Raza

Absoluty awful. Pure fascism

For years I wanted to take a look at this movie, curious by all the mythology that has been built around it. I have laughed a lot with certain reviewer who compares this monumental and infantile piece of trash to Triumph of the Will, as if giving himself some credit as a movie-cultured buff. I have seen Riefenstahl's film two or three times, and I admire her unquestionable talent as a filmmaker. In fact, Olympiad is one of my favourite films for its visual beauty and choreographic editing.

Now, about this jewel here... The story is so laughable that not even the illustrious screenwriter Mr Franco -I wonder why he used a phony name in the credits: was he afraid of his own censors perhaps?- would ever believe it. It is curious to see Alfredo Mayo -one of the best Spanish supporting actors of all time- wasting his talents in this filth. But since he made another two Franco propaganda films around that time, I guess he was an acolyte. Fortunately, a few decades later he would work with Carlos Saura, leaving at least a few good, respectable films behind him to be remembered for.

Very interesting work to know the point of view of spanish national ideology. Franco supposedly wrote the script of this mediocre film. Indispensable to understand certain things of the Spanish Civil War.

In the early 40s, Franco looked at Hitler or Mussolini as his guides... he wanted to achieve the same that his allies during the Spanish civil war have attained in their own countries. Franco also wanted his own Riefenstahl-like propaganda. So this film tries to be that, filled with the distorted and Manichean view of reality that was the rule in Spain under Franco's rule. The film has some historical interest, not for historical facts, but for the people interested in fascist propaganda during the 40s. It might shed some light into the simple-minded view of the world of the Spanish dictator, who was responsible for the script. The facts shown here are post war half-trues and lies, typical "history written by the victors"

Reading some of the comments about this truly awful and pathetic piece of fascist apology, I was considerably shocked.

'Raza', written by the dictator Franco himself, is nearly a Freudian reconstruction of the Franco family history mixed with a really difficult to stand glorification of the fascist, falangist version, symbolism. Nevertheless, one has to admit that the screenplay has splendid, unintentionated, humor moments (the comments about the almogaveres are really one of those moments to be present in any compilation of absurdities).

Even recognizing that Saenz de Heredia was a good director, in the technical way of speaking, he was not Leni Riefenstahl. More than sixty years later this film just can be look as an interesting piece of archelogy.