Lesson 1 - Spanish Civil War
Outcomes (SWBAT)
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Identify the Republicans and Falangists that fought each other during the war
Describe the political beliefs of the two opposing groups
Create a timeline of Franco’s dictatorship in Spanish history
Synthesize historical facts with artistic representations (Picasso’s Guernica and
Lorca’s poetry)
Activities
1. Guernica – display this Picasso image on the screen. Students are to write down
their thoughts. We will revisit this image at lesson’s end.
2. Spain in the early 20th century – begin PPT here with student hand out for note
taking. Identify the nature of the monarchy under Alfonso XIII until his deposing
in 1931.
3. Republicans – continue the PPT with an explanation of the somewhat leftist
component of this group that supported the gov’t of the Second Spanish
Republic.
4. Nationalists – continue the PPT with a look at the groups that supported Franco’s
fascist Falange.
5. Show youtube clip “WWII in Colour: Spanish Civil War”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDvz_53bjP4
6. Back to Guernica. Hand out an image of the piece of art. Students are to
analyze its different components. Take up after 10 minutes of individual/partner
work.
Materials
1.
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3.
4.
Guernica
Spanish Civil War PPT and notes
Student note taking sheet
Youtube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDvz_53bjP4
History Through Film 12
Ms. Lacroix
Name ___________________________
THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR
Spanish Civil War (July 17th, 1936 - April 1st, 1939) ~ a war fought between the Republicans,
who were loyal to the Spanish Republic (a government that had taken over after the deposing
of King Franco XIII), and the Nationalists (a variety of rebel groups led by General Francisco
Franco). The Nationalists would ultimately win, and Franco ruled Spain for the next 36 years,
from 1939 until his death in 1975.
Republicans
Nationalists
Gacela of the Dead Child – Federico Garcia Lorca
Each afternoon in Granada,
each afternoon, a child
dies.
Each afternoon the water
sits down
and chats with its
companions.
The dead wear mossy
wings.
The cloudy wind and the
clear wind
are two pheasants in flight
through the towers,
and the day is a wounded
boy.
Not a flicker of lark was left
in the air
when I met you in the
caverns of wine.
Not the crumb of a cloud
was left in the ground
when you were drowned in
the river.
A giant of water fell down
over the hills,
and the valley was tumbling
with lilies and dogs.
In my hands' violet shadow,
your body,
dead on the bank, was an
angel of coldness.
History Through Film 12
Ms. Lacroix
Name ________________________________
THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE ~ by Guillermo del Toro
Country: Spain and Mexico
Production year: 2001
Spanish/Mexican title: El Espinazo del Diablo
Synopsis:
The Devil’s Backbone follows the experience of Carlos, a young boy left at an
orphanage by his teacher during the Spanish Civil War. The orphanage is run by leftwing sympathisers who are hiding stolen gold to help the cause of the socialist freedom
fighters. Carlos is haunted by the ghost of a young boy (Santi) killed in the orphanage
who seeks to warn the boys of impending danger and exact revenge for his murder.
“What is a ghost? A terrible moment condemned to repeat itself over and
over... a sentiment suspended in time.”
This is the opening voice-over for The Devil’s Backbone. But The Devil’s Backbone is not
purely a film about ghosts. Although the supernatural world is important to the
narrative and the director, it is also there to deal with other issues, much more real and
disturbing, that happened during the Spanish Civil War.
By beginning with the question ‘What is a ghost?’, the audience is immediately
encouraged to question the narrative of The Devil’s Backbone. This is not simply a story
about ghosts. Del Toro explores ideas of what a ghost might be and offers different
options to the audience. This suggests the director is expecting you to make up your
own mind – what do you believe? The narrator’s language is not factual, it is poetic and
mysterious. The images cut together add to the enigma – who is the dead boy? What
happened to him?
It is often established in horror films that there is a ghost that will do terrible things and
the characters have to stop it. However, The Devil’s Backbone doesn’t start by showing
us a ghost – it shows us a death; so we assume this is the boy who will become the
ghost. We can also assume his mysterious death is the puzzle that will be solved.
There is also the image of the bomb dropping from the plane, which we see from a
bird’s-eye view shot. (Notice how the door to the cellar becomes the door of the plane,
linking the two images together.) This adds another aspect to the story – telling the
audience that the bomb is significant and the narrative may also be linked to war due to
our generic knowledge of this kind of shot: we associate it with a war film. This may
also work against the idea that this is simply a horror fi lm about the supernatural. We
associate the war film genre with the real world so the opening gives us clues to the
dual aspect of the film’s narrative.
Blog Assignment :
In the extras on the DVD, some of the actors and the director are asked what they
think a ghost is. Some of their replies are:
– an obsession
– an emotion
– the conscience.
What kind of ghost is Santi?
In your blog, consider your beliefs and opinions about what a ghost might be.
Find images of ghosts and create a collage/picstitch
Finally, how do different cultures see ghosts and spirits?
“Guernica” ~ Pablo Picasso, 1937