Soldiers of Salamina (2003) User Reviews (9)

remembering our past

[jogrant · 7/10 · 19 May 2003]

The film examines the apathy that generally exists among Spain's youth regarding the civil war, which ended in 1939 leaving wounds that in many cases still have not healed. Few people who fought in it still survive today, and those who lived during the post-war era learned not to speak openly about it. The result is that most of today's youth are indifferent to it.

Lola, the main character, reacts with disdain and exasperation when asked to write an article inspired by the civil war for the newspaper where she works. However, a reader's response to that article puts her on the trail of a mystery and as she learns more she becomes more and more interested in what motivated those who fought. The things Lola's interviewees tell her serve as a sort of CLIFF's NOTES for those that have not studied this history. The fact that the movie does not openly take a side with respect to the war is a first in Spanish films about it.

The scenes of Lola's modern life juxtaposed with those of the events she investigates accentuate the changes in Spanish society nearly seventy years later. The slow pace and detached manner of interaction used for today also seems to make a statement about how we live our lives versus the boisterous NODO footage and apparently handheld shots of the past.

The plot itself is not overly intriguing; however, the things that the characters say are extremely moving and hopefully might even inspire a few to start talking to their grandparents before it is too late. Anyone who learns even a little of what happened cannot remain indifferent.

Searching the Civil War in Spain and Finding the Heart

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 15 October 2006]

When the professor and writer Lola Sánchez (Ariadna Gil) is assigned to write a column in the newspaper about the Spanish Civil War, she researches and finds for the first time about the shooting of Rafael Sánchez Mazas (Ramon Fontserè). Lola has lost her passion for writing, and she becomes intrigued about Rafael, who was a writer and journalist that returned to Spain from the Italy of Mussolini and founded the fascist party Spanish Falange, becoming adviser of the leader Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera. When the lefts won the election in 1936, the Falange became illegal, and later there was a military coup d'stat. Rafael miraculously escaped from the shooting and was spared by an unknown soldier. Lola decides to write a book about the historic event and to disclose the identity of the unknown soldier. But her acquaintance Conchi (María Botto) advises that her work is affected by her lack of passion. When Lola reads a work of a student about the heroic former soldier Miralles (Joan Dalmau), Lola becomes obsessed to find him and see of he is connected to the event.

"Soldados de Salamina" is a great movie that discloses parts of the dark period of the Civil War in Spain in an excellent screenplay, with two parallel stories, one fictional in the present days and the other true in 1939. Like the lead character, I just know very few things about this bloody war and I had never read anything about Rafael Sánchez Mazas, therefore I had the chance to learn a little about the history of this nation. I believe that the last movie I saw of Ariadna Gil was "Los Peores Años de Nuestra Vida", and I am glad to see this gorgeous actress in another excellent performance. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Soldados de Salamina" ("Soldiers of Salamina")

Interesting film depicts the historical investigation of a writer into the life of the Falangist Rafael Sánchez Mazas

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 20 January 2014]

