Mussolini-Hitler: The Killer's Opera (2012)

• 72%
• 2012
• Documentary
• Jean-Christophe Rosé

In the first half of the 20th century, two dictators, Mussolini and Hitler, caused the biggest cataclysm humanity had ever known. It would not have been possible without the complicity the two men shared. As long as the power struggle with the democratic nations was still confined to diplomatic maneuvering, Hitler and Mussolini were able to assist each other in achieving their respective designs. But when the conflict came to a head, the realities of war soon tore the mask off of their united front. Two nations with totally different cultures had sworn allegiance to each other, but their divergences would soon make themselves abundantly clear, dissipating the illusion of union. The idea of the film is to examine Italy and Germany's false alliance, particularly from the point of view of Mussolini, the less powerful of the two despots, and therefore the more inclined to believing in castles in the air. Their relationship is film-worthy in and of itself, but in addition, it tells the history of World War II, seen from the "enemy's" point of view. It will lead us to address certain aspects of the conflict that are less well-known, but no less rich in what they have to teach us.