Land and Freedom

Ken Loach, 1995, UK/Spain/Germany/Italy/France, 109 mins, Certificate: 15

Mid-1990s, Liverpool: and old man dies. Going through his papers, his granddaughter realises that he had fought in the Spanish Civil War. 1936: Unemployed and disillusioned,  young communist David decides to go to Spain to fight in the Civil War against fascism. He joins the Marxist POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista) militia which was allied to the militias of other left-wing groups. But the idealism of David and his friends is tested to its limit as tension between the comrades mounts and the alliance disintegrates.

Celebrating the 80th birthday of one of Britain’s most highly acclaimed, but also most controversial, filmmakers, Ken Loach, but also the current release of his most recent (and most successful) film, “I, Daniel Blake”, we are screening one of his greatest films, set mainly in the very year of his birth and during the Spanish Civil War. Winner of two major awards at Cannes Film Festival amongst numerous other accolades, “Land and Freedom” is simply Ken Loach at his best and most powerful.

Reviews

“[Rate: A-] Ken Loach(…) takes an unpromisingly complicated aspect of modern European history — conflict among antifascist fighters during the 1936 Spanish civil war — and turns out a compelling dramatic story.” Lisa Schwarzbaum, www.ew.com

“Working in a near-documentary style that emphasizes the grit of everyday life, the cynical secretiveness of political leaders and the nobility of small people with big dreams, Loach makes feature films of uncommon gravity and integrity.” David Armstrong, www.sfgate.com

“One of the most consistent makers of excellent motion pictures during the 1980s and 1990s has been Ken Loach. With a resume highlighted by such unforgettable titles as Hidden Agenda, Riff-Raff, Raining Stones, and Ladybird, Ladybird, Loach is recognized as the kind of director who will face challenges without backing down. His provocative, idea-rich movies are always populated by believable characters, and his latest offering, Land and Freedom, is no exception.” James Berardinelli, www.reelviews.net