THE STORY – Citizens of Rijeka, which Italians call Fiume, retell, reconstruct, and reinterpret the bizarre story about the 16-month occupation of their city in 1919 by the Italian poet, a dandy and preacher of war Gabriele D’Annunzio.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Igor Bezinović (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 118 Minutes
Throughout opening man-on-the-street interviews, “Fiume o Morte!” director Igor Bezinović questions citizens of Rijeka, the Croatian city also known as Fiume in Italian, about their opinions on Gabriele D’Annunzio. Most don’t even know the name, and have no idea what they’re being asked about. It speaks volumes that someone so consequential to their city’s history, someone who so desired power and legacy, goes unrecognized by name today. “Fiume o Morte!” unravels that significant story, using the documentary format and unique recreations to dig into D’Annunzio’s occupation in Fiume. It’s a creative approach that blends documentary and narrative filmmaking in fascinating ways, connecting the past and the present to significant effect while showcasing the absurdity of fascism as a whole.
In the aftermath of World War I, the renowned Italian poet and playwright Gabriele D’Annunzio transformed his image into that of a national war hero. Angered by what he perceived as Italy ceding territory to the Allied forces, he marched on the city of Fiume in September 1919 to seize control and annex it to Italy. It began a dark fifteen months for the city, and provided a sort of blueprint for the fascist movement that would come to the rest of Italy in the years ahead. That said, Bezinović doesn’t take the serious, informational approach one might expect from a documentary covering this period. Narrating the film himself with a droll voiceover, he sets a light, comedic tone from the very start. “My Italian colleagues told me not to mention fascism too much in the intro, so I’ll stop there,” he states playfully toward the beginning. As he talks to people on the street, the director assembles a cast of non-actors to reenact the story of D’Annunzio’s occupation, including a team of bald men to portray the fascist leader in various scenes of the film. Using thousands of photos taken during the period of occupation, Bezinović’s unique cast recreates pivotal moments in the exact locations where they occurred, albeit in modern surroundings.
Right from the start, Bezinović shows his fascination with the way history intersects with our world today. And not only through the ripple effects of political actions, but also with our literal surroundings. The opening images feature the director holding photographs of all the bridges surrounding the city, which D’Annunzio ordered bombed toward the end of his reign. Bezinović then removes the photo from the frame to see how benign these spaces are now. People walk their dogs over the rebuilt bridges. Similarly, he casts non-actors to portray real people involved in the occupation, from D’Annunzio to random soldiers to citizens in the background, thereby reframing the power of the images. When we think back to fascist leaders of the early 20th century, they seem so intimidating and powerful, mainly because of the horrors they were able to inflict. When the images are recreated here, they feel neutered. More than that, they feel silly, absurd. They’re revealed for what they really were: just men trying to puff themselves up. Of course, men are capable of horrific things, but what “Fiume o Morte!” uniquely illustrates is just how goofy this all was.We see a photograph of three young soldiers posing with knives in their mouths, frozen in this moment with a fearsome look for the camera. And in the present day, we see three young men doing their best to recreate the photo, but when the moment isn’t frozen, they seem quite uncomfortable with giant knives in their mouths. It’s just simply not scary.
The documentary’s approach doesn’t minimize the impact of D’Annunzio’s occupation, though. As we get deeper into the story, longer into this reign, the tension is ratcheted up. He describes the city’s increased isolation and how the leader’s tension with Italy led to starvation among the citizens. People are dying, and for what? Bezinović balances the tone extremely well, allowing the seriousness of what happened a century ago to be neither undercut nor overshadowed by the recreations. Some may not appreciate the light touch when it comes to fascism, but it works quite well here. The clash between modern architecture and smartphones, set against historical photographs, reminds us that these weren’t supernaturally imposing figures. They were just…men, boys trying to make themselves important. It’s a painful and powerful reminder, as we face rising fascism today, that these are just humans, playing by made-up rules, nothing more.
“Fiume o Morte!,” a reference to D’Annunzio’s slogan “Fiume or death!,” is a brilliant, subversive takedown of fascism, ruthless in its pushback against this embarrassing chapter. Telling the story of D’Annunzio’s occupation with a comedic touch makes for a much more engaging experience, especially for those with no prior knowledge of this story, and still undercuts the legacy of fascism. He may have inspired Mussolini and others, but a century later, the people in the very city he took over don’t even remember his name. Bezinović’s documentary is an excellent example of documentaries tackling tough subjects with an unexpectedly funny touch.
