The movie ‘Videocracy’ by Swedish-Italian Erik Gandini makes for depressing viewing.
It is subtitled ‘basta apparire’ which loosely translates as ‘it’s enough to be seen’.
The documentary charts the rise of ‘people’s television’ (sic) in Italy and the direct link to the country’s politics.
Of course, image and the desperate need for fame and celebrity is not confined to Italy, but the country is unique in that what gets shown on TV is so indelibly linked to the rise to power of Silvio Berlusconi.
Berlusconi’s control of the media is all but absolute and this explains why Italy is ranked 77th in the world rankings for freedom of the press and 72nd in the latest gender equality ranking compiled by the World Economic Forum. And when 80% of the public uses TV as the prime source of information, it’s easy to understand why Berlusconi and his cronies are desperate to retain control of the media.
Gandini’s film exposes how this helps create the cult of the veline (showgirls) and monstrous figures like playboy paparazzi Fabrizio Corona and Lele Mora, Italy’s top talent scout and close friend of Silvio Berlusconi.
In the film’s most striking scene, Mora proudly shows off the hymn in praise of Mussolini on his mobile phone complete with video prominently displaying the swastika. “Nice, isn’t it?” he says after playing it to the film crew. If you needed proof that the ascendency of a new fascism, this couldn’t be clearer.
