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 ¨ .
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 ¨ .