This clip shows some ingenious machinery as Italian troops rig up some scaffolding to a truck and attach a screen to show a film from a projector mounted on the truck. Local people in Abyssinia then watch Mussolini in a grand display in Rome
Context
Benito Mussolini was the leader of Italy. He was head of the Fascist party, similar in views to the Nazis in Germany. Mussolini’s great aim was to try and rebuild the great glories of the Roman Empire by establishing an Italian empire in Africa. In 1935 he provoked disputes with Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) and in 1936 his modern armies invaded the country and defeated its emperor Haile Selassie. This action provoked international outrage but no military action was taken against Mussolini.
Interesting or important points about the film
The propaganda message is clear, that Mussolini impresses the Abyssinians. Also interesting here is the advanced use of film techniques, to show the film within a film.