The Spanish Earth (1937)

[Music] oh oh [Music] [Music] this Spanish Earth is dry and hard and the faces men who work that Earth are hard and dried from the Sun this worthless land with water will yield much for 50 years we've wanted to irrigate but they held us back now we will bring water to it to raise food for the Defenders of Madrid [Music] the village of fent Dua where 1500 people live and work the land for the common [Music] [Music] good e [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] e e [Music] it is good bread stamped with the Union label but there is only enough for the village irrigating the Wasteland of the village and give 10 times as much grain for bread as well as potatoes wine and onions for [Music] Madrid the village is on the taco River and the main high road that is the line between Valencia and Madrid all food for Madrid comes on this road to win the war the rebel troops must cut this road [Music] [Music] the [Music] they plan the irrigation of the dry [Music] [Music] fields they go to trace the ditch [Music] e [Music] [Music] this is the true face of men going into action it is a little different from any other face that you will ever see [Music] men cannot act before the camera in the presence of death the villagers and fuia hear this noise and say our guns is [Music] [Music] the front line Curves North to Madrid e [Music] these were the doors of houses that are empty now those who survived the bombardment bring them to reinforce the new trenches [Music] [Music] when you are fighting to defend your country War as it lasts becomes an almost normal life you eat and drink and sleep and read the papers [Music] the loud speaker of the People's Army it has a range of 2 km [Music] [Music] when these men started for the Lions 3 months ago many of them held a rifle for the first time some did not even know how to reload now they are instructing the new recruits how to take down and reassemble a rifle [Music] [Music] this is a Salient driven into Madrid itself when the enemy took University City after repeated counterattacks they are still in the cassid of alas the palace on the left with the two-pointed towers and in the ruined clinical Hospital the bearded man is Commander Martin the Aragon before the war he he was a lawyer he was a brave and skillful commander and he died in the attack on the cadel compo on the day we filmed the battle there Rebels try to relieve the clinic [Music] I [Music] julan boy from The Village writes home Papa I will be there in 3 days tell our mother [Music] the troops are called together the company is assembled to elect representatives to attend the big meeting to celebrate the uniting of all the militia regiments into the new brigades of the People's Army the clenched fist of Republican [Music] Spain Enrique listi a stonemason from Galicia in six months he rose from a simple Soldier to the command of a division he is one of the most brilliant young soldiers of the Republican [Music] Army Carlos one of the first commanders of the fifth regiment talks of the army of the people how they are fighting for Spanish democracy and for the government they themselves have chosen fighting together we should win a new strong Spain [Music] [Music] Jose Diaz he used to work 12 hours a day as a typ Setter before he became a member of the Spanish Parliament Gustav regler one of the fine writers of Germany who came to Spain to fight for his ideals he was Gravely wounded in June regular praises the unity of the People's Army the defense of Madrid will remind men always of our loyalty and courage the most famous woman in Spain today is speaking they call her laara she speaks of the New Spain it is a nation disciplined and brave it is a new nation forged in the discipline of its soldiers and the enduring bravery of its [Music] women the loudspeaker broadcast to the rebels [Music] gotoe foree [Music] [Music] Target [Music] wo Lego [Music] living in the cellers of that ruined building are the enemy they are mes and civil guards they're Brave troops or they would not have held out after their position is hopeless but they are professional soldiers fighting against the people in arms trying to impose the will of the military and the will of the people and the people hate them for without their tenacity and the constant Aid of Italy and Germany the Spanish Revolt would have ended 6 weeks after it began this Battalion goes on leave and julan who is with them has 3 days leave to the Village [Music] the Duke of Alba's Palace is destroyed by Rebel bombardment [Music] frasers of Spanish odd are carefully salvaged by government militia men [Music] Madrid by its position is a natural Fortress and each day the people make its defenses more impregnable [Music] n [Music] you stand in line all day to buy food for supper sometimes the food runs out before you you reach the door sometimes a shell Falls near the line and at home they wait and wait and no one brings back anything for supper unable to enter the town the enemy tried to destroy [Music] [Music] it this is a man who had nothing to do with the war a bookkeeper on his way to his office at 8:00 in the morning [Music] so now they take the bookkeeper away but neither to his home not to his office [Music] the government urges all civilians to evacuate Madrid [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Music] but where will we go where can we live what can we do for a [Music] living I won't go I'm too old but we must keep the children off the streets except when there is need to stand in line [Music] [Music] [Music] recruiting is speeded up by the bombardment every useless killing angers the people men from all businesses professions And Trades enlist in the Republican Army [Music] meanwhile in Valencia the [Applause] president for fore [Music] la [Music] [Music] [Music] the [Music] julan catches a ride on an empty truck and comes home sooner than he expected [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] spe [Music] [Music] julan drills The Village boys in the evening when they come back from the field [Music] [Music] oh [Music] in Madrid a Future Shock Battalion of bull fighters football players and athletes is [Music] drilling they say the old goodbyes that sound the same in any language she says she'll wait he says that he'll come back he knows she'll wait who knows for what the way the shelling is nobody knows if he comes back take care of the kid he says I will she says and know she can't they both know that when they move you out in trucks it's to a battle [Music] death comes each morning to these people of the Town Sent By the rebels from the hills 2 miles [Music] away the smell of death is acred high explosive smoke and blasted granite [Music] why do they stay they stay because this is their City these are their homes here is their work this is their fight the fight to be allowed to live as human beings boys look for bits of shell fragment as they once gathered [Music] hailstones so the next Shell finds them the German artillery has increased their allowance per battery today before death came when you were old or sick but now it comes to all this village high in the sky and Shining silver it comes to all who have no place to run no place to hide [Music] [Music] St e three yunker Plains did [Music] this fore [Music] [Music] the government Pursuit plan shot one yunker down I can't read German either [Music] these dead came from another country they signed to work in Ethiopia the prisoners said we took no statements from the dead but all the letters that we read were very sad the Italians lost more killed wounded single Battle of brga than in all the Ethiopian war the rebels attack the Madrid Valencia Road again they've crossed the harama river and try to take the Aranda Bridge troops are rushed from the north to the Counterattack [Music] The Village Works to bring the water [Music] [Music] he [Music] [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Music] they arrive at the Valencia Road [Music] [Music] [Music] the Infantry and the assault where cameras need much luck to go the slow heavy laden undramatic movement forward the man in Echelon in Columns of six in the ultimate loneliness of what is known as contact where each man knows there is only himself and five other men and before him all the great unknown [Music] [Music] [Music] this is the moment that all the rest of War prepares for when six men go forward into death to walk across a stretch of land and by their presence on it prove this Earth Is [Music] [Music] Ours I [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] the Counterattack has been successful the road is free six men were five then four were three but these three stayed dug in and held the ground along with all the other fours and threes and twos that started out as sixes the brid is ours the road is [Music] saved foree [Music] [Music] [Applause] the men who never fought before who were not trained in arms who only wanted work and food fight on