New at the Browning
Directed by Igor Bezinović
With Andrea Marsanich, Albano Vucetic, Tihomir Buterin
Not Rated, 112 minutes, DCP
In Croatian and Italian with English subtitles
In September 1919, Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio led a force of irregulars in an invasion of the town of Fiume, in what is today Croatia. Was he an egotist with dreams of heading his own state? A utopian with a strong nationalist bent? Or a fascist who cared little for the locals and helped pave the way for Mussolini's rule? In Fiume o Morte! ("Fiume or Death!"), Croatian filmmaker Igor Bezinović tells the story of D'Annunzio's escapade in the most entertaining way possible, using brashly anachronistic re-enactments featuring residents of modern-day Rijeka—the city which includes what used to be Fiume. Meticulously researched, Fiume o Morte! brilliantly blends archival footage and photography with a rotating cast of informal re-enactors, drawing the past into the present. It also captures the essential puffery and absurdity of the fascist project at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise around the world.
This is a free but ticketed event. To guarantee your seat, please pick up your tickets at least 15 minutes prior to the show, at which point your unclaimed tickets may be used to seat patrons waiting on standby. Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Ticket Office beginning one hour prior to the performance.