LAND AND FREEDOM (1995) *** There's um, no question but that the Spanish Civil War was very dramatic and ribald with great stories of feminism, idealists, wine and gunpowder. Incredibly Ken Loach is somehow able to saturate this film with an intelligent consideration of the many social and political cross-currents that led to the downfall of the elected Spanish government at the hands of an effectively western-supported fascist general, all without disturbing the momentum of the narrative of the film, in fact adding to it in an effective gearstuck manner. The feel of the movie is great-everything and everyone looks right, the militia volunteers seem like nothing if not a prototype international convention of violent hippies. Loach most obviously sends them into battle without a script in key foundation scenes, all of which work beautifully thereby reminding one of the horror of meetings as compared to combat. All of the acting is good but somehow the film is less than the sum of its parts. The reason is anti-Hollywood, the lead actors just aren't able to connect with the audience. Instead we empathize with them, agree with them, like them and wish them the best but they don't manage to make us, to allow us to bleed with them. That being the case I wouldn't have complained if they'd played Abba's "Fernando" during the love scene.