This Week's Good Movie - Land and Freedom

Ken Loach's Land and Freedom won two awards at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and was also considered as the best European Film of 1995. The Spanish Civil War of the 1930's is the setting. The idealism of the anti-fascists who are opposing Franco becomes soured when they realize that the Communist faction of the rebels becomes controlling and dictatorial. The lack of proper training, the poor arms that they carry, the lack of discipline (one of the soldiers refusing to march) and the endless pointless political infighting (see the scene where they debate over the collectivization of that land they have captured) are all displayed. The lack of unity among the anti-fascists was a large factor in the Franco victory which allowed his fascist leadership to rule Spain until 1975. This film shows the authoritarian nature of C0mmunism. When you have a revolution, be careful what you may get after the revolution. This is a good film about a war of which most people have little knowledge. It should be noted that Hitler, in supporting his fellow Fascist Franco, was able to test his war machine prior to unleashing it on the rest of Europe.