The picture is a combination of fiction and documentary , as a writer and teacher called Lola (Ariadna Gil) investigates life of Sánchez Mazas (Ramon Fonsere) , as there are narrated by various flashbacks in which Sanchez Mazas was one of the famous "old shirts", referring to Falangists from before the Civil War . He became an adviser for José Antonio Primo De Rivera, the main ideologist of the Falange. In 1933, he helped to create the weekly newspaper El Fascio, which was banned by the authorities after its second issue was published. After the creation of Falange Española on October 29, 1933, Sánchez Mazas was appointed a member of the Council, and he remained an active member up until the breakout of the Civil War (July 1936-April 1939). In 1934, he wrote Prayer to dead of Falange. He also co-wrote Cara Al Sol, the anthem of Falange Española. He was appointed to Franco's cabinet of August 8, 1939, as a minister without portfolio and vice-president of the Junta Política . He was arrested and imprisoned in Madrid in March 1936, as the Falange was outlawed . He was given a short leave on the occasion of the birth of his fourth son, but he failed to report back and instead took up political asylum at the Chilean Embassy in Madrid. In 1937 he attempted to flee the country, but was arrested in Barcelona in November. Confined in the prison-ship Uruguay until January 24, 1939, he was taken for execution with about fifty other inmates to the Monastery of Santa Maria del Collell in Girona . The execution was carried out on January 30, but as the squad fired at the prisoners Sánchez Mazas leapt out of the group and escaped into the forest. A manhunt was organised and he was found hiding under some bushes shortly after. However, the Republican soldier who found him decided not to report him and spared his life. After a few days he joined the Nationalist lines. A fictionalized version of a writer who interviews the son of Mazas , friends and other people . During the interview Lola is told the story of how Mazas's escapes from execution by the Republicans at the end of the Spanish Civil War with the help of a lone soldier. Encouraged by his eccentric friend , a TV fortune teller (Maria Botto) , the writer begins investigating the incident. Early on, he writes a brief article in his newspaper based on the retelling by Mazas's son. In response to this Lola becomes obsessed with finding the soldier who spared the life of Mazas. Following a series of leads, the writer comes in contact with an old man named Miralles (Joan Dalmau) . Miralles had fought for the Republicans in the civil war and later became a member of the French Foreign Legion responsible for heroic feats during the Second World War. Lola comes to believe that Miralles was the soldier who saved Mazas from execution . Miralles will neither confirm nor deny having been the soldier to save Mazas.

This is an overlong biographical retelling of Mazas's life by means of an investigation carried out by a writer . This thought-provoking film is based on Soldiers of Salamis , a novel about the Spanish Civil War published in 2001 by Spanish author Javier Cercas , being freely adapted by the same director David Trueba ; the book was acclaimed by critics in Spain and was top of the best-seller book list there for many months. It is composed in a mixture of fact and fiction, which is something of a speciality of the author and director . The highlights of the film result to be escape from execution at the end of the Spanish Civil War , as a group of prisoners is taken to the forest to be executed, Mazas is able to flee and hide in the bush; a Republican soldier finds him but decides to spare his life and when asked by another soldier if anyone is there he replies that no one is; helped by several deserters, Mazas evades the retreating Republican forces and eventually returns to Falangist custody where he became an important propagandist for the Francisco Franco regime.

Evocative as well as atmospheric musical score fitting the events . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space ; being rightly filmed Girona . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood such as ¨Fright night , ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨The others¨ and many others . The motion picture was professionally directed by David Trueba , premiering in Spain on March 21, 2003 , getting a considerable hit smash . David Trueba was born (1969) in Madrid, Spain . Married to Ariadna Gil , though nowadays separated and he is younger brother of Fernando Trueba and brother-in-law of Cristina Huete who along with Andres Vicente Gomez produced Soldados De Salamina .He is a nice writer such as ¨The girl of your eyes¨ Perdita Durango (1997). Known for comedies such as "Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed" , ¨The good life¨ ¨Masterpiece¨ , ¨Madrid 1987¨ and ¨Welcome home ¨ .

Heroes

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 13 December 2003]

David Trueba's film is somewhat different from other Spanish movies about the Civil War of the 30s. Usually the stories are about the heroes of the left side, who were defeated at the end, while this story is about one of the Fascists whose life is spared by a militiaman that in theory was his enemy.

I must confess that not having read the original novel, I have no basis of comparison, but the theme about knowing what really happened in that particular episode the young reporter is trying to discover is intriguing.

This is a part documentary, part fiction and a tale from the real survivors of the conflict. We don't get to know what really happened until the very end of the film as the old soldier in the nursing home meets the writer who has gone to him to find out first hand the truth.

The director seems to be saying that heroes were the ones that had the decency to live by what their conscience dictated, rather than by what they were told to do.

Great adaptation!

[jrgirones · 8/10 · 12 April 2003]

The Javier Cerca's book in which this film is based was already an excellent material to make a movie, and director David Trueba doesn't deceive at all the expectations generated.

Trueba's screenplay introduces a lot of significant changes (the main one is the gender of the protagonist, now a woman, a role wonderfully performed by Ariadna Gil), and far from betraying the novel's spirit, all of these changes add a lot of deepness to the story.

