Scipione l'Africano di Carmine Gallone. Fonti antiche, riscritture filimiche e ideologia fascista.

The Fascist Regime modelled many of its symbologies on the world of ancient Rome. However, while considering cinema a formidable political propaganda tool, he produced only one major film set in ancient Rome: Scipione l'Africano by Carmine Gallone from 1937. The movie carefully follows the historical sources, but the cinematic language transforms it into a powerful metaphor of the imperialistic African wars promoted by the Regime in 1936. The ancient historical events are shown in such a way as to recall to the viewer's mind some crucial events of the fascist colonial politics. Thus, a narration apparently close to ancient sources becomes an implicit confirmation of Fascism as heir to Rome's greatness. The use of lights, profilmic geometries, shots, long shots, voices establishes a process of continuous identification between Mussolini and Scipio, between the Roman republic and the fascist State, between the fascist colonial conquests in Africa and the second Punic war.