Customer Reviews

Spanish Earth,The (1937-USA) [VHS]

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I have always been interested in the Spanish Civil War. I consider it a microcosm of the 20th Century based on its' involvement with the eventual fascist agressors of WWII as well as the most complete conglomeration of the century's vast array of European political factions. It certainly seemed that, if there was a political movement in Europe, it was represented in the Spanish Civil War. Nor was this a mere grab for power. Both sides, full of reluctant alliances, threw everything they had (and everything they could import) into the fray. The war ended with the Republicans out of money, ammunition and hope. Spain never recovered yet they could take some solace in knowing that their exhaustion from civil war kept them out of WWII.

Over the years, I have read what books I could on the subject both in fiction and non-fiction. There have been just a few movies made that involved the Spanish Civil War and most of them were movies made from popular works of fiction (such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Behold a Pale Horse"). So when I saw "The Spanish Earth" listed on TCM's late night schedule recently, I had to take a look.

My initial reaction was that the voice that was supposed to be that of Orson Welles was definitely someone else's. I guessed that it was Hemingway himself and was pleased to note above that I guessed right. The script seems to be all Hemingway with its' simplicity that mixed in the occassional profound observation. Naturally, the Hemingway influence made it clear which side the film was representing. It tells of the efforts of a village to bring irrigation to their arid land to help grow crops to feed the people of Madrid; about 25 miles away. The village scenes were nice but it was the focus on Madrid and the film of that city that made the picture worthwhile. There were scenes of death and destruction as well as a view of the University City and the battles that raged around it. There were scenes of some tanks in action and the tanks certainly looked archaic compared to the WWII models. However, the story works its' way back to the village and the successful irrigation project. What was left unsaid was whether or not Madrid had time to wait for crops to be planted, grown, harvested, and turned into bread and other food stuffs. My guess was that the good citizens of Madrid would not taste the bread of victory from those fields.

Much of the movie is so juvenile that one suspects that Hemingway may have also been the uncredited director. Of course, the propaganda was so thick that it was probably harder to cut than the bread that was supposed to save the day. When I was a young man, I was clearly on the side of the Republicans. Their's was the just cause. They were defending their country and their duely elected government. They were the side with the ragtag volunteers rather than the mechanized elite German and Italian forces. However, time and research has enabled me to understand that, sincere idealism aside, their's was also the side that eventually fell under the domination of Stalin. The downfall of Spain was involving foreigners in their affair. It was hard to turn away the help but once they accepted it, they lost control of their own war. Read the dedication that Cela wrote to his book "San Camilo, 1936" for the best Spanish perspective of that subject that I've ever come across. Knowing all of this, I found it hard to cheer for the villagers. I was more inclined to give them my pity instead.

For most readers interested in the work of Ernest Hemingway, the 1937 independent film THE SPANISH EARTH offers a small but intriguing window into the famous writer's world as a war correspondent during the late 1930s. Like most of the journalists based in Madrid and sympathetic to the Republican cause, Hemingway saw Franco's fascist rebellion as a prelude to what the Germans and Italians had in store for Europe in the coming years. Of considerable interest is Hemingway's own narration for the film -- even though Orson Welles was originally hired and is still credited -- and we can feel Papa's passion and respect for the freedom fighters and their valiant struggle for the land they love. In the end, we are witness to a bygone world where patriotic songs fill the air alongside simple military tactics and primitive armaments -- all in a vain attempt to preserve a Spain that would never be the same again.