Mussolini and I

Mussolini and I
DVD cover of Mussolini and I
Written byAlberto Negrin
Nicola Badalucco
Directed byAlberto Negrin
StarringBob Hoskins
Anthony Hopkins
Susan Sarandon
Theme music composerEgisto Macchi
Country of originItaly
France
West Germany
Switzerland
Spain
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersMario Gallo
Enzo Guilioli
EditorsRoberto Perpignani
Egisto Macchi
Running time130 mins. (original)
240 mins. (extended)
Production companiesHBO Premiere Films
Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana
Original release
NetworkRai Uno
HBO
Release15 April 1985 (1985-04-15)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Mussolini and I (alternately titled Mussolini: The Decline and Fall of Il Duce) is a 1985 made-for-television docudrama film directed by Alberto Negrin.[1] It chronicles the strained relationship between Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his son-in-law and foreign minister, Count Galeazzo Ciano, based on Ciano's diaries. Made in English as an Italian-French-German-Swiss-Spanish-US co-production, with Bob Hoskins, Anthony Hopkins and Susan Sarandon in the leading roles, it first aired on Rai Uno on 15 April 1985 in a 130-minute version. On 8 September 1985, it premiered in the USA on HBO in an extended four-hour version.

All filming was done in Italy, including northern Italy's Gargnano, Merano, Bolzano, Verona, and in central Italy, Rome and L'Aquila. Filming was also done at the well known Villa Torlonia and Palazzo Venezia. It was released on a 2 disc DVD in August 2003. It is divided into four segments for a total of 240 minutes and was released by Koch Entertainment.

  1. ^ O'Connor, John J. (6 September 1985). "Decline and Fall of Mussolini Depicted on HBO". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2024.