Workers' Liberty
Author: John Cunningham
3 December, 2025
Some years ago I attended a conference in Valencia where a Spanish participant told me that in her village, on hearing the news of Franco’s demise, the celebrations were such that they ran out of champagne. 50 years on there will no doubt be a more reflective response but the anniversary of this vile dictator’s death is still worthy of note.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), in my opinion one of the best Spanish films ever made, written and directed by (Mexican born) Guillermo del Toro, is set in Spain in 1944. Anti-Franco guerrillas are still active in the north and the thuggish Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) is dispatched to sort them out. His wife, heavily pregnant, and step daughter Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) accompany him.
Ofelia has visions of an underground cave which she visits to see a magical Faun (Pan in the English title) who, despite his rather fearsome, fantastical appearance, befriends her, informing her that she is really Princess Moanna. In the real world Vidal attempts to suppress the guerrillas with utmost brutality. His wife dies in childbirth but Vidal is unmoved, concerned only that she gives birth to a son. The guerrillas eventually defeat and capture Vidal and extract revenge.
If you are looking for a present for that film-loving friend check out the new Second Run Box Set of three of Hungarian director István Szabó’s best films: Oscar-winning Mephisto (1981), Colonel Redl (1985) and Hanussen (1988), all set in Central Europe and featuring the Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer.
Each DVD in the set is accompanied by a booklet giving the historical background to the films and other details. I am duty bound to mention that I wrote the Mephisto booklet. Each film has been restored, with new English sub-title translations. The set also includes four rarely seen short films by Szabó. A cineaste’s delight, highly recommended.
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