M - The Son of the Century is an adaptation of the internationally best-selling novel by Antonio Scurati which won the Strega prize. The 8-episode Sky Original series directed by Joe Wright, starring Luca Marinelli as the Duce, recounts the story of the birth of fascism in Italy and the rise to power of Benito Mussolini. It also offers a glimpse of Mussolini's private life and his personal relationships, with his wife Rachele, his lover Margherita Sarfatti and other iconic figures.
The series was filmed partly in Rome: sets were built in Cinecittà studios, while the nearby parco degli Acquedotti was used as the site for a Fascist rally with the “casale di Roma Vecchia”, at the heart of the historic park, was used as a restaurant where a clash between socialists and fascists takes place.
The series also filmed in the streets of the city centre: ponte Sisto, Teatro Marcello and the Coppedè neighbourhood, the baths of Caracalla and forte Bravetta; the Church of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli was used for the Milanese church where Rachele goes to pray.
Outside Rome, Caprarola and Palazzo Farnese is recognizable.
In Friuli Venezia Giulia, filming took place in Aquileia and Gorizia for 8 days in November 2022 with filming in the region continuing in early 2023 in Trieste and the amideria Chiozza in Ruda. Locations in Gorizia included Palazzo Krainer (as Mussolini’s residence) and via Rastello, which featured imposing set structures. Filming in Aquileia was principally in the Patriarchal Basilica.
In December 2022, the crew and cast moved to Naples, shooting in via Foria, where the drawing room of “casa Martiniello” was used as a hotel room where a brutal sexual act takes place. Other locations included Palazzo Reale (as the Quirinale), Teatro di San Carlo, rione Sanità, and the Reggia di Portici (as prefecture).
M - The Son of the Century is an adaptation of the internationally best-selling novel by Antonio Scurati which won the Strega prize. The 8-episode Sky Original series directed by Joe Wright, starring Luca Marinelli as the Duce, recounts the story of the birth of fascism in Italy and the rise to power of Benito Mussolini. It also offers a glimpse of Mussolini's private life and his personal relationships, with his wife Rachele, his lover Margherita Sarfatti and other iconic figures.
The series was filmed partly in Rome: sets were built in Cinecittà studios, while the nearby parco degli Acquedotti was used as the site for a Fascist rally with the “casale di Roma Vecchia”, at the heart of the historic park, was used as a restaurant where a clash between socialists and fascists takes place.
The series also filmed in the streets of the city centre: ponte Sisto, Teatro Marcello and the Coppedè neighbourhood, the baths of Caracalla and forte Bravetta; the Church of Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli was used for the Milanese church where Rachele goes to pray.
Outside Rome, Caprarola and Palazzo Farnese is recognizable.
In Friuli Venezia Giulia, filming took place in Aquileia and Gorizia for 8 days in November 2022 with filming in the region continuing in early 2023 in Trieste and the amideria Chiozza in Ruda. Locations in Gorizia included Palazzo Krainer (as Mussolini’s residence) and via Rastello, which featured imposing set structures. Filming in Aquileia was principally in the Patriarchal Basilica.
In December 2022, the crew and cast moved to Naples, shooting in via Foria, where the drawing room of “casa Martiniello” was used as a hotel room where a brutal sexual act takes place. Other locations included Palazzo Reale (as the Quirinale), Teatro di San Carlo, rione Sanità, and the Reggia di Portici (as prefecture).
Like the novel of the same title, the series tells the story of a country that surrendered to dictatorship and a man who rose from its ashes several times. The eight episodes cover the period from the foundation of the Fasci Italiani in 1919 to Mussolini's infamous speech in Parliament in 1925 following the murder of the socialist deputy Giacomo Matteotti.
