Heart of Spain

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) thousands of civilians and soldiers were injured. One third of Madrid lay in ruins. Hitler needed Spanish steel for his weapons and Mussolini had set his mind on the Spanish coal for his war fleet. They did not pay attention to organisations like the Red Cross that were involved in badly needed blood transfusions. In HEART OF SPAIN, co-financed by various relief organisations, blood as the synthesis of the concrete and the abstract is the central theme. Blood: shed to save the country and given to help the rescuers of the country. This was another film that had success in appealing for support. We see how citizens voluntarily give their blood to reanimate the wounded, and we hear how this establishes a certain contact between donor and recipient. The premiere in 1937 - taking place in Hollywood for reasons of publicity - brought in so much money that two new ambulances could be bought. Besides, the film incited a number of American movie stars to dedicate themselves to the cause of the Spanish people.