The Siege of the Alcazar

The Siege of the Alcazar
The Siege of the Alcazar
Directed by	Augusto Genina
Written by	Augusto Genina; Alessandro De Stefani; Pietro Caporilli
Starring	Fosco Giachetti; Mireille Balin; Maria Denis
Cinematography	Francesco Izzarelli; Vincenzo Seratrice; Jan Stallich
Edited by	Fernando Tropea
Music by	Antonio Veretti
Release date	20 August 1940 (Italy);
Running time	99 (cut) minutes; 119 (restored) minutes
Countries	Italy; Spain
Language	Italian

The Siege of the Alcazar or L'Assedio dell'Alcazar is a 1940 Italian war film directed by Augusto Genina about the famous siege of the Alcázar during the Spanish Civil War, set in Toledo, Spain. The film won the Mussolini Cup in Venice Film Festival for being the Best Italian Film. The film runs more in the Spanish dubbed version, it was restored by Filmoteca Española and released in DVD in Spain by Divisa Home Video. The film was shot in Cinecittà with Italian, French and Spanish actors. In the Italian version all three non-Italian actors (Mireille Balin, Rafael Calvo and Carlos Muñoz) spoke their lines in Italian. They were dubbed by Italian actors afterwards.

Plot

The Alcázar of Toledo is a historical fortification where the Spanish Infantry Academy was based and was held by Nationalists supporting the 18 July 1936 coup attempt against the Spanish Republic. The Republicans invested the Alcazar and besiege it for months against determined Nationalist resistance, before the siege was lifted by Franco forces with the Army of Africa under General José Enrique Varela.

Cast

Mireille Balin and Fosco Giachetti in 'The siege of the Alcazar'

Fosco Giachetti : Captain Vela
Mireille Balin : Carmen Herrera
María Denis : Conchita Álvarez
Rafael Calvo Ruiz de Morales : Colonel José Moscardó Ituarte
Carlos Muñoz : Colonel Moscardò's son
Aldo Fiorelli: Francisco
Andrea Checchi: Perro
Carlo Tamberlani: Captain Vincenzo Alba
Sivio Bagolini: Paolo Montez
Checco Rissone: radiotelegrafista

Awards

The film won the Mussolini Cup in Venice Film Festival for being the Best Italian Film.^{[citation needed]}

Releases

The Italian version was released in Italy in August 1940. The Spanish version of the film, known as Sin novedad en el Alcázar^[1] was released in Spain in October 1940. After the war, the film was re-released in Italy under the new title 'Alcazar' with significant cuts. All references to the involvement of Italy in the Spanish Civil War as well as the cruelty of the Republicans were excised to avoid any political debate.

Notes

^ Óscar Esquivias. "El Alcázar de Toledo: héroes, traidores y rehenes". 20 Minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2016.

External links

[Esq-1] Óscar Esquivias. "El Alcázar de Toledo: héroes, traidores y rehenes". 20 Minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 September 2016.

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