Land and Freedom (1995)

David is an unemployed communist that comes to Spain in 1937 during the civil war to enroll the republicans and defend the democracy against the fascists. He makes friends between the soldiers.

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Jim Allen (screenplay)

Stars:

Ian Hart, Rosana Pastor, Icíar Bollaín

8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Hart	...	David Carr
Rosana Pastor	...	Blanca
Icíar Bollaín	...	Maite (as Iciar Bollain)
Tom Gilroy	...	Lawrence
Marc Martínez	...	Juan Vidal (as Marc Martinez)
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Bernard Goujon (as Frederic Pierrot)
Andrés Aladren	...	Militia member (as Andres Aladren)
Sergi Calleja	...	Militia member
Raffaele Cantatore	...	Militia member
Pascal Demolon	...	Militia member
Paul Laverty	...	Militia member
Josep Magem	...	Militia member
Eoin McCarthy	...	Connor Coogan
Jürgen Müller	...	Militia member
Víctor Roca	...	Militia member (as Roca)

Storyline

Summer 1936, a young unemployed communist, David, leaves his hometown Liverpool to join the fight against fascism in Spain. He joins an international group of Militia-men and women, the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista). After being wounded he goes to Barcelona, where he decides to join another group of fighters. They remain in Barcelona and end up fighting other anti-fascist groups. David is disappointed and decides to go back to his old band.

---

Plot Keywords:

communist | spain | spanish civil war | trench warfare | anarchism | 

---

Taglines:

A story from a revolution.

---

Genres:

Drama | War

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War were foreign volunteers who flocked to the conflict between 1936 and 1939. Thousands fought for the left-wing Republicans, and smaller numbers joined the right-wing Nationalists. Some saw the conflict as a battle between democracy and tyranny, others between Communism and Fascism. So many Americans joined the Republicans they were able to form their own unit, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Different factions of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) fought for both sides. Their enemies the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) sent men and arms to aid the Republicans. George Nathan, one of the International Brigade's greatest heroes, was an ex-Black and Tan who had served in the Irish Troubles of 1919-21 and found himself fighting alongside his former enemies. The Soviet Union provided some military support for the Republicans. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy sent massive military aid to the Nationalists and dispatched the 'Condor Legion' of German warplanes manned by Luftwaffe crews. Numerous famous figures took part in the conflict, including George Orwell who fought on the Catalonian front, Errol Flynn, who worked as a reporter, and famous spy Kim Philby.

---

Goofs

Actually the rucksacks are the same as British 1908 pattern, and were made from 1929 onwards by La Industria Lonera in Barcelona, Spain.

---

Quotes

David: We elect the officers and everything. It's socialism in action - not like the army back home.

---

Crazy Credits

Special thanks to the people of Mirambel and Morella.

---

Connections

Featured in Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach (2016)

---

Soundtracks

L'Internationale
Lyrics by Eugène Pottier
Music by Pierre De Geyter
Published by Sacem, France

User Reviews

Anarchist View of Anarchism in Spain

Anarchists have remained almost invisible in mass media films. Worse, when they have appeared, it is generally some bourgeois stereotype of anarchists as violent or some socialist stereotype of anarchists as infantile. Here they are shown more accurately as organized and committed to the nitty-gritty basics of the revolution of everyday life.

British director Ken Loach made a film that finally attempts an anarchist's view of anarchists in Spain during the civil war against the fascists. The victors write history, so as losers of that war, their history has for too long remained untold. But this 1995 film, "Land & Freedom" shows what they were fighting for and what they were fighting against. One of the best aspects here is that the film also shows how the communists aggressively destroyed the anarchists more than their supposed common enemy. This I take as a lesson for today's left:

The melancholy hopelessness of our own 21st century is a consequence of that tragic defeat by the fascists -- largely because the Left fragmented and was brutally dominated by Leninist dictators. Historical progress is now merely spinning its wheels in futility, recycling every old thing again as a farce. The only solution is land and freedom.

P.S. Another sympathetic film based on these events is "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (1943) based on the Hemingway novel, starring Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. This one is less politically aware however, so it focuses more on the romance. See info at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035896/combined

Details

Country:

UK Spain Germany Italy France

Language:

English Spanish Catalan

Release Date:

22 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Land and Freedom

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,144, 17 March 1996

Gross USA:

$228,800

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$228,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARD Degeto Film, BIM Distribuzione, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min 102 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1