L'Umin - der Anarchist

The documentary l'umin - der anarchist is a portrait of the 95 year old Emilio Marziani, from San Benedetto in Italy. In the film, the villagers give their opinions about this notorious character in front of the camera. The policeman thinks that Marziani only makes up tall stories to attract attention. The priest, on the other hand, has respect for the man who sits reading in the library all day. And the village doctor maintains that Marziani suffers from a severe form of schizophrenia. Marziani himself gives an account of his heroic deeds, and his story rather differs from what the villagers have told. Undoubtedly, his life has been eventful. Even if half of the filmed reports consists of lies and delusions, they are still worth listening to. Marziani has always fought against fascism and he has paid dearly for that. From 1922 he was persecuted by the fascists. Once, he was accused of a murder the fascists had committed. Handcuffed, he jumped into the cold water of the Po river to escape them. He fled to France but was deported to Neurenberg by the German SS. Marziani sat in various prisons and was exiled to Ventotene, where president Pertini was also behind bars. A professor got interested in Marziani's story, particularly in his involvement in the resistance and his problems with fascism. However, he could not find Marziani's name in the files. The mayor of San Benedetto thinks that Marziani has become very lonely after the war and has only tried to attract attention. In this light, he judges the one-man demonstration by Marziani, dressed entirely in a fascist uniform. Marziani's actions, but also the reactions to them, became increasingly irate: he was 'accidentally' shot in the back and his house 'mysteriously' burnt down. He contends that the police have driven him out of his house and killed his dog. This film evokes questions about a particular past, and gives an account of the biased versions of that past. It is up to the spectator to decide which stories are true or false. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)