In Italy we can't
It is not possible for us to see this film in italy: non in theatre, not on television, not in DVD (only in English if you buy it from Amazon). This is the italian democracy, this is the italian freedom!
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MovieChat Forums > Lion of the Desert (1981) Discussion > In Italy we can't
That's a real shame.
shareactually the film was even banned in the past, but it no longer is now. i think the ban was removed in 2001.
i had to buy it from amazon too, however.
Well, it is not Anti-Italian at all. It is not like tons of movies against Nazis and Germany which are insulting Germans as well as Nazis.
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"I really wish that the Nazis AND the Germans, had given at least a LITTLE thought of how history was likely to judge Germany AFTER the war...!"
Does anyone ever think ahead like that? As one 18th-century Irish politician said: "what did posterity ever do for me?"
I imagine that the Nazis were so certain of their final victory, that future negative criticism was just not on their radar. Who would dare criticise a totally-victorious Third Reich?
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the movie is great i hop some one remake it with high bugget but no one will do it better than Anthony Quen
shareal naama: Why remake it? It stands alone as a great picture, even if Libya's Col. Qaddafi financed it.
Besides, the man who made the movie was murdered in a bomb blast in Jordan while attending a wedding reception. The killers were the "Al Qaida In Iraq" mob.
CmdrCody
There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq in 2005. The US didn't go to Iraq to deal with terrorists. The terrorists flooded INto Iraq after the US arrived. As of 2009, terror cells had sprung up in Iraq, but it's unlikely any were operating there in 2005.
At any rate, the branch of Al Qaeda responsible for Akkad's murder in Amman were most likely from Syria or even Jordan itself--NOT Iraq.
As the adage goes: Those who don't (or in your cases, are not allowed) to learn from their pasts are condemned to repeat it.
It is a pity that the Italian government still to this day displays such cowardice. The damage is done. The truth is out there. They are only further exacerbating the situation and tarnishing their names by attempting to suppress and obscure that truth from the public.
Theirs is an ugly past, and at the very least they should have the dignity to own up to it.
I suppose it is tough for the Italian government to allow Italians to see this movie and see some very unpleasant reminders of the Fascist past.
Including those Italian colonists in Libya singing the fascist "Giovinezza" theme in the banquet and proudly making the Fascist salute to General Graziani as he makes his way to the podium address the audience, displaying a very Mussolini-like hands on hips stance.
Of course, not all Italians are shown in a negative manner here and many Italian performers contributed to making this great movie, which deserves to be seen.
In reply to an official request by members of Italian paliament, Minister of Culture (at the time) Giuliano Urbani explained (April 15, 2003) it was impossible to "remove the ban" from the movie... because the movie was never officially banned!
"Simply" nobody (distributor, producer,...) ever asked for censorship visa, mandatory by Italian law in order to release a movie in theaters.
The movie was presented at some Festivals (like 1988 in Rimini, in 2002 in Florence, in 2005 in Rome, in 2007 in Soccavo) and other private screenings.
There's been talking about a Tv broadcasting, but no news.
It's anyway true there's been "pressure" especially from some politicians, a quarter century ago; in 1982 under-secretary for Foreign Affairs Raffaele Costa was reported (by "Panorama" magazine) having described "The Lion of The Desert" as "Injurious for the honour of Italian Army", but later Costa denied having said those words and in 1987 peace campaigners tried to screen the movie in Trento, but Digos (Italian general investigative and special operations division) didn't allowed. Still, as I said, in 1988 it was screened in Rimini.
A lot of things has been said about "The Lion of The Desert" and it's delicate situation in Italy, but too often reports have been (and still are) too vague and unclear. At least since 2003 it's clear there's not and never actually been an official ban for the movie.
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Whats wrong with doing that?
European powers conquered... Why is italy being singled out?
England did it a whole lot more. USA does it today in a different way.
Eat the Neocons.
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Isn't that supporting your troops a little too much?
shareTrue, but here's a couple of remarks:
1. The italian colonization of Lybia was started 10 yrs before the fascism, in the liberal Giolitti years.
2. At that time, Lybia was not a free country: it was part of the Turkish empire. At least as foreign as the Regno d'Italia.
3. Some sort of spontaneous censorship occurs very often when history is involved. The french can't still see "the battle of Algiers", from the italian director, and commie agit-prop, Gillo Pontecorvo (his brother was a nuclear scientist that defeated to USSR in the 50s or 60s). And I think THAT is an official ban.
4. What Italian troops did in Africa was no different from usual behavior in war time, expecially with a guerrilla that involved civilians.
5. When Mussolini joined in the African wars (Ethiopia 1935-36) he thought of himself as a civilizator, not an exploiter of the other's wealth. And at some extent he behaved accordingly, or tried to.
6. Personally, as an Italian, I am more ashamed of the recent past: and there's still a ban, in Italy, on the film about the Achille Lauro hijacking. THAT was really a mixup of cowardice, cunning and incapablity. Which probably shows in the film.
(OK, six is not a couple, sorry)
Don't be too hard on yourself, Myollnir.
Everyone has skeletons in the cupboard.
people dream of freedom and such..they say there's democracy and such..while actualy it's the biggest cliche fake reality ever done.
governments always draw a line ..it js differes from a country to another , u know whatt pal .. it's sad.. i hate it .
but it'll never chnge , it's the way of the world .