Benito Mussolini

Latest Articles

Beyond belief

Three literary fantasies for summer — including a true one
One of the purposes of escapist reading is to feed our daydreams.
By CHARLES TAYLOR | June 16, 2010

Silvio Berlusconi may have to work overtime after this
Italian-born director Erik Gandini's damning mess of a documentary purports to reveal that Italy is TV- and celebrity-besotted — which is true but not new.
By JEFFREY GANTZ | June 09, 2010

Review: Vincere

History as nightmare
If veteran Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio’s wild and woolly version can be believed, before he became the Fascist clown “Il Duce,” Benito Mussolini (Filippo Timi) was a hunk.
By PETER KEOUGH | March 31, 2010

Review: Amarcord

Fellini's good old days were also the bad old days
In memory, Federico Fellini's 1973 work, an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, stands among his masterpieces. But seen today, Amarcord is something of a disappointment, clever and moving in places, but also sprawling, undisciplined, clumsy in patches, and decidedly overlong.
By GERALD PEARY | December 16, 2009

Mixed messages

Letters to the Boston editor, May 29, 2009
I’ve always thought it bizarre that an aggressively conservative, Republican-channeling TV network such as Fox would be so enthusiastic about featuring sex (and other sensationalism), but I guess they know their audience.
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | May 27, 2009

Cannes job

Five films to watch for
Five goodies coming out of Cannes
By LISA NESSELSON | May 27, 2009

Despot for attention

Plus, vote for Passoni
Former vice-president Dick Cheney has taken his torture tour all over the place in the past few weeks, waging an ongoing campaign to defend what the Bush administration called "enhanced interrogation."
By EDITORIAL | May 13, 2009

Black like him?

Obama is, apparently, our first African-American president. But is that the identity he touted as a candidate?
Whatever your race — and whatever you think of his résumé, or his politics, or his yen for tax-cheating cabinet nominees — Barack Obama's arrival in the Oval Office is something to celebrate.
By ADAM REILLY | February 11, 2009

30 on 30

30 local luminaries look back on 30 years of the New Paper and the Providence Phoenix
The Providence Phoenix celebrates 30 years with 30 interviews
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | October 24, 2008

A tale of two views of America

Letter From Italy
On a hot summer night, at a gala at Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy’s ongoing love affair with America was renewed.
By MARY ANN SORRENTINO | September 24, 2008

Tricky Dick

Philip K. Dick's second Library of America volume
The Philip K. Dick phenomenon might be petering out.
By PETER KEOUGH | July 28, 2008

Don't tase me, bro

The year in would-be catch phrases
2007 was the year that viral humor hit critical mass.
By JAMES PARKER | December 21, 2007

Excellent Italian interview

Steve Albini speaks
Steve Albini is a pretty nerdy guy.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 23, 2007

Letters to the Portland editor: July 20, 2007

A Humble rant
Christopher Gray’s sidely worded dismissal of The Humble Farmer was offensive, elitist, and arrogantly uninformed.
By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | July 18, 2007

Local jokers

Politics and othe mistakes
Local government is full of boobs.
By AL DIAMON | February 14, 2007

Blame game

The conservative press grapples with a very bad week
For Democratic partisans, the pleasure of watching Republicans lose their shirts in last week’s midterm elections was matched only by the joy of watching Republicans admit defeat.
By ADAM REILLY | November 15, 2006

Fascist dreams

Leslie Epstein’s grand — and comic — opera
Leslie Epstein opens his panoramic new novel with a cast of thousands assembled to watch the conquered Ethiopians paraded through Rome.
By DANA KLETTER | October 31, 2006

Eternal returns

The Boston Jewish Film Festival celebrates life as usual
When film festivals are programmed as extensions of life, not merely celebrations of cinema, commerce, or hype, everybody wins.
By MICHAEL ATKINSON | October 31, 2006

Whose art is next

Three artists whose reputations resemble Manning's
Three artists whose reputations resemble Manning's
By RICK WORMWOOD | September 13, 2006

Hard target

The impenetrable pop of Scott Walker
Critic Langdon Winner once wrote that anyone who attempts to listen to Captain Beefheart’s Trout Mask Replica has two obstacles to overcome: the music and the lyrics. Scott Walker, "Jesse" (RealPlayer)
By CHARLES TAYLOR | August 09, 2006

Cribs, the despot edition

Dictator style
Home is where the heart is. But if you’re a heartless dictator, home is where the hideous ersatz pagodas, caged leopards, room-size shoe closets, and bizarre bathroom appliances are.
By MIKE MILIARD | June 08, 2006

Med noir

The bloody Continental take on an American genre
It all starts with murder.
By DANA KLETTER | April 27, 2006

War and peace

Books that travel from the Mecca to Memphis
Since September 11, publishers have been rushing to supply Americans with non-fiction books about the war on terror, the war in Iraq, and anything relating to the upheavals in the Middle East.
By JOHN FREEMAN | January 02, 2006