Movies: Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) "Fiesta" (1995)

[Hans1906]

Good afternoon,

many of us for sure remember the classic war drama "For Whom The Bell Tolls" from the year 1943, an american production, starring
Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff, etc.
Even today, after so many years, a very impressive film, a real classic, you don't have to write about it anymore...

I have already mentioned above the DDR production "Fünf Patronenhülsen" from the year 1960, another feature film about the
Spanish Civil War.
"Five Cartridges" Wikipedia (E) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Cartridges

A few days ago the french movie "Fiesta" from the year 1995 came into my memory, and I like to share two links to this movie:

IMDb https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113054/

The complete film in french language : https://ok.ru/video/274558618190

Absolutely worth seeing, french actor Jean-Louis Trintignant as "Colonel Masagual" an excellent performance.
Which other movies on the topic of the Spanish Civil War would you recommend, that would be my question?

Greetings from Hans1906

P.S. A List of Spanish Civil War films at the Wikipedia (E) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_S ... _War_films

[Hans1906]

Interesting here in the forum,

nobody reacted about the movie "Fiesta" from the year 1995.

Probably only very few people here in the forum have seen this movie, very typical, but I knew that before.
The subject is still taboo, for good reasons.

After reading the book "Es lebe der Tod", I couldn't think of anything else to say.
Complete madness, which is still active today, the Spanish Foreign Legion is the best example:



Strange, in the middle of europe, not very much has changed, Francisco Franco still alive, standing up in his grave...


Hans1906

[von thoma]

Ja,

Curious a German interested in Spain, and ( in my case ) a Spanish interested In Germany
No one is happy with what they have....

In Germany not much has changed either..

Which other movies on the topic of the Spanish Civil War would you recommend, that would be my question ?

* Dragon Rapide (1986)

* La Vaquilla (1985)

But if you want tendentious movies ;

* Mientras dure la guerra (2019)

* Libertarias (1996)

[Hans1906]

Good morning von thoma,

thank you for sharing a few more advices to movies about the "Spanish Civil War", very welcome.

Let us note the two short documentaries above under the topic "Military Tradition", this will be the best fit.

Greetings to beautiful Spain!


Hans1906

P.S. The first book, I read in earlier years about the topic "Spanish Civil War" was:
Heinrich Jaenecke: Es lebe der Tod: Die Tragödie des Spanischen Bürgerkrieges, Goldmann, München, 1983.
Heinrich Jaenecke / Wikipedia https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Jaenecke

[Ironmachine]

Complete madness, which is still active today, the Spanish Foreign Legion is the best example:

And exactly what is the the Spanish Legion (not Foreign) the best example of?

[Hans1906]

Good afternoon Ironmachine,

the "Legión Española" fought on the side of Franco against the republican spanish government, am I wrong?

What I read was for example "La Legion - Die Spanische Elitetruppe" by Jörg Steinert, 1997, Motorbuch Verlag.
If there is something wrong in the book, please share your knowledge.

Hans1906

P.S. Very sorry, I am not aware about the spanish language.

[Ironmachine]

The "Legión Española" fought on the side of Franco against the republican spanish government, am I wrong?

No, you are not wrong. The Legión fought on the side of Franco against the "republican spanish govenment".
And it also fought for the Republican government against those who wanted to destroy it (many of which were later seen claiming they were defending that same Republic against Franco).
And it fought for Spain in a number of wars.
And it is today fully commited to defend the Spanish democracy, and it has been part of UN peacekeeping forces, for example.
So yes, the Legión is a good example (not sure if the best one, though). The best example of many things, not only of one. That is what happens with a corps that was created in 1920, much before the arrival of the Second Spanish Republic.
And that's the reason you have posted a video of a military unit created in 1920, singing a song from 1921 while guarding the Christ of the Good Death, a tradition that began in 1931. So even if, as you write, "Francisco Franco still alive, standing up in his graveI", this has nothing to do with him. I don't know if this is told in the book you read: if it is not, it is a very poor book on the subject, if it is told there I can understand why you failed to notice it. The Legión has a long story, with its lights and shadows. But trying to imply that its existence nowadays means "something" due to its past is a complete nonsense, much more so if you ignore what that whole past is.
Regards.

[Hans1906]

Good afternoon, Ironmachine,

to sorry, my personal knowledge about the Spanish Civil War is limited, and I was concentrated on the very famous photos
from these years, long ago...

Probably, I have seen all these historic pictures in a very much to "romantized" own view.
Also, probably I have watched too much worse movies, and documentaries about this.

One photo is always on my mind, a very touching photo in B/W, not a shot by Robert Capa probably?

Hans1906

[Ironmachine]

Yes, that's probably the problems with many people, that they have a very "romantized" view of the SCW, in black and white with no shades of grey. But it was a war, and war is hell. And hell is full of demons, no side for them.
And yes, there are many touching photos of the SCW, for both sides. But they don't tell the whole story.
Regards.

[Hans1906]

Thank you, Ironmachine,

I imagine, "romantizing" any war is a part of our own history, deviding the "good" from the "bad", whatever this is good for.

Remembering the stories of our fathers, and grandfathers, about World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, there was no pleasure
or fun at all...

My father Bob mentioned about Vietnam: "A Waste of lifes, for nothing!"
One short sentence, I will never forget.

War is Hell!

Hans1906

[Waleed Y. Majeed]

The Endless Trench / La trinchera infinita, 2019 is on netflix in Denmark. Is it worth watching?

Waleed

[Ironmachine]

It's not exactly a SCW film, most of the story is post-war period.
I didn't like it, but that only means that I didn't like it...
There's also a documentary made in 2011, called "30 años de oscuridad", that tells the real story on which the film is based. I haven't seen it.

[Hans1906]

What did we german children of the late 1950s, and 1960s knew about the Spanish Civil War..?

NOTHING!

First encounter was the name of a german Cigarette Brand "Condor", coming up in the 1960s,
causing some trouble in the german news back then, later taken away from the german market...

"Spanish Civil War", 1936-1939, nothing, teaching us this in the school, nothing.
War, Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, nothing...

We were a little bit aware about Hemingway, but Capa, Taro, the Spanish Civil War at all, nothing.
Nothing in our school history books, we were teached nothing about all this at all.

Hans1906

P.S. Customers in the tobacco shops of my grandparents refused to buy the cigarette brand "Condor".

* Legion Condor was taboo in childhood years, like "Coca-Cola" was taboo to children, made us somewhat curious...

[Ironmachine]

There is nothing special about that, as far as I can see. It was a foreign war where German participation had been minimal. Was it treated differently from other similar wars? And I would be very surprised if Capa and Taro are or have ever been mentioned in any school history book anywhere.

[Hans1906]

" And I would be very surprised if Capa and Taro are or have ever been mentioned in any school history book anywhere."

No, never,
we were not even teached about the SS, the SA, the NSDAP, nothing.
What we were shown in our years in school, one or two documentaries about the Konzentrationslager, probably what was put on film
after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen.
Documentaries on 16mm film, sparsely commented by one of our teachers, films without sound.
The performance of the films belonged to the topic of our German lessons at that time.
For many of us the very first encounter with this topic.

Strange stuff for us young students at the age of 12, to maybe 15 years young.

Hans1906