fascism

His films like 'Salò' and 'Theorem' offer visceral, controversial critiques of fascism, authoritarianism, and corrupt power structures through provocative imagery.

He systematically examined fascism's psychological roots and its persistence in post-war German society through intimate character studies and political dramas.

His sweeping historical epics like 'The Damned' and 'Death in Venice' explore fascism's seduction, moral decay, and the collapse of European civilization with operatic grandeur.