Race and Red and Black

On 5 January 1942, Raza [Race] premiered at the Palacio de la Música in Madrid. Directed by J.L. Sáenz de Heredia, it was based on a text written by one Jaime de Andrade—a pseudonym for Francisco Franco himself. The film reflected a traditional Catholic, idyllic, and family-centered vision of Spain’s heroic history, with the Army at its core as the embodiment of virtues and the guarantor of the values that triumphed in the “crusade of liberation” from 1936 to 1939. Five months later, on 25 May1942, Red and Black premiered at Madrid’s Capitol cinema. Directed by Carlos Arévalo, the film’s title evoked the colors of the Falange flag and appealed to its ideological values. 

Both films trace a journey through key moments in Spanish history that culminate in the Francoist victory. However, their approaches and emphases differed. Unlike Race, the story of Red and Black must have been uncomfortable for the Franco regime, as the film quickly disappeared from circulation without a trace. Why?

In Red and Black, Luisa, a Falangist fifth columnist, and Miguel, a communist, clash ideologically, but there is no doubt about the integrity of either character. Arrested by militiamen and raped, Luisa is executed in the meadow of San Isidro with the support of her boyfriend’s vote—who is unaware of the magnitude of the tragedy and his unwitting role in it. Devastated by his loss, Miguel touches the still-warm body of his beloved and fires at an anarchist patrol, which shoots him down.

In contrast, Race recounts the history of Spain, from the Almogavars of the Middle Ages to the present, passing through the Empire, the struggle against the English, liberalism, and the Second Republic, in heroic terms, with the military Churruca family present throughout.

Conceived in parallel, though with very different amounts of resources the two films express different visions that had to coexist within the victorious side, albeit with unequal success. Both portray the Civil War as the victory of the “true Spain” over the “anti-Spain.” However, while Race adopts a heroic tone and presents its protagonist’s values as impeccable, Red and Black plunges the viewer into the atmosphere of terror and Falangist heroism in “Red” Madrid.

What is significant is that both films portray the Civil War as a kind of family conflict, as well as one of values. In Raza, the liberal brother, Pedro—associated with communism—is depicted as a traitor to his origins and a "politician" (a term synonymous with dishonesty in Francoist rhetoric), while only José embodies the values of Christian honesty and patriotism. Executed by an enemy firing squad, he survives and ultimately marches in a victory parade before the admiring eyes of his wife and son. In contrast, Rojo y negro features a couple torn apart by Spain’s political divisions, yet without their mutual affection and love ever being called into question. A film like this—with a tragic tone, a female protagonist, a rape, and a climax devoid of triumph—did not seem the most fitting way to depict such a recent war.

VSB