Crime Against Madrid

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Description: This silent film with intertitles showing scenes in Madrid before, during and after an air raid carried out by government forces during the Spanish Civil War. Some material comes from the CNT film 'Call to Arms' (previously known as 'Spain Fights for Liberty').
Duration: 9 mins 01 secs
Year: 1937
Subjects: War devastated countries, Missiles, Air warfare, Civil war, Spain, Historic cities, Cultural life
Segment 1: Silent film with intertitles. No main title. Film begins with a series of titles explaining the origins of the Spanish Civil War from the perspective of the left in Britain. A map of Spain illustrates the background. Intertitle: "A rebel army abundantly supplied from Germany, Italy and Portugal - Government Forces forbidden to supply themselves - that was the picture that the evidence presented to us, late in September 1936". British MP Eleanor Rathbone speaking to the camera, giving and interview from which the intertitles are quoting. "With Moorish levies - Nazi bombers - Fascist tanks - Patriot Franco reaches the gate of Madrid." New Intertitle "MADRID...". Long slow tilting shot over the roof tops of Madrid followed by a panning shot over the city. Shots of the people of Madrid - horses drinking from a water trough and a man splashing water over his face. Men and women talking in the streets. Goats and sheep being herded through the streets. Two young women laugh at the cameraman. Groups of children. The two women collect large containers of water and carry them home. Shot of women sowing. Two horsemen ride by - one in uniform. Street scenes and a tram loaded with people. Shot of a woman looking upwards. Fuzzy images of planes in the sky. Group of soldiers at a street corner also seen looking upwards. More shots of planes. Shots of children looking upwards. Intertitle asks "Are they ours?". Intertitle "No". Long shot of bombs falling. Intertitle: "Bombs rain upon the city". More shots of children sheltering in a doorway looking up at the sky. Repeat of shots of bombs falling. Intertitles "Government planes come to the rescue", Fascists to turn and flee. Results of the bombing, bomb damaged houses and rescue workers digging in the rubble looking for survivors. General scenes of the aftermath of the bombing.
Persistent URL: http://edina.ac.uk/purl/isan/0002-0000-0029-0000-0-0000-0000-0
Written and compiled by the British Universities Film & Video Council © BUFVC 2005
Subject classification by University of Edinburgh Library © 2006