"With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain" Film.
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Abstract
Collection consists of an original 16 mm projection print of "With The Lincoln Brigade in Spain"-- a 1938 documentary directed by Henri Cartier–Bresson that was used to raise funds for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade—and film and video copies derived from this print.
Historical/Biographical Note
The Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939) was a conflict between the newly-elected left-leaning government of the Spanish Republic and its supporters and the (ultimately successful) rebellion against the Republic led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Hitler and Mussolini. Thousands of men and women from around the world volunteered to serve as soldiers and medical and support personnel for the Republic, which organized them into International Brigades (including the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, made up of North Americans). Film was one of the weapons used by international organizations supporting the Republic and the Brigades to document the war and to generate support and raise money; after the war they used moving images to aid the Republic's refugees.
"With the Lincoln Brigade In Spain," is a short documentary film produced by Herbert Kline, directed by still photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, and shot in 35mm (although distributed in 16 mm) by Cartier-Bresson and movie camera operator Jaques Lemare. It was filmed in 1937 and released in 1938. Shown in union halls, clubs, and other small venues throughout the United States, "With the Lincoln Brigade in Spain" was used to raise funds to bring the Brigaders home.
• Salas, Juan. "Henri Cartier-Bresson Film Found in ALBA Archive." The Volunteer 17 (2010): 8-9,11. Accessed July 3, 2012. http://www.albavolunteer.org/2010/03/henri-cartier-bresson-footage-%E2%80%A8found-in-alba-archive/
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into three series:
1. Series I: Films.
2. Series II: Videos (film to tape transfers).
3. Series II: DVDs.
Scope and Content Note
"With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain" is a black and white silent documentary film, with a running time just over 18 minutes. It shows Brigade members in Spain, training near the front, waiting to be mobilized, wounded, and at hospitals. It includes close-ups of Brigade members, the nurses who treated them, and local residents Brigaders met while recovering from their wounds, as well as scenes of Madrid during the fall of 1937, and a soccer game in Benicassim.
The collection consists of film elements (an original 16mm projection print, a 35mm preservation duplicate negative derived from the 16mm projection print, and a 35 mm preservation projection print struck from the 35 mm preservation duplicate negative); film-to- video transfers (from the 35 mm preservation projection print to a digital betacam master and a duplicate digital betacam); and DVDs (masters and access copies dubbed from the digital betacam master).
Subjects
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; reel, video, or DVD number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Cary Nelson, 2004. The accession number associated with this collection is 2012.048.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Access DVDs for audiovisual materials in the collection are available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only.
Existence and Location of Copies
Reels 1 and 4, and 8 and 9 in Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives Films Collection (ALBA FILMS 001) are essentially the same film. Other films and videos in ALBA FILM collection may also contain parts of or other versions of "With the Lincoln Brigade in Spain," but absent a thorough screening it's not possible to know for certain.
About this Guide
Processing Information
No original order was apparent in the collection upon receipt. Original titles and/or caption information, when available, was used for description of each item.