particular, he is a character that few people have ever seen. There are a lot of Winston Churchill movies if you do Winston Churchill. If you are a Jane Austen fan, there are many Jane Austen movies. It's a different responsibility, but it's still a responsibility. However, for a number of reasons that Stefano and David had to explain, there was no close study of other world leaders in Mussolini's style at the time.
What did you, as a non-Italian, bring to the story that perhaps an Italian director could not or would not?
If this show has taught me anything, it's that nationalism is stupid. And as my dear friend, Ph.D. Seamus McGarvey, “There is no nation but an idea.” To be honest, there are things that are very close to me culturally. I feel closer to Italian culture than to America. But we don't have a common language. This is why I don't consider myself "different". I think Italians might think I'm "different", but I'm not. I am European. The language barrier is difficult and worrisome. And there are things about Italians that they always seem to find wrong when they are too nice. But I don't consider myself "different".
After the recent elections in Italy, the media started talking about Mussolini. How does this resonate with you? Were you trying to push him aside, or were you watching what was going on here?
Yes, but not only Italy. awesome. Great leaders thrive all over the world. And so everywhere. Yes, there he is. But the problem is not only in Italy.
What effect might "M" have on young audiences?
As a teenager, I would run around saying, "The Queen is a fascist, the police are fascists, my teachers are fascists and my parents are fascists because they don't let me play on Friday nights." And I don't think I really understand what fascism is or what it really is. So I hope that by looking at the roots of modern fascism, we can really understand where it came from and what is not at its core or center.
Talk to us about your "M" beauty tone.
You can play on composition and shape. The result will be such a technical effect. And Beauty is a cross between the rave culture of the '90s and the man with the movie camera (Digi Vertov's 1929 principle document). He's "the guy with the movie camera" and every other gang member you've ever seen. So it is very complete in that sense. And it's very contrasting.
Speaking of the soundtrack, does the game contain chemical brothers?
I don't know yet, but I don't think we need to talk about that.
Do you play techno music while filming?
Yes, quite a lot. I play any kind of music on set, not just techno. If we play a sad scene, I can play sad music. We often have a Friday morning song called Elton John. If I had a big crowd with a lot of guys who needed to be full of testosterone and energy, I might play techno or Black Sabbath. But yeah, music is an integral part of the process for me. And it's all about rhythm and getting people to the right beat, and music helps with that. It's also a good way to connect with the kind surrounding the group, by which I mean craft services or whatever in today's climate. So that they feel the right energy. And sometimes it's 4 in the morning and everyone's knocking.
So if you put in some chemistry brothers or something like that, it will bring energy to life. I want people to have a good time in my group. I don't want people to worry. We spend our lives on it, and we certainly spent six months filming it. I want people to find this experience fun, rewarding, and fun. The process is as important as the product. Thus, this process becomes more beneficial. Otherwise, I don't want it to just sit on the shelf as a DVD and I'm like, Oh, that was good. It must be an organism for life.
This interview has been edited and supplemented for clarity.
