In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, battles were also waged in the cinemas.
The Spanish Civil War had a strong impact on the Hollywood community. Many of those artists backed campaigns against the U.S. government's non-interventionist policy, took part in political meetings and/or paid for ambulances for the Republican side. In the words of Fred Zinneman, the defeat of Spanish democracy left an open wound in the hearts of Hollywood liberals. Some of the noble and romantic characters in films such as "Casablanca" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls," among others, reflect the power of that war's effect.
The relationship between film and politics is demonstrated in this documentary through the story of Alvah Bessie, a Hollywood screenwriter and International Brigade volunteer who fought in the Spanish Civil War. "I'm prouder of my involvement in the Spanish Civil War than of anything else I have done in my 88 years". Years later. Bessie paid dearly for defending the Spanish Republic against the Franco forces, as he was one of many important figures in the film world who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, in the late 1940s and early 50s.
This documentary reflects how the Spanish Civil War was used in Hollywood¿between 1937 and 1975¿according to the changing American political trends and interests at the time, ranging from liberal pro-Republican stances in the '40s, with the focus on Nazis as the enemy, to a closer alignment with Franco in the '50s, then facing a shared enemy.
"A War in Hollywood" includes statements by actress Susan Sarandon, scriptwriters Arthur Laurents and Walter Bernstein, and film historians Romà Gubern and Patrick McGilligan, among others.
This is a must-see production offering a close-up look at the contradictory feelings and responses that the Spanish Civil War called up in the United States among different groups there over the course of several decades.
The relationship between film and politics is demonstrated in this documentary through the story of Alvah Bessie, a Hollywood screenwriter and International Brigade volunteer who fought in the Spanish Civil War. "I'm prouder of my involvement in the Spanish Civil War than of anything else I have done in my 88 years". Years later. Bessie paid dearly for defending the Spanish Republic against the Franco forces, as he was one of many important figures in the film world who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, in the late 1940s and early 50s.
This documentary reflects how the Spanish Civil War was used in Hollywood¿between 1937 and 1975¿according to the changing American political trends and interests at the time, ranging from liberal pro-Republican stances in the '40s, with the focus on Nazis as the enemy, to a closer alignment with Franco in the '50s, then facing a shared enemy.
"A War in Hollywood" includes statements by actress Susan Sarandon, scriptwriters Arthur Laurents and Walter Bernstein, and film historians Romà Gubern and Patrick McGilligan, among others.
This is a must-see production offering a close-up look at the contradictory feelings and responses that the Spanish Civil War called up in the United States among different groups there over the course of several decades.
