The Smile of the Leader

Categories: Documentary, History
Using astounding footage from the Luce archives (newsreels, but also true films) Il sorriso del capo/The Smile of the Leader shows how propaganda works, presents everyday life in its most revealing details, and describes a country's "education". Marco Bechis explores the feeling of consensus: he tells us where it originates, what tools are used to spread it, how it is opposed. The thread running through the film is a voice, enigmatic until the end, narrating in the first person what it is like to grow up under fascism.

Status: Released IMDb
Release date: 2011-11-27
Run time: 75 minute / 1:15
Director: Marco Bechis
Writers: Marco Bechis, Gigi Riva.
Production Companies : Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Karta Film
Production Country: Italy