The Distribution Front: Spain in Flames, Partisan Protest, and the Limits of Radical Documentary
This article examines the distribution and partisan discourse around the pro-Republican Spain in Flames (1937), the first feature-length nonfiction film about the Spanish Civil War to reach American screens. The essay discusses the collaborative efforts between the film's distributors Amkino an...
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| Published in: | Historical journal of film, radio, and television radio, and television, 2021-04, Vol.41 (2), p.270-291 |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | This article examines the distribution and partisan discourse around the pro-Republican Spain in Flames (1937), the first feature-length nonfiction film about the Spanish Civil War to reach American screens. The essay discusses the collaborative efforts between the film's distributors Amkino and Garrison Films, independent exhibitors, and activists to circulate the documentary among progressive audiences and fundraising groups, and how conservative forces lobbied to restrict the film's release in several American states and cities. Right-wing backlash against Spain in Flames ultimately expanded from this single text to the organizations that dared to deploy any 'red' film. This case study demonstrates how media distribution engenders discourse, constructing a contested terrain where partisan forces collide. It offers the metaphor of the 'distribution front' to foreground the political labour of distribution that has long been understudied within the history of radical documentaries. |
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| ISSN: | 0143-9685 1465-3451 |