Introduced by Dr Abigail Loxham, University of Liverpool, on Sat 7 Mar.
Film details
With 17 Goya Award nominations, Amenábar makes a triumphant return to directing in Spanish with an intense emotional drama set in 1936, at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.
Celebrated writer, philosopher and rector of the University of Salamanca, Miguel de Unamuno initially supports the military rebellion hoping it will rescue Spain from the excesses of the Second Republic. Meanwhile, General Francisco Franco adds his troops to the uprising, secretly aspiring to take command of the war. The conflict turns bloody and Unamuno questions his initial stance.
Culminating in Unamuno’s famous public denouncement of Franco’s revolt, the film offers lavish historical sets and great performances, particularly from Eduard Fernández as Unamuno’s nemesis, the ruthless General Millán-Astray.
