Blockade (1938)

A simple peasant is forced to take up arms to defend his farm during the Spanish Civil War. Along the way he falls in love with Russian whose father is involved in espionage.

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

James M. Cain (additional dialogue), John Howard Lawson,

Stars:

Madeleine Carroll, Henry Fonda, Leo Carrillo

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Madeleine Carroll	...	Norma
Henry Fonda	...	Marco
Leo Carrillo	...	Luis
John Halliday	...	Andre Gallinet
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Basil, Norma's Father
Robert Warwick	...	General Vallejo
Reginald Denny	...	Edward Grant
Peter Godfrey	...	Roderigo - Cafe Magician
William B. Davidson	...	Commandant
Katherine DeMille	...	Peasant Woman on Train
Fred Kohler	...	Pietro
Carlos De Valdez	...	Major del Rio
Nick Thompson	...	Seppo
George Houston	...	The Troubador (as George Byron)
Lupita Tovar	...	Palm Reader

Storyline

A simple peasant is forced to take up arms to defend his farm during the Spanish Civil War. Along the way he falls in love with Russian whose father is involved in espionage.

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Plot Keywords:

spanish civil war | spy | starving | starving child | spain | 

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Taglines:

Romance under Fire ! Love versus Bullets and a million souls

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castles in Spain

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles River, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Wanger Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Disclaimer on film and connected paper - Note: Care has been taken to prevent any costume of the production from being accurately that of either side in the Spanish civil war. The story does not attempt to favor any cause in the present conflict,

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Quotes

Marco: [last lines, after being told to find peace] Marco: Peace? Where can you find it? Our country's been turned into a battlefield! There's no safety for old people and children. Women can't keep their families safe in their houses; they can't be safe in their own fields! Churches, schools, hospitals are targets! It's not war; war is between soldiers! It's murder! Murder of innocent people! There's no sense to it. The world can stop it! Where's the conscience of the world?

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Connections

Referenced in Trumbo (2007)

User Reviews

Shallow and Corny Melodrama

In the spring of 1936 in Castelmare, the peasants Marco (Henry Fonda) and Luis (Leo Carrillo) help the aristocratic Russian Norma (Madeleine Carroll) that had a car accident while driving to the house of her father Basil (Vladimir Sokoloff) and Marco falls in love with Norma.

Sooner the Spanish Civil War begins and Marco leads a group of peasants to defend Castelmare and he is assigned lieutenant of the rebels' army. Meanwhile, Basil and Norma are forced to spy for Andre Gallinet (John Halliday). Marco suspects of Basil and follows him to his room. When Basil reacts, Marco kills him in a shooting.

Meanwhile, Castelmare is under siege and without supplies, and Norma escapes from Marco. But she is blackmailed by Gallibet and forced to return to Castelmare with information about the ship that is bringing supplies for the population.

"Blockade" is a shallow and corny melodrama during the Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936 to 01 April 1939). The dull romance between Marco and Norma has no chemistry and the author uses a historical event that is happening in 1938 in a neutral position and no references. The final speech of Henry Fonda's character is one of the awfullest conclusions that I have ever seen in a classic. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Bloqueio" ("Blockade")