The rise and fall of the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini begins in 1922, as Mussolini gathers his power through the use of his Black Shirt militia. Promoting himself as Julius Caesar reincarnate, Il Duce gains a national fervor that peaks after the Italian invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1935. In 1938, Mussolini attempts to promote peace at the Munich Conference. Nonetheless, he aligns himself with Adolf Hitler. Mussolini draws Italy into World War II, which leads to his country’s decline, Mussolini’s fall from power, and the eventual roadside execution of Mussolini and Petacci. 

 

Stars: George C. Scott, Robert Downey Jr., Raul Julia