The film/DVD of Facing Fascism has had probably the most effect on me. What it did that the readings, archives and discussions could not impress upon me, was that it presented the feeling of what it was to live during that time. The severity of the depression created a new world view for so many in the city. In our relatively apathetic society today, it really touches me that so many during this era were not only peripherally involved in this foreign struggle but truly, passionately dedicated. I can’t even begin to imagine what living in wake of the depression would have been like: the failure of American laissez-faire capitalism giving rise to two confronting, massive ideologies –communism and fascism. What could it have been like in a world so polarized with such an uncertain future?
Though I don’t mean to diminish the contributors' idealist vigor and earnest empathy (it is truly commendable), it just seems to me that fun was a large component in the war effort. Maybe “fun” is not the best word, but the songs they sung with such emotion and parties they held to fundraise were a large part of these people’s lives. They must have felt great fulfillment being a part of a greater cause fighting for good, but it was also most certainly entertaining (the rallies, the stripteases, and the uniting commitment.)
The film also gives a pathway into the true heartbreak at the end of the war. Being that the effort had been all encompassing in the lives of so many and that the Spanish civil acted as a