Jump to content

Land and Freedom (film): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→Cast: "milita" should be "militia"
m minor fixes, replaced: ," → ", , - → – , Iciar Bollain → Icíar Bollaín using AWB
Line 30: Line 30:
The film's narrative unfolds in a long [[Flashback (literary technique)|flashback]]. David Carr has died at an old age and his granddaughter discovers old letters, newspapers and other documents in his room: what we see in the film is what he had lived.
The film's narrative unfolds in a long [[Flashback (literary technique)|flashback]]. David Carr has died at an old age and his granddaughter discovers old letters, newspapers and other documents in his room: what we see in the film is what he had lived.


Carr, a young unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party, leaves [[Liverpool]] and travels to Spain to join the [[International Brigade]]s. He crosses the Spanish border in Catalonia and coincidentally ends up enlisted in a [[Workers' Party of Marxist Unification|POUM]] [[militia]] commanded by Lawrence, in the [[Aragon]] front. In this company, as in all POUM militias, men and women – such as the young and enthusiastic Maite – fight together. In the following weeks and months he becomes friends with other foreign volunteers, like the French Bernard and the Irish Coogan, and the latter's girlfriend Blanca – with whom David Carr later falls in love - also a member of POUM, and also the [[ideologue]] of his group.
Carr, a young unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party, leaves [[Liverpool]] and travels to Spain to join the [[International Brigade]]s. He crosses the Spanish border in Catalonia and coincidentally ends up enlisted in a [[Workers' Party of Marxist Unification|POUM]] [[militia]] commanded by Lawrence, in the [[Aragon]] front. In this company, as in all POUM militias, men and women – such as the young and enthusiastic Maite – fight together. In the following weeks and months he becomes friends with other foreign volunteers, like the French Bernard and the Irish Coogan, and the latter's girlfriend Blanca – with whom David Carr later falls in love – also a member of POUM, and also the [[ideologue]] of his group.


After being wounded and recovering in a hospital in [[Barcelona]], he finally joins – in accordance with his original plan and against the opinion of Blanca – the government-backed International Brigades, and he encounters the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] propaganda and repression against POUM members and [[anarchism|anarchists]]; he then returns to his old company, only to see them rounded up by a government unit requiring their surrender: in a brief clash Blanca is killed. After her funeral he returns to Great Britain with a red [[neckerchief]] full of Spanish earth.
After being wounded and recovering in a hospital in [[Barcelona]], he finally joins – in accordance with his original plan and against the opinion of Blanca – the government-backed International Brigades, and he encounters the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] propaganda and repression against POUM members and [[anarchism|anarchists]]; he then returns to his old company, only to see them rounded up by a government unit requiring their surrender: in a brief clash Blanca is killed. After her funeral he returns to Great Britain with a red [[neckerchief]] full of Spanish earth.
Line 45: Line 45:
*[[Frédéric Pierrot]] – Bernard Goujon
*[[Frédéric Pierrot]] – Bernard Goujon
*[[Tom Gilroy]] – Lawrence
*[[Tom Gilroy]] – Lawrence
*[[Iciar Bollain]] – Maite
*[[Icíar Bollaín]] – Maite
*[[Marc Martínez (actor)|Marc Martínez]] – Juan Vidal
*[[Marc Martínez (actor)|Marc Martínez]] – Juan Vidal
*[[Andrés Aladren]] – Militia member
*[[Andrés Aladren]] – Militia member
Line 55: Line 55:


