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Land and Freedom (1995)
(aka Tierra y libertad)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
An old man suffers a heart attack and dies, right in front of his grand-daughter. We begin to feel that they were close when she is sorting through the knick-knacks left behind and hesitates over some old letters and newspaper clippings. All of them relate to the Spanish Civil War, drawing us back into the past and a Communist Party meeting. David (Ian Hart) is transfixed as a Spanish nationalist describes their struggle with the fascist hordes of Franco, strikingly lit by the flicker of newsreel. Bidding farewell to his girlfriend he sets off for Spain, stowing away on a boat from Liverpool, with high ideals and dreams. On arrival he is welcomed as a foreign comrade, in arms with communists and anarchists, although the disorganisation apparent doesn't bode well. Eventually David is placed in a POUM militia headed for an anonymous front.

The POUM trenches are located on one side of a picturesque valley, opposite the sandbags of equally immobile fascist troops. There hardly seems to be a war occurring as David meets his compatriots, men and women from all over the world with one burning desire - to prevent the spread of fascism. Occasionally bullets zip overhead but with the obsolete weapons available there is little opportunity for more effective action. Suddenly the calm is broken as the militia are ordered to liberate a nearby village from the fascists. In close up we dodge through narrow alleys with the militia as they defeat their young and inexperienced foes. However, with the deaths of friends and innocent civilians, the reality of their situation becomes all to obvious. The fractures in the communist/anarchist/government alliance are reflected in the intense debate of the militia as they decide whether to collectivize the village. A decision is reached after extended debate which, inevitably, alienates some of the militia.

The situation deteriorates as the Government attempts to stem the trend of lost battles with Franco (helped by Hitler and Mussolini) by taking over the militia groups. The effects of the splintering alliance are obvious to David when he journeys, wounded, to Barcelona. Here former comrades are shooting at each other over the idealogical differences producing deep conflict within David. A brief tryst with Blanca (Rosana Pastor), a member of his militia group, seems to cloud the issue but leads to the decision that he will no abandon his comrades for the International Brigade. Realising how much this conflict has changed him David fights on, as the war draws to a brutal and betraying conclusion.

Throughout this movie there are brief cuts back to the present providing a needed perspective without breaking the flow. David's grand-daughter realises the depths of her grandfather with real emotion, resonating with the intense passions created by life in the firing-line. The story starts well with believable characters and reasonable acting (Pastor is especially good as a fiery and opinionated woman). Unfortunately the central section sags under the strain of a fractured and, sometimes, incomprehensible plot. Gorgeous locations and strong beliefs don't provide the necessary support. A revival occurs in the closing sections though, giving an emotional, painful and poignant end to the story. Worth watching, but be ready for some tricky-to-decipher dialogue in foreign accents.

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