The Spanish Earth

The Spanish Civil War as narrated by Ernest Hemingway. One sided, of course, but also dry and uninteresting. Maybe the version with Orson Welles narrating is more lively. [Watched during documentary film class]

A political documentary done by intellectuals. Should have gotten someone from the entertainment business to help them sharpen it because this was utterly dull. Has historic value as Ernest Hemingway was one of the people heavily involved in this film on the Spanish Civil War and you get a lot of footage of the war times.

"Men can't act for the camera in the presence of death". Not as engaging as I thought it would be, but undeniably important historical piece about pre-WWII tensions and highly influential as an action, combat and war film -- heavy fire shots, piles of dead bodies, dudes smoking, 'admiring' their colleagues' bandages, tons of destroyed buildings.

Couldn't help but think of how the left has changed so much since this war. They share the same ideals but do they have the work ethic that doesn't just revolve around reading books and yelling marx at people they disagree with. Would the modern anarchist strike fear into any fascist?

Since this is a propaganda film, it conceals much of the brutality of war, instead preferring to make a romanticized argument that this is a war worth fighting for. Now, I actually think this argument is justified; I think "the good fight" was indeed a fight worth having, as horrifying as it was. But as cinema goes, propaganda can only do so much, and much of the horror and complexity of the Spanish Civil War is ignored.

Very well shot, a lot of great and unique footage, and a very interesting perspective on the Spanish civil war.