==Themes==
==Themes==
According to Ken Loach, the most important scene of the film is the debate in an [[Deliberative assembly|assembly]] of a village successfully liberated by the militia, which highlights one of the great strengths of Loach as a director in that it is a truly compelling encounter{{Clarify|date=December 2009}}. People from the actual village where the film was shot play peasant parts in the film and express their thoughts freely (despite language difficulties), and a debate ensues about whether or not to [[collectivise]] the village land and that of the recently shot priest. An American with the POUM militia argues that the war effort must come first, suggesting that collectivisation and other revolutionary actions might hamper that effort. He mentions that if such actions and the slogans accompanying them continue, they will not gain the support of the capitalist democracies such as the United States and Britain{{Clarify|date=December 2009}} ("You're scaring them," he says). The necessity of a contemporaneous war and revolution is expressed by a German militiaman, who says that 'in [[Weimar Republic|Germany]] revolution was postponed and now [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] is in power'. In the end the villagers vote for collectivisation, thereby taking steps on a far-left path. In the anarchist and socialist controlled areas this kind of expropriation of land was common, as the civil war was accompanied by a [[Spanish Revolution of 1936|social revolution]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.historytoday.com/paul-preston/spanish-civil-war-1936-1939| author=Paul Preston| title=The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939| publisher=History Today| accessdate=March 27, 2014}}</ref>
According to Ken Loach, the most important scene of the film is the debate in an [[Deliberative assembly|assembly]] of a village successfully liberated by the militia, which highlights one of the great strengths of Loach as a director in that it is a truly compelling encounter{{Clarify|date=December 2009}}. People from the actual village where the film was shot play peasant parts in the film and express their thoughts freely (despite language difficulties), and a debate ensues about whether or not to [[collectivise]] the village land and that of the recently shot priest. An American with the POUM militia argues that the war effort must come first, suggesting that collectivisation and other revolutionary actions might hamper that effort. He mentions that if such actions and the slogans accompanying them continue, they will not gain the support of the capitalist democracies such as the United States and Britain{{Clarify|date=December 2009}} ("You're scaring them", he says). The necessity of a contemporaneous war and revolution is expressed by a German militiaman, who says that 'in [[Weimar Republic|Germany]] revolution was postponed and now [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] is in power'. In the end the villagers vote for collectivisation, thereby taking steps on a far-left path. In the anarchist and socialist controlled areas this kind of expropriation of land was common, as the civil war was accompanied by a [[Spanish Revolution of 1936|social revolution]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.historytoday.com/paul-preston/spanish-civil-war-1936-1939| author=Paul Preston| title=The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939| publisher=History Today| accessdate=March 27, 2014}}</ref>


As in the above scene, various languages: Spanish, English and [[Catalan language|Catalan]] are spoken throughout the film, and subtitles are used selectively. Carr arrives in Spain without knowing any Spanish, but gradually picks it up – and luckily for him English is the ''[[lingua franca]]'' in his militia.
As in the above scene, various languages: Spanish, English and [[Catalan language|Catalan]] are spoken throughout the film, and subtitles are used selectively. Carr arrives in Spain without knowing any Spanish, but gradually picks it up – and luckily for him English is the ''[[lingua franca]]'' in his militia.
Line 69: Line 69:
The review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports a 77% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10, {{asof|2018|2|22}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_and_freedom |title=''Land and Freedom'' (1996) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |accessdate=February 22, 2018}}</ref>
The review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports a 77% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10, {{asof|2018|2|22}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_and_freedom |title=''Land and Freedom'' (1996) |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |accessdate=February 22, 2018}}</ref>


David Armstrong, cinema critic for [[The San Francisco Examiner]], stated in [[SF Gate]] that "Veteran British director [[Ken Loach]] continues to toil in the fields of a now largely, and unjustly, eclipsed tradition: European social realism. Working in a near-documentary style that emphasizes the grit of everyday life, the cynical secretiveness of political leaders and the nobility of small people with big dreams, Loach makes feature films of uncommon gravity and integrity".<ref>{{ cite news|last=Armstrong|first=David|title="Land and Freedom': Unique Story of War|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Land-and-Freedom-unique-story-of-war-3146996.php|work=SF Gate|date=April 19, 1996|access-date=August 17, 2017}}</ref>
David Armstrong, cinema critic for [[The San Francisco Examiner]], stated in [[SF Gate]] that "Veteran British director [[Ken Loach]] continues to toil in the fields of a now largely, and unjustly, eclipsed tradition: European social realism. Working in a near-documentary style that emphasizes the grit of everyday life, the cynical secretiveness of political leaders and the nobility of small people with big dreams, Loach makes feature films of uncommon gravity and integrity".<ref>{{ cite news|last=Armstrong|first=David|title=Land and Freedom': Unique Story of War|url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Land-and-Freedom-unique-story-of-war-3146996.php|work=SF Gate|date=April 19, 1996|access-date=August 17, 2017}}</ref>


[[Philip French]] writing in [[The Observer]] said, "scripted by his regular collaborator, Jim Allen, Loach's movie is a visceral, emotional and intellectual experience, and among the finest films of the decade."<ref>{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=Idealism and illusions|url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/screen/story/0,6903,595331,00.html|work=The Observer|date=October 8, 1995|access-date=August 17, 2017}}</ref>.
[[Philip French]] writing in [[The Observer]] said, "scripted by his regular collaborator, Jim Allen, Loach's movie is a visceral, emotional and intellectual experience, and among the finest films of the decade.".<ref>{{cite news|last=French|first=Philip|title=Idealism and illusions|url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/screen/story/0,6903,595331,00.html|work=The Observer|date=October 8, 1995|access-date=August 17, 2017}}</ref>


