Italian American Literature and Film
Prof. Fabio Girelli-Carasi
LECTURE 14
| ASSIGNMENT April 24 |
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We are taking a short break from the course's curriculum to talk
about a bit of Italian history.
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Websearch April 25, 1945 Italy, Liberation Day. Liberation from the Fascist regime, supported by the Nazi occupation in Northern Italy. Italy was under the Fascist dictatorship or Benito Mussolini when it entered Worl War II in 1940 on the side of Hitler. In 1943, the Allied troops (American, British and others) started the invasion of Italy from the south. They landed in Sicily and slowly marched northward. Hitler ordered his troops to invade Italy from the north to support Mussolini and his regime. The Fascist army retreated (they could not defend the south) north of Rome. The country was split into two parts with two separate governments. The south, under military rule, was nominally the continuation of the old system, with the king in place. In the north, Mussolini created a separate state, the Social Republic of Italy. In the north, groups of Resistance fighters, the Partigiani (Partisans) waged a guerrilla war against the Fascist army and the German troops, with the support of the Allies. While the military contribution wasn't too great, they provided crucial intelligence and helped with the infiltration of Allied commandos to prepare the final push for the liberation. On April 25, 1945, with the Fascist regime collapsing and the German army retreating to the north, the partisans called for a general insurrection. Mussolini was trying to escape to Switzerland, but was caught and executed on the spot. Skip Wikipedia. Find a decent site with information about the events that led to the liberation of Italy. Copy the URL here, and explain the reason of your choice. |
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SCREENING On Blackboard: ROME OPEN CITY (Roma citta' aperta). |
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SCREENING recommended but not required Also on Blackboard: The Gold of Rome (based on the true story of the Nazi raid in Rome's Jewish ghetto, in October 1943.)
Paisa'
(six episodes following the
advance of Allied troops from Sicily to the north. -- If you can find the English subtitles version, I recommend: The Last Days of Mussolini (1974). Directed by Carlo Lizzani. I have an Italian language version only. |
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WRITING Please no
book reports. Write your review of the film ROME OPEN CITY.
Focus on your critical evaluation, what you felt and thought during and
after. Don't repeat the story. What matters is what you made of it. Half
a page? More if you want.
DO NOT DO A RUSH JOB. It's OK if you are a couple of days late. |
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BLOG counts as writing assignment. Read the posts on Christ, Give Us, and Rome Open City.
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| NEXT UP: THE GODFATHER It's long but it's a page-turner and it flies by very easily. Start reading it now. I will assign blocks of chapters to discuss later. |