As far as the direction is concerned, Trueba mixes admirably fiction, the recreation of historical events and archive material. The main character's investigation about a surprising event at the end of the Spanish Civil War is filmed under a realistic light and with a documentary approach, and that is in harmony with the rest of the textures used to recreate historical facts.

The whole cast deserve special mention, too.

All in all, "Soldados de Salamina" is one of the most interesting Spanish films shown to date. Not only a notable cinematic work, but also a touching story about the nonsense of war and the little acts that ordinary people do in order to redeem our imperfect human condition.

Quest

[Schumius · 8/10 · 31 October 2004]

when we went to the cinema, I didn't know anything about the movie except for that it was about the civil war and that I was really bored that night and we had to choose between Soldados de Salamina and some Hollywood films so naturally we went for the Spanish civil war. watched it again last night. still don't know much about the civil war, but it's not the purpose of the film nor is it a requirement for enjoying this movie.

we arrived late, got in when Conchi got kicked out of the hospital. not so interesting at that moment, but as as the story unfolded itself, it was intriguing and when I left the cinema on the way home, my mind was still lingering on the story. what touches me was the obsession of the protagonist towards the event and her quest to find out the truth. maybe I'll try to get hold of the novel.

Disappointed?

[euskir · 6 February 2004]

Not really. "Soldados de Salamina" it's not a great novel, from my point of view. And like the main character, never gets to close to the real drama of the Spanish Civil War, except in two or three things. And we've got the same conflict with the film, besides the changes after the screen adaptation. I think it's a good movie for people who doesn't know too much about the Spanish Civil War, specially some scenes, when the journalist can talk with the old republican fighter it's a great moment, the best in the whole film. But the movie goes in and out of many nonsense, like the "modern gipsy" (a nice and great interpretation, but outside the movie, except for some relief for all the horror of the war we must face). And the narrative is bouncing without direction from start to end. Well, if you don't have any idea about the Spanish Civil War go ahead...if you know...you know

Better than the Novel

[leftbanker-1 · 8/10 · 10 April 2020]

David Trueba makes a lot more sense of the novel than did Javier Cercas when he wrote it. The novel is like an endless loop of the author telling the story of how the fascist Rafael Sánchez-Mazas escaped execution. In the novel, this brief historical episode is repeated endlessly, to the point of it being maddeningly repetitive. The film spares us this repetition just as the fascist's life was spared.

The pity was that the fascist Rafael Sánchez-Mazas didn't die in a firing squad. The typical path of cowards is to foment war and then conveniently side-step and actual combat. Dick Cheney, Donald Trump, George Bush are only a few modern examples.

The movie, like the book, chronicles a reporter's investigation into how the above-mention fascist escaped a firing squad in the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, and the story about how a Republican soldier spared his life when he was discovered in the woods near the site of the failed execution. Why did the soldier not kill or capture the fascist? I don't find that a particularly interesting question, certainly not enough for a novel, bit almost enough for a decent film.

Search For The Truth When The Answer Is Nothing

[Chrysanthepop · 5 May 2009]

Trueba's 'Soladados de Salamina' is an interesting interpretation of the Spanish Civil War. The story is about a professor/writer who's in search of facts regarding a particular event that took place during the war. Her initial curiosity turns into determination to find the information. The film starts off a little slow but picks up in the second half. Some of the war scenes are shown as live footage which adds an authenticity. I wonder why Trueba chose to execute the entire film with washed out colour? Some of the locales, which would have looked great in colour, look pale. Pretty much everything looks gloomy and lacking in colour. The score is smooth and used efficiently. The cinematography excels in places. Ariadna Gil does a terrific job in portraying Lola. The character itself isn't very likable as is evident in her interaction with others, especially Concha. But by the end we see that she has gone through a transformation and Gil does that wonderfully. She is further brilliantly supported by Maria Botto and Diego Luna. Even though 'Soldados de Salamina' is a little tedious in the beginning, the story has heart and in the end, the viewer is moved by it's spirit.