It has been criticised as mimicking a Hollywood film with the anarchists as the "good guys" and the Stalinists and fascists as the "bad guys".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dauvé|first1=Gilles|title=The dubious virtues of propaganda: Ken Loach's "Land and Freedom"|url=http://troploin.fr/node/82|website=troploin.fr|publisher=Troploin|accessdate=19 August 2017|date=2014}}</ref>
It has been criticised as mimicking a Hollywood film with the anarchists as the "good guys" and the Stalinists and fascists as the "bad guys".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dauvé|first1=Gilles|title=The dubious virtues of propaganda: Ken Loach's "Land and Freedom"|url=http://troploin.fr/node/82|website=troploin.fr|publisher=Troploin|accessdate=19 August 2017|date=2014}}</ref>
Line 151: Line 151:
*[http://irelandscw.com/docs-LFReview1996.htm Film reviewed by Wilebaldo Solano], the former General Secretary of the [[Iberian Communist Youth|POUM Youth]], reprinted from [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725131307/http://www.revolutionary-history.co.uk/ ''Revolutionary History''], Vol. 6, No. 2–3, pp.&nbsp;275–6, summer 1996
*[http://irelandscw.com/docs-LFReview1996.htm Film reviewed by Wilebaldo Solano], the former General Secretary of the [[Iberian Communist Youth|POUM Youth]], reprinted from [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725131307/http://www.revolutionary-history.co.uk/ ''Revolutionary History''], Vol. 6, No. 2–3, pp.&nbsp;275–6, summer 1996
*[http://irelandscw.com/docs-LF.htm A series of reviews including some hostile ones by Civil War veterans]
*[http://irelandscw.com/docs-LF.htm A series of reviews including some hostile ones by Civil War veterans]



{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
Line 168: Line 167:


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:1990s war films]]
[[Category:1990s war films]]

Revision as of 14:26, 14 June 2018

This article is about the film. For the Russian organisation, see Land and Liberty (Russia). For the Kenyan organisation, see Mau Mau Uprising.

Land and Freedom
Movie poster from Ken Loach's Land and Freedom
Directed byKen Loach
Written byJim Allen
Produced byRebecca O'Brien
StarringIan Hart
CinematographyBarry Ackroyd
Edited byJonathan Morris
Music byGeorge Fenton
Production
company
Distributed byGramercy Pictures
Release date
6 October 1995
Running time
109 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Spain
Germany
Italy
France
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Catalan
Box office$228,800

Land and Freedom (or Tierra y Libertad)[1] is a 1995 film directed by Ken Loach and written by Jim Allen. The film narrates the story of David Carr, an unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, who decides to fight for the republican side in the Spanish Civil War, an anti-rebel coalition of Socialists, Communists and Anarchists. The film won the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.[2] The film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

Plot

The film's narrative unfolds in a long flashback. David Carr has died at an old age and his granddaughter discovers old letters, newspapers and other documents in his room: what we see in the film is what he had lived.

Carr, a young unemployed worker and member of the Communist Party, leaves Liverpool and travels to Spain to join the International Brigades. He crosses the Spanish border in Catalonia and coincidentally ends up enlisted in a POUM militia commanded by Lawrence, in the Aragon front. In this company, as in all POUM militias, men and women – such as the young and enthusiastic Maite – fight together. In the following weeks and months he becomes friends with other foreign volunteers, like the French Bernard and the Irish Coogan, and the latter's girlfriend Blanca – with whom David Carr later falls in love – also a member of POUM, and also the ideologue of his group.

After being wounded and recovering in a hospital in Barcelona, he finally joins – in accordance with his original plan and against the opinion of Blanca – the government-backed International Brigades, and he encounters the Soviet propaganda and repression against POUM members and anarchists; he then returns to his old company, only to see them rounded up by a government unit requiring their surrender: in a brief clash Blanca is killed. After her funeral he returns to Great Britain with a red neckerchief full of Spanish earth.

Finally the film comes back to the present, and we see Carr's funeral, in which his granddaughter throws the Spanish earth into his grave after speaking lines from "The Day Is Coming",[3] a poem by William Morris.

Join in the battle wherein no man can fail,
For whoso fadeth and dieth, yet his deed shall still prevail.

Afterwards she performs a raised fist salute, honouring his beliefs.

