Land and Freedom (1995)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Jim Allen (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

Spring 1936, a young unemployed communist, David, leaves his hometown Liverpool to join the fight against fascism in Spain...

Plot Keywords:

Spain | Communist | Fight | Fascist | Spanish Civil War

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ian Hart	...	David Carr
Rosana Pastor	...	Blanca
Icíar Bollaín	...	Maite (as Iciar Bollain)
Tom Gilroy	...	Lawrence
Marc Martínez	...	Juan Vidal (as Marc Martinez)
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Bernard Goujon (as Frederic Pierrot)
Andrés Aladren	...	Militia member (as Andres Aladren)
Sergi Calleja	...	Militia member
Raffaele Cantatore	...	Militia member
Pascal Demolon	...	Militia member
Paul Laverty	...	Militia member
Josep Magem	...	Militia member
Eoin McCarthy	...	Connor
Jürgen Müller	...	Militia member
Víctor Roca	...	Militia member (as Roca)

Also Known As:

Terra e libertà (Italy)
Tierra y libertad (Spain)

Runtime:

109 min | Turkey:102 min (TV version)

Country:

UK | Spain | Germany | Italy

Language:

English | Spanish | Catalan

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company:

BIM

Quotes:

David: We elect the officers and everything. It's socialism in action - not like the army back home.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

La Internacional

The forgotten prelude to World War 2

Ken Loach proves once again, that he is a director of the very highest calibre. He has crafted a film about the Spanish Civil War (1936-9), which was the prelude to WW2.

Truthfully I could care less about the politics of this tragic episode in world history, BUT the director,by his sheer genius & craftsmanship made me sit at the edge of my seat & pay close attention. Subtitles are used sparingly & it is hard to make some of the dialogue out due thick accent, The acting is so skillfull you needed no dialogue,you are able to understand each actors feelings & emotions. Credit this to Mr.Loach, The only actor I have heard of in this film is the lead IAN HART/ He & all the others do an excellent job. This film was made in 1995, & barely released,another example of distributors not knowing a GREAT film from a hole in the ground. Even this is a war film, there is very little violence, a good history lesson for the younger ones, then a trip to the library to find out more.

My rating is ***1/2 95/100 points 9 on IMDb