Italy through the Red Lens: Italian Politics and Society in Communist Propaganda Films (1946-79)

by Gianluca Fantoni

Overview

This book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the role of cinema in the communication strategy of the Italian Communist party (the PCI). It examines the entire period during which the party had a systematic and organized approach to cinematographic production, starting with the early experiments in 1946 and concluding with the closure of PCI film company Unitelefilm at the end of the 1970s. Its analysis sheds light on a range of issues, such as the relationship between the party and Italian intellectuals, the Stalinist imprint of the Italian Communist Party and the historical significance of the Salerno turn, the PCI’s relationship with the student movements in 1968 and 1977, and the PCI’s response to the rise in political violence in the 1970s. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that cinema was essential to the PCI’s propaganda effort. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030691974
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	04/08/2021
Series:	Italian and Italian American Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Gianluca Fantoni is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at Nottingham Trent University, UK. 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- Part I The Italian Communist Party between Socialist Realism and Neorealism (1944–1956).- 2. Togliatti’s Partito nuovo and Italian cinema.- 3. Socialist Realism Italian-Style: PCI Cinematic Propaganda in the Stalin Era.- Part II Dealing with The Modern (1956–1970).- 4. Peace and Sputnik, the Boom, and Television (1956–1964).- 5. The First Years of Unitelefilm and the PCI After Togliatti (1964–1967).- 6. The Workers, the Students, and The Election Campaign of 1968.- 7. The Lice and the Whale: Filmmakers, Militant Cinema and the Italian Communist Party.- Part III A Decade of Living Dangerously: The Turbulent Peak (and the Seeds of Decline) of the Italian Communist Party (1970–1979).- 8. The Early 1970s: Unitelefilm, the Fascist Threat, and the ‘Historic Compromise’.- 9. Hegemony Within Reach (1974–1976).- 10. Women’s Issues, Feminism, and the PCI.- 11. Hegemony Fades Away (1977–1979).- 12. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

Fantoni presents us with a fascinating, richly researched, and marvelously written work. In any format, this book wins the reader.” (Roy Domenico, Annali d'italianistica, Vol. 40, 2022)

“The book presents a fascinating history of ideological clashes between the PCI and various others … . Overall, however, the structure and the content of the volume function efficiently, and it is written in an engaging and captivating style. Italy through the Red Lens is a timely contribution that will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable resource for scholars and students alike.” (Dom Holdaway, Modern Italy, October 20, 2021)

From the Publisher