Description: "In the post-World War I American climate of isolationism, nativism, democratic expansion of civic rights, and consumerism, Italian-born star Rodolfo Valentino and Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini became surprising paragons of authoritarian male power and mass appeal. Drawing on extensive research in the United States and Italy, Giorgio Bertellini's work shows how their popularity, both political and erotic, largely depended on the efforts of public opinion managers, including publicists, journalists, and even ambassadors. Beyond the democratic celebrations of the Jazz Age, the promotion of their charismatic masculinity, while short-lived, inaugurated the now-familiar convergence of popular celebrity and political authority"--Provided by publisher.
Review Quotes: "Making detailed use of both film history and political theory, Bertellini's study is particularly timely, for it arrives at a moment of heightened awareness of how deeply inflected American life is by the convergence of celebrity, media, and politics."-- "Iperstoria"