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disciplined morality—all these imply definite aspects of European fascism of the late 1930's. Nor should one be surprised, for in Wells' book The Shape of Things to Come (1933), he speaks well of certain aspects of Mussolini's politics, though not of Hitler's. For example, The Fascist dictatorship of Mussolini in Italy had something in it of a more enduring type than most of the other super-sessions of parliamentary methods. It arose not as a personal usurpation but as the expression of an organization with a purpose and a sort of doctrine of its own. The intellectual content of Fascism was limited, nationalist and romantic; its methods, especially in its opening phrase, were violent and dreadful; but at least it insisted upon discipline and public service for its members. It appeared as a counter movement to a chaotic labour communism, but its support of the still-surviving monarchy and the Church was qualified by a considerable boldness in handling education and pnvate property for the public benefit. Fascism indeed was not an altogether bad thing, it was a bad good thing and Mussolini has left his mark on history. (12) What attracted Wells to Fascism was the emergence of a self-disciplined elite (cf. The Air Dictatorship), devoted to the efficient development and planning of a Modern State organization, rather than to selfish or class aims. What he did not like was the violent romantic (emotional) nationalism of Fascism, rather than the rational internationalism He espoused. Since the film does, then, suggest a kind, at least, of fascist rule, it is interesting to compare Wells' vision with that of his contemporary in Britain, Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists. Mosley reports in his autobiography a speech that he gave to the English Speaking Union in March 1933. With almost identical Intent to the film, Mosley declared that . . . if you can bring to government for even a few years an executive power and an efficiency which gets things done, you can release . . . the imprisoned genius of science to perform the task which it has to perfonn in the modern world. . . .And again, for the first time executive men could find the means to do some thing truly great and enduring. The union of . . . modem Caesarism, with the force ofmodem science could be nothing less than this. The genius of science impnsoned by the dull mediocrity of politics, which could not realize its potential would be released for a world-transforming task. The new men of politics in relation to science would transcend even the relation ship of the men of the renaissance to art and a New World could be bom of this union. Finally, in his book Tomorrow We Live (1936), Mosley expresses the same science may alter the physical rhythm of civilization, and "conquer even destiny." (13) The Shape ofThings to Come is, then, essentially a film that reflects in visual form the economic, social and political crises ofthe 1930's. And, as a film, it also represents the radical trend in culture in Britain during that insecure decade. (14) GUERNICA AND THE GAUMONT BRITISH NEWSREEL BY TONY ALDGATE Tony Alágate teaches history at the Open University in England. He has tong been involved in the study ofnewsreels as historical documentation and is responsiblefor the British University Film Council's production on "The Spanish Civil War." 25 The Basque town of Guernica was bombed on Monday, April 26, 1937, and its destruction immediately caused an international outcry. The Gaumont British newsreel released film of the bombed-out town in its Issue No. 350 on Thursday, May 6, in a brilliantly edited story, the commentary for which ran as follows: First pictures from the Basque Republic of the Holy City of Guemica, scene of the most terrible air-raid our modem history yet can boast. Hundreds were killed here, men, women and children. Four thousand bombs were dropped out of a blue sky into a hell that raged unchecked for five murderous hours. This was a city and these were homes, like yours. The story was written and edited by Gaumont's regular commentator and editor, E. V. H. Emmett. In fact...

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