Sterben für Madrid

I thought I had watched all the works about the Spanish Civil War. But this suddenly came across me. An incredible documentary from 1963. It puts today's so-called documentaries to shame. I saw images about the civil war that I had never seen before. For example, I had read a lot about the burning of churches, but I saw it here in detail for the first time. I deducted one point. The reason for that was that the images of death were displayed in a somewhat pornographic way. If it were a documentary from today, I would have deducted more points, but a work should be judged according to its period. When we judge this work according to its period, I think that the discussions on ethics were not as advanced at that time. Apart from that, you can find the answer to the question of how a documentary should be in this work...

40 years later I still remember seeing a movie showing real people fighting for real freedom - in particular a scene where bullets hit a empty hilltop, then rebels run through the same space, then bullets again - the sense that two seconds earlier or later in their actions would have meant real death (not movie death). I feel that we all should see understand what was shared in this film. ALSO - the music of Maurice Jarre was simple and beautiful.

I saw this film 40 years ago--it was the first I saw that did more than merely entertain. It's a movie for those who ponder larger issues. I recall the contagion to the viewer of the spirit of those fighting for liberty, and the hope for the future, unfortunately only to finish in futility.

As I recall, the opening scene was of a peasant walking a burro along a road--the ending scene was exactly the same, denoting that despite the fervor of many, sometimes nothing much changes in this world. I thought it was genius to depict the futility in this way.

irenerose

Saw it as a young girl, and it changed my life. It was shown in an art-house as part of a double bill, with Guns of August - about World War I. I was prompted learn move about the Spanish CIvil War, became more committed than ever to populist movements and cherishing of life.

I have ever since been a passionate fan of political documentary. In recent years docs are intended to 'educate with facts'. Facts are meaningless without heart and a vision of what makes life beautiful. I yearn for the return of this type of documentary instead of the talking heads that dominate now.

WHY ISN'T THIS OUT OF DVD OR VHS? An outrage.

All the comments reflect my own experience and feelings. Frédéric Rossif is a cineast who touches both heart and mind by his documentary work, as well as Ken Loach does in his social-political statements. More than the latter's "Land of Freedom" in color, the black-and-white of Mourir à Madrid reveals as much Spain's tragic sufferings of civil war as it pictures an archaic rural world now almost vanished.

The film score by Jarre, which I taped from the movie once shown on TV, is magnificent: it's Spanish guitar themes are still as beautiful and haunting as the ones of "Jeux Interdits". And yes, it's deplorable indeed that it hasn't already been re-edited and remastered on DVD; it can't be that difficult to bring it out and distribute it, seen the rubbish that does nowadays... An idea for Criterion?