Forever Activists
Encyclopedia
Forever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade is a 1990 documentary film
by Connie Field and Judith Montell that shares interviews with seven American
veterans of the Spanish Civil War
who fought for the Loyalist cause during the war and went on to live lives of activism. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
.
it was just one of a series of continuing social struggles that they believed in.
The scene-setting material (old newsreel clips) is familiar, but veterans' faces and their stories seem ever new and raw, even when it's apparent that the same tales have been told many times before. All of those who testify are creatures of the Great Depression
, idealistic and dedicated to improving the lot of the people President Franklin D. Roosevelt
addressed as his fellow Americans
.
The film's highlight is a reunion of the veterans in Spain
in 1986, on the 50th anniversary of the war's outbreak. It looks to have been both a picnic and a time for summing up. Yet the film's most moving moments come when the veterans recall their treatment when they went home after the war.
Passports were revoked, and for many their membership in the brigade
was to cost them jobs and reputations for decades to come. Most, it seems, absorbed the shocks and went on to fight on behalf of labor, civil rights
and the peace movement
during the Vietnam War
.
Other Documentaries about Jewish Activism:
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Connie Field and Judith Montell that shares interviews with seven American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
veterans of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
who fought for the Loyalist cause during the war and went on to live lives of activism. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
.
Summary
The film makes the point that for many of the men and women who fought in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
it was just one of a series of continuing social struggles that they believed in.
The scene-setting material (old newsreel clips) is familiar, but veterans' faces and their stories seem ever new and raw, even when it's apparent that the same tales have been told many times before. All of those who testify are creatures of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, idealistic and dedicated to improving the lot of the people President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
addressed as his fellow Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The film's highlight is a reunion of the veterans in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1986, on the 50th anniversary of the war's outbreak. It looks to have been both a picnic and a time for summing up. Yet the film's most moving moments come when the veterans recall their treatment when they went home after the war.
Passports were revoked, and for many their membership in the brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
was to cost them jobs and reputations for decades to come. Most, it seems, absorbed the shocks and went on to fight on behalf of labor, civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and the peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
See also
- List of American films of 1990
- Jewish volunteers in the Spanish Civil WarJewish volunteers in the Spanish Civil WarA minority of the Jewish population, particularly that of Europe's, were active in socialist and Communist organisations in the period between the two World Wars....
- Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
Other Documentaries about Jewish Activism:
- Professional RevolutionaryProfessional RevolutionaryProfessional Revolutionary: The Life of Saul Wellman is a documentary about the life of Saul Wellman.-Summary:“I want things to change, where the playing field is leveled,” Wellman says, “where equality emerges as a reality...where the horrible things about inequality are...