A dictator’s death throes are always a form of theater, featuring ecstatic masses, would-be successors fighting for political survival, and, behind the scenes, the dictator’s coterie locked in efforts to extend the life of their patriarch until they can secure their privileges. Franco’s son-in-law, who was also the family doctor, kept the dying despot on life-support machines for more than a month.
独裁者的垂死挣扎总是大戏的开幕——欣喜若狂的大众、为政治生涯斗争的潜在继任者、还有独裁者的亲信，他们往往居于幕后，竭尽全力延长主子的生命以确保自己的地位。弗朗哥的女婿兼家庭医生靠着生命支持设备将行将就木的独裁者的阳寿生生拉长了一个多月。