Introduction -- Fascism, cinema and stardom. Italian cinema under fascism -- The creation of a star system -- Stars and commercial culture -- The public and the stars -- Italian stars of the Fascist Era. The national star: Isa Miranda -- The matine idol: Vittorio De Sica -- Everybody's fiance: Assia Noris -- The star as hero: Amedeo Nazzari -- The uniformed role model: Fosco Giachetti -- The photogenic beauty: Alida Valli -- The Duce's whim: Miria Di San Servolo -- The aftermath of stardom. Civil war, liberation and reconstruction -- Survival, memory and forgetting.