Cast

Themes

According to Ken Loach, the most important scene of the film is the debate in an assembly of a village successfully liberated by the militia, which highlights one of the great strengths of Loach as a director in that it is a truly compelling encounter[clarification needed]. People from the actual village where the film was shot play peasant parts in the film and express their thoughts freely (despite language difficulties), and a debate ensues about whether or not to collectivise the village land and that of the recently shot priest. An American with the POUM militia argues that the war effort must come first, suggesting that collectivisation and other revolutionary actions might hamper that effort. He mentions that if such actions and the slogans accompanying them continue, they will not gain the support of the capitalist democracies such as the United States and Britain[clarification needed] ("You're scaring them", he says). The necessity of a contemporaneous war and revolution is expressed by a German militiaman, who says that 'in Germany revolution was postponed and now Hitler is in power'. In the end the villagers vote for collectivisation, thereby taking steps on a far-left path. In the anarchist and socialist controlled areas this kind of expropriation of land was common, as the civil war was accompanied by a social revolution.[4]

As in the above scene, various languages: Spanish, English and Catalan are spoken throughout the film, and subtitles are used selectively. Carr arrives in Spain without knowing any Spanish, but gradually picks it up – and luckily for him English is the lingua franca in his militia.

The social revolution was opposed by both the Soviet-supported communists and the democratic republicans and as the war progressed, the government and the communists were able to leverage their access to Soviet arms to restore government control over the war effort, both through diplomacy and force. An historical event, the bloody fight between Republicans and Anarchists for controlling the Telefónica building in Barcelona, has been chosen by Loach as an emblem of this internal conflict (See Barcelona May Days). Carr's disenchantment starts from this meaningless fight, which he fails to understand because both groups were supposed to be on the same side. At one point he is guarding the Communist Party headquarters in Barcelona and engages in banter across the barricades with the anarchists opposite. He asks a Mancunian among them "Why aren't you over here with us?" In reply his compatriot asks him the same question and Carr answers "I don't know".

Another important moment inspired by actual events is the execution of a village priest for acting in favour of the Rebel side: he has broken the seal of confessions, telling the rebels where the anarchists were hiding and causing their deaths. The priest is also shown to have a bruised shoulder from firing a rifle.[citation needed]

Most critics and viewers noted the similarity between the story narrated in this film and George Orwell's book Homage to Catalonia, in which the author wrote one of the more famous accounts of the war, that of his own experience as a volunteer in the ILP Contingent, part of the POUM militia.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 77% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10, As of 22 February 2018.[5]

David Armstrong, cinema critic for The San Francisco Examiner, stated in SF Gate that "Veteran British director Ken Loach continues to toil in the fields of a now largely, and unjustly, eclipsed tradition: European social realism. Working in a near-documentary style that emphasizes the grit of everyday life, the cynical secretiveness of political leaders and the nobility of small people with big dreams, Loach makes feature films of uncommon gravity and integrity".[6]

Philip French writing in The Observer said, "scripted by his regular collaborator, Jim Allen, Loach's movie is a visceral, emotional and intellectual experience, and among the finest films of the decade.".[7]

It has been criticised as mimicking a Hollywood film with the anarchists as the "good guys" and the Stalinists and fascists as the "bad guys".[8]

See also

Awards and nominations

Awards
Award Category Name Outcome
International Federation of Film Critics Best Film Ken Loach Won
Cannes Film Festival Prize of the Ecumenical Jury Ken Loach Won
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or Ken Loach Nominated
European Film Awards Best Film Ken Loach Won
César Awards Best Foreign Film Ken Loach Won
BAFTA Awards Best British Film Ken Loach and Rebecca O'Brien Nominated
Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards Silver Condor Award for Best Foreign Film Ken Loach Nominated
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Awards Best Foreign Film Ken Loach Won
Nastro d'Argento Best Foreign Director Ken Loach Nominated
Sant Jordi Awards Best Spanish Film Ken Loach Won

References

  1. ^ See Tierra y Libertad (disambiguation) for the meaning of this phrase.
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Land and Freedom". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  3. ^ Chants for Socialists by William Morris – 1. The Day is Coming, Marxist Internet Archive
  4. ^ Paul Preston. "The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939". History Today. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Land and Freedom (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  6. ^ Armstrong, David (19 April 1996). "Land and Freedom': Unique Story of War". SF Gate. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  7. ^ French, Philip (8 October 1995). "Idealism and illusions". The Observer. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  8. ^ Dauvé, Gilles (2014). "The dubious virtues of propaganda: Ken Loach's "Land and Freedom"". troploin.fr. Troploin. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
Awards
Preceded by European Film Award for Best European Film
1995 		Succeeded by

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Land_and_Freedom_(film)&oldid=845842663"