The Defence of Madrid

As the Civil War turned into a prolonged conflict in the autumn of 1936, both sides placed iconic events to at the centre of their propaganda. For the rebels’ supporters this was the relief of the Alcazar of Toledo in late September, while for the Republicans it was the epic defence of the Spanish capital against Franco’s onslaught which started in November 1936. The film “Defence of Madrid”, shot by the Communist filmmaker Ivor Montagu during five days in late November and rushed back for editing so that it could be screened across Britain by early January, is a perfect example of how film became central to the attempt to educate and mobilise public support.  

The film, which was barely half an hour long and silent (with captions), was divided into three parts. The first recorded the aerial assault on Madrid, with rubble lying in the streets and the bodies of children being placed in coffins. As one caption put it, this was “Franco’s contribution to civilisation”. The second part showed the call to arms, with the militias on the barricades, supported by citizens. The third, “The World Assists”, contained footage of the International Column (as it was still widely described) and the arrival of a Soviet foodship. No reference was made to the delivery of Soviet arms. Poignantly, the film showed the leading German volunteer Hans Beimler only four days before his death in action.  

The film was shown across Britain during the spring of 1937, not only in cinemas but also in town halls, miners’ institutes and local film societies. A showing would also include a speaker, typically a medical volunteer or a wounded International Brigade fighter. Medical workers were particularly important for this kind of event as they frequently travelled back and forth from Spain collect more supplies and new vehicles. Screenings always concluded with a well-supported collection for Spanish aid. Thousands would have seen the film and its reach was truly national.  

The film made a powerful impact on audiences, all the more so given that the contemporary cinema newsreels were heavily censored and anodyne in their coverage of the Civil War. Many who saw “Defence of Madrid” were shocked by the images of destruction from the air: one spoke of the “burning realism” with which the bomb damage and the “ragged queues” for food and fuel were depicted. The film therefore chimed with rising concerns in Britain about what a wider conflict might involve. As one reporter commented, many “left the hall with a prayer on their lips that British towns might ever be spared the horrors” visited by Franco and his allies on the Spanish capital!