Product Description

The screen explodes with action and romance in this war-torn drama starring Henry Fonda (The Grapes of Wrath) as the passionate, courageous Marco, a peasant farmer determined to protect his land from invading soldiers. The gorgeous Madeleine Carroll (The 39 Steps) is Norma, the daredevil spy whose heart he captures. With gunfire thundering around them, they struggle against a powerful enemy blockade preventing the delivery of desperately needed food in a fiery battle that could change the course of the war. Bravely focusing on the controversial Spanish Civil War, "Blockade" bravely tackles a subject Hollywood had refused to touch, resulting in pressure on the producer to leave the film unreleased. Ultimately it was recognized with Oscar nominations for writing and score and still stands today as a career high point for all involved.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68985 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-12-03
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.com
Hollywood's first earnest attempt to treat the Spanish Civil War is a deeply silly movie. There are few spectacles more forlorn than a film eager to be perceived as courageous, just not at the cost of having courage. Blockade strikes a radical pose. There's lots of rhetoric about getting "beyond flags and slogans"; "the people" keep forming up as a Spanish Greek chorus; director William Dieterle, besides borrowing blatantly from Potemkin in one scene, hazards a shift into direct address with anguished peasant-warrior Henry Fonda suddenly getting in our collective face to ask, "Where's the conscience of the world?!" Yet even though card-carrying leftist John Howard Lawson wrote it, Blockade neither takes nor identifies any political position. No one is fascist or communist or loyalist--there's just "The Enemy." The viewer will be hard-pressed to tell what is going on. Or to care. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Great Film
I watched this grand film a couple of months ago and I want to share my views with you.

Since a teenager I had read about this film, especially being one of its stars, Madeleine Carroll, an absolute favourite of mine...she shines brightly here, indeed.

I had read that this was one of the few or the only Hollywood film of the period that dealed with the Spanish Civil War, and not only that, 'cos it took sides with the Republicans, in other words, it portrays the Republicans as the heroes here.

To tell a long story short: after King Alfonso (Alphonse) XIII os Spain (grandfather of current King Juan Carlos (John Charles) I), was deposed by a Republican-Socialist Government?, Spain entered one of its most difficult times of its History; then the Civil War began, around 1936, with the Republicans (Socialists) on one side and Nationalists, lead by Francisco Franco on the other. Well Franco became Dictator Supreme in 1939, after he won the war, and mantained his position as such, until his death in 1975, when Democracy and Monarchy was restored.

Well, I was always so intrigued about this film,until I bought Image's DVD release in March, I hadn't seen until early June this year.

Henry Fonda plays a peasant who lives in a farm near the city-port of "Castelmare", he meets mysteriours foreigner Madeleine Carroll....the war begans...and the story goes on...

I must say that this film gained space and grew in my heart, with each passing moment, when the action, the war, the famine, grew more & more...it's greatly paced, photographed....by the underrated William Dieterle...who (what a coincidence!!) also was responsible for the breathtaking "Portrait Of Jennie"...which is one of my "top 5" films.

Filmed in glorious B & W, with excellent supporting performances by Leo Carrillo, Reginald Denny and John Halliday (what a villain!!....I recommend to watch him too in Dietrich-Cooper's Borzage "Desire", produced by Lubistch)

Some sequences almost seemed to belong to the expressionist (german), neorrealist (italian) movements.

By the way, among the supporting cast, in small roles,I catched glimpses of Lupita Tovar (Susan Kohner's mother and the female star of 1931's spanish version of Lugosi's Dracula, in which the main character was played by Carlos Villarías) and Katherine DeMille (Cecil B. DeMille's daughter and Tony Quinn's first wife and an excellent actress too).

Henry Fonda, as usual, is excellent, his performance reminds me of his role in the great "The Grapes of Wrath"...and Madeleine Carroll is equally grand.

The picture quality is very good. Image's releases have never "deceived" me. Their "Evangeline" release is great too.

Blockade is a Walter Wanger picture released thru United Artists.

After watching films like these, I feel great. 'Cos although it is a drama, in these hard times, it gives you hope that there's a chance for peace and justice in this messed-up world, if all people had the principles & views of Fonda's character.

BTW, Fonda's character's (Marco) last words (although much shorter; the film runs only 84 minutes) even (IMHO) have hints of Chaplin's final speech in "The Great Dictator",yet to come.

Goos Films Must Be Revisited
If one contextualizes this film, Blockade revisits the Spanish Civil War and later the Hollywood Blacklist.