Thursday, 8 December 2011

proposal for documentary' who is a rebel- a story of the italian partisans, the rebels of the mountains''?

The 'proposal'. It's really all in my 'head' but the basic principle is.... chats to 2 historians about the importance strategically of the Northern Italian 'rebel' strongholds of Ossola and Valsesia and of their 'people's' immense courage in the face of being occupied by nazi/fascist troops who were armed to the teeth, some original footage from the italian resistance and some guerrila style questionairre's of people's views in both Italy and Scotland on what being a 'rebel' is with a number of personal accounts by  'partisan groups' in Italy present day. I also want ' go into' how a major partisan like Cino Moscatelli from somewhere in the mountains near Switzerland and Sandro Pertini another localised major player from Northern Italy ,once considered 'rebels' after being imprisoned for 15 years were to become both the minister of defence and president of italy respectively and how they differed to those quiet unassuming 'rebels' , the unknown soldiers who died for liberty, some in foreign lands, some like the 'William Brown' who sadly missed in a Valsesian memorial along with his other POW soldiers died an Italian 'Rebel' & Scots regular soldier deciding to fight fascism along with his Italian Partisan comrades who were 'responsible' for shuttling most of his fellow POWs across the border where The Ossolan Republic had already set up communications with their embassies in Switzerland . Again compounding the original theme of 'Who , what is a 'rebel'? ...ie a teenager, Gandhi...Robert the Bruce, Robin Hood...the 'common' man and woman, the men from the factories, the working man, the simple infantry man like 'William Brown'?

I got access to all these historians and partisans, young and old. And I also got access to  the ANPI( association of italian partisans),the italian cultural institute in edinburgh, with a 'score' composed from local folk bands who sing 'valsesia' as well as the locals who will very happily burst into a rendition of Fischia Il Vento.I've also got a young lady who will talk about the contribution of many brave women partisans.

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