Search - The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War (1984) on DVD


The Good Fight: The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War (1984)
The Good Fight The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War
1984
Actor: Studs Terkel
Directors: Noel Buckner, Mary Dore, Sam Sills
Genres: Drama, Educational, Military & War
NR     2008     1hr 38min

The fight for the freedom of Loyalist Spain during the 1936-39 civil war pitted an International Brigade of 35,000 civilian soldiers from more than 50 nations against the well-equipped insurgents of Generalissimo Francisco...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actor: Studs Terkel
Directors: Noel Buckner, Mary Dore, Sam Sills
Genres: Drama, Educational, Military & War
Sub-Genres: Drama, Educational, Military & War
Studio: KINO INTERNATIONAL
Format: DVD - Black and White,Color,Widescreen
DVD Release Date: 07/29/2008
Original Release Date: 01/01/1984
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/1984
Release Year: 2008
Run Time: 1hr 38min
Screens: Black and White,Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 3
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English

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Movie Reviews

Homage to Commitment
Randy Keehn | Williston, ND United States | 12/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I developed a fascination with the Spanish Civil War as a teenager. It may have been the idealistic enchantment of a lost cause, an appreciation of the underside of History, the concept of a prelude to WWII, or the reaction to a series of Hemingway novels. Whatever the reason, I read what I could on the subject with a greater focus on literature than history. There is an unusually large selection of good novels for such a relatively obscure although important conflict. "The Cypresses Believe in God" is my favorite novel mainly because of its' impressive ability to weave a story that illuminates the whole of the various factions involved in the conflict. I read all I could of Cela, Hemingway, and Orwell as well as "One Million Dead" and "Peace After War"; the two subsequent novels by Gironella that completed his trilogy that began with "Cypresses". Throughout my 20's and 30's I would revisit the subject and I was always bothered by the inability to change the outcome of the Civil War. However, as I read more and more, especially "Homage to Catalonia", I was gradually realizing the negative side of the Loyalists. Their dominance by Stalinists could have turned Spain into another Albania; a Stalinist country that outlasted Stalin and had a dictator who ruled almost as long as Franco. I never reached the point where I started cheering for the Nationalists but I certainly had lost the idealism of my Youth.

I caught a sense of that idealism last night when I watched "The Good Fight". As my informed mind tried to keep my emotions in check, I found myself absorbed by the members of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade and the thoughts and recollections that they shared on film. There was a lot of newsreels of the events in Spain and film of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. There was a lot of personal recollections as well as personal observations. The veterans that were interviewed were very dedicated people and I couldn't help but appreciate what their motivations were. I knew that there was a fair amount of socialist propaganda as the producers of the film chose to focus the beginning of the story on the Depression, joblessness and labor union strife in the US. However, in all fairness, this is what seems to have formed the motivation of the selected interviewees. Some were communists but others were seemingly less inclined and their lives after the Spanish Civil War reflected life-long dedication to fighting oppression wherever they found it. They acknowledged a number of shortcomings on their side but they also made the point that, I believe, led me in their direction as a young man; the Spanish Civil War was the opportunity to stop the rise of Fascism in Europe. Europe and America's refusal to aid the Loyalists may have led to WWII which caused the deaths of tens of millions of people. In my "reformed" perspective, I realized that the true saga of the Twentieth Century was the necessity to defeat both Fascism AND Communism. Still, I practically got goosebumps in appreciation for what this film had to share. I rented the copy I watched last night. I know that I will eventually own a copy of my own. This is an excellent documentary (even though I had to debrief myself afterwards)."
Untold History
K. Krochman | Chicago IL | 12/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Franco, with the help of pro-Nazi Americans and with the full support of Adolf Hitler and the Catholic Church was allowed to overthrow a democratically elected government and replace it with a Fascist dictatorship that lasted for decades. This is one of the most important civil wars fought in this century, yet it's barely mentioned in modern American history books.

The Good Fight is an accurate historical account told by the people (mostly Americans) that risked everything they had to fight and support the free people of Spain."
Wow
Cornerstone | Jacksonville,FL,USA | 11/11/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everybody should watch this!
Wonderfully done, very crisp, complete, emotional and accurate. Really, there are few documents about the international brigades, but thankfully this is of enormous quality!"
Excellent history documentary.
Michael Busby | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 12/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fine documentary, well researched, quite fair. While it is true that some anti-religeous abuse did occur on the Republican side, it was not nearly as widespread as the violence committed by the Franco forces.

In fact, the Republican forces fought a much cleaner war than did the conservative reaction and as the Republic was the elected government, Franco's revolt was an illegal act. As the war progressed political violence within the Republican coalition, primarily instigated by the Communists, was also a problem. Niether side in the war was absolutely clean, but Franco's movement was never anything but a brutal Facist dictatorship.

This documentary is an interesting view of an interesting period of modern history, not perfect, but very good."