The Divo and the Duce: Promoting Film Stardom and Political Leadership in 1920s America

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more.

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 archival research in the United Stat...