Libertarias (1996)

Director:

Vicente Aranda

Writers:

Vicente Aranda (screenplay)
Vicente Aranda (story)

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

El corazón de la memoria

Plot:

At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the nun Maria is forced to flee her convent. She takes refuge in a brothel...

Plot Keywords:

Nun | Spanish Civil War | Military | Brothel | Explosion

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Ana Belén	...	Pilar
Victoria Abril	...	Floren
Ariadna Gil	...	María
Blanca Apilánez	...	Aura
Laura Mañá	...	Concha
Loles León	...	Charo
Jorge Sanz	...	Obrero Hijo
José Sancho	...	Obrero padre
Joan Crosas	...	Boina
Antonio Dechent	...	Faneca
Miguel Bosé	...	Cura secretario de Durruti
Paco Bas	...	Un miliciano
Greg Charles	...	Reportero extranjero
Claudia Gravy	...	Madama del burdel
Francisco Maestre	...	Obispo

Also Known As:

Freedomfighters (International: English title)
Libertarias (Canada: English title)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

Spain | Italy | Belgium

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Academy Pictures

Quotes:

Floren: What's happened to her?
[When she sees María crying while Pilar is giving her a bath]
Pilar: She saw the shooting of a bishop.
Floren: Since he was a bishop God must be resting his soul now. God is a fascist.
Pilar: Come on Floren! Stop talking nonsense.

An encapsulation of Spanish anarchism

As social commentary, Libertarias succeeds incredibly well. Despite the ignorant reviews written by some critics complaining that "90's politics ruin war drama," it is clear to any student of the Spanish conflict that the politics displayed are those of the 1930's. The film roundly criticizes the absurd hypocrisy of the Catholic Spain that Franco and his fascists were defending, illustrated perfectly by a scene in which the nun Maria is forced into bed with a bishop in a brothel - women are expected to be both whores and chaste nuns simultaneously.

As an encapsulation of Spanish (and international) anarchism it also succeeds - the film is peppered with quotes from Bakunin and Kropotkin, Buenaventura Durruti is portrayed as a character (giving his famous "new worlds in our hearts" speech) and the film even goes so far as to portray the ghost of Mateo Morral, an actual historical figure, who in 1906 attempted to assassinate the Spanish royal couple. Unlike Land and Freedom, Libertarias portrays the Spanish Revolution more than the Civil War, showing the Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo and Federacion Anarquista de Iberica (CNT-FAI) at their height, in 1936 after having liberated Barcelona from the fascists. This film does an excellent job of correcting many of the slanders launched against anarchism, and of unearthing one of the most important events of the 30's, the Spanish Revolution. For anarchists, this film is a superb vindication that finally shows the movement at its most powerful.