NO-DO (Newsreels and Documentaries)

NO-DO (Newsreels and Documentaries), which was first shown on 4 January 1943, dedicated its episode number 14 to its first commemoration of Victory Day (April 1) four years after the Nationalist triumph. 

It does so with an extensive retrospective report that closes the newsreel and goes beyond the traditional Victory Day parade presided over by Franco, opening instead with a poster accompanied by ominous music that unsettles the viewer: “BREAKING NEWS / Spaniards, remember!” This is followed by a succession of shots that plunge us into the wartime period, where the streets of Madrid are filled with communist symbols (photos of Lenin, Stalin, Voroshilov, red flags), which the newsreel presents as a “captured city,” despite lacking a voice-over. This is followed by three sections with titles describing that occupation: “1936/1939 Disorder,” “Misery/Chaos,” and “Pain.” The images accompanying this unsettling atmosphere come from Republican footage, although their meaning is reversed to align with the newsreel’s ideological stance.

The second part, introduced by a title card that reads: “And on March 28, 1939”, shifts the emotional tone to one of triumph and liberation. The jubilation conveyed by the images and sound celebrates the entry of the Nationalist troops into Madrid through the University City. Then an ellipsis transports us four years ahead: “TODAY, April 1, 1943.” This serves as the gateway to a report focused on the 1943 Victory Day parade, emphasizing the centrality of the Caudillo, who is hailed as a hero. “All souls,” the narrator says, “remember that official communique announcing to the world the sensational news: ‘Today, with the Red Army captive and disarmed, the National troops have occupied [sic] their last military objectives. The war has ended.’”

The rhetorical model and sequence of images used in the parade will be consistently repeated throughout the history of NO-DO, although only this episode would include a retrospective account. Thus, this newsreel both establishes a model and stands out as an anomaly due to its retrospective framing and emphasis on the communist threat. The military spirit of Francoist victory will be combined with other emotions tied to the regime’s commemorations—such as the celebratory and labour-oriented spirit of the National Uprising on July 18, and the expression of mourning that characterizes the November 20th observances marking the death of José Antonio Primo de Rivera.

VSB