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Other titles:DER MARSCH DER HELDEN [Alternative Title]
THE WAY OF THE HEROES [Translation]
Summary: A documentary account of the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, designed to illustrate the scope of the achievement and the degree of planning and organisation behind it.
Description: The film is divided into sequences each accompanied only by music or effects but preceded by an introduction spoken in Italian with translation into French and German titles. The sequences show: 1. Supply industry (food, clothing, footwear). 2. Aircraft and motor transport factories. 3. Shipping: loading freighters, a hospital ship. 4. The troops embark and depart. 5. Disembarkation and unloading at Massawa and Mogadishu. 6. Preparations for supply movement: railway laying, lorry workshops, transporting river-boats inland. 7. Transport problems: traversing rough country; road, bridge and telegraph construction; water for troops and natives. 8. Air-dropping supplies (including live sheep) to forward units. 9. Mail from home. 10. The Media: cameramen in action (aircraft, front line), mobile unit shows newsreel. 11. Medical facilities for troops and natives. 12. The actual fighting, culminating in the entry into Addis Ababa and Mussolini's reading to Roman crowd of Badoglio's victory telegram. 13. Settlers: the 'new Pax Romana' in the new Empire.
Production Details: Istituto Nazionale Luce, Rome (Production sponsor)
Reparto Cinematografico Africa Orientale (Production company)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Mussolini, Benito Amilcare Andrea (person)
Royal Italian Army (regiment/service)
Keywords: administration, Italian - overseas: Ethiopia (object name)
animals, mammals: sheep (object name)
combat, Italian (object name)
communications, Italian military - postal (object name)
engineering, military, Italian (object name)
journalism and record, Italian - cameraman (object name)
journalism and record, Italian - cameraman: mobile cinema (object name)
industry, Italian - general (object name)
medical, Italian military - hospital (object name)
operations, Italian maritime - harbour (object name)
operations, Italian maritime - routine (object name)
operations, Italian military - movement (object name)
supplies, Italian, movement [RA] - misc (object name)
supplies, Italian, movement [FA] - misc: para-drop (object name)
Ethiopia & Addis Ababa (geography)
Ethiopia & Massawa (geography)
Somalia & Mogadishu (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: Italian
Title language: Italian
Subtitle language: French
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 8
Footage: 6263 ft; Running time: 70 mins
Notes: Titles: opening titles note that the film won the "Coppa del PNF" at the Fourth Venice Film Festival
Remarks: some very fine visual material only occasionally marred by excessive length. The film as a whole is a very interesting document - although some passages are unintentionally amusing and others (notably the combat) are intentionally misleading.
