Synopsis:
Extensive footage explores the bloody Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939, fought between left-leaning Republicans and Franco’s dictatorial Nationalist regime.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Documentary
• French Films
• Spanish Civil War

Review:
Made a little over 20 years after its conclusion, this French documentary about the Spanish Civil War — directed and co-written by Frédéric Rossif — was nominated for an Oscar as Best Documentary (though it lost to The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, which I’m now curious to see as well; it would actually be super interesting to take a dive into all Oscar-nominated documentaries over the years, if available…). At any rate, Rossif and his team present a truly impressive compilation of historical film clips:

… intermingled with beautifully shot additional footage:

… presenting the arc of the war from its beginnings — at a time when (our narrator informs us) half the country’s population of 24 million people is illiterate, with “8 million poor, 2 million landless farmers, [and] 20,000 people own[ing] half of Spain” — until its end, when World War II increasingly dominated the global landscape (Spain remained officially neutral).

Such socio-cultural context is crucial to our understanding of why and how so many people fought on behalf of the Republican cause:

… though they were ultimately defeated, in large part through the support of Franco’s Fascist cronies. Along the way we learn about how “the [Spanish] people discover that they exist: they have the right to speak, the right to discourse,” yet they remain landless and “the workers are still without work.”

We hear about Francisco Franco’s election in 1936; the two fronts that emerge (Popular and National); and how the Popular Front gains legitimate power while a narrative against it is quickly spun:

“Against this sterile state, I propose the integral state: what many call fascist,” says anti-Republican Calvo Sotelo, who is assassinated. “But if the fascist state is the end of the strikes, the end of the unrest, the end of abuses against property, then I declare with pride that I am a fascist.”

And so on (though we are only 8 minutes into the film at this point)… Among the most devastating footage is the unconscionable bombing of civilians at Guernica, in which “the shelling lasted 3 hours.”

Along with The Good Fight (1984) — which chronicles American volunteers’ role in the war — all viewers should watch this film and learn about this still-too-little-understood period of 20th century global history.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Impressive curation of historical footage
  
• Georges Barsky’s cinematography
  
• Maurice Jarre’s score

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance and Oscar nomination.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review (short overview)