IL DOTTOR CHURKILL [Main Title]

Italian anti-Churchill cartoon of 1941 portraying Churchill as a Jekyll and Hyde figure, a two-faced demon eventually destroyed by Nazi and Fascist bombs.

This propaganda cartoon shows Churchill in the cellars of the spooky Bank of England where he rules the world and hoards gold stolen from those he exploits. In his mysterious laboratory he mixes solutions of democracy and fraternity with a little touch of liberty and produces a concoction which turns him from the demon-like Hyde figure to his human Jekyll form. He gazes out over the world he oppresses and then visits his subjects in a private aeroplane pretending to be friendly but really only to seize their gold. He goes to Suez where his exploitation reaps one of its biggest harvests. Eventually he is chased by German and Italians (Nazi and Fascist insignia) whose planes bomb London and destroy him. Commentary translation: "In a big city on a distant island whose coasts are defended by high cliffs, there is a sinister caste (i.e. the Bank of England), the dwelling of shadows and ghosts, inhabited by the most foul creatures of the night. In this stone mansion there lived, hidden from the eyes of the world, a strange creature, half man, half monster. In his gloomy solitude he gathered into his capacious coffers, all the gold in the world, and once in his hands he enjoyed it with bestial egoism. A trapdoor led to to the most secret underground room in the castle, where the monster had a mysterious chemistry laboratory. Inside there was everything he wanted in order to show himself to human beings. (Bottles of democracy, brotherhood, liberty etc.) There he prepared a certain drink mixed from many dangerous ingredients which enabled him to transform himself as if by miracle. And that's done the trick! From the very highest point on the rocky cliffs he loved to gaze out over his vast dominions in which people of every country and race lived in cruel slavery. A small private plane was always at his disposal. Here he is off on his travels. His favourte of activity was to be found wherever men tried their own efforts and the sweat of their brows to earn their daily bread. But this monstrorous gentleman had no respect for the due rewards of labour. Contact with gold awakens the beast in him! Quick! Quick! The phial. And then on to new ventures. Suez - a real goldmine for him was a certain canal, run by the brains and work of others, but controlled by him. From the ships forced to pass through it our operator acquired lots of ready money. Still on the hunt - still more victims- still more gold. Gold to fill his greedy coffers. The monster was insatiable. But one fine day.... And that day the hated symbol of a powerful and repressive ruler withered and faded from life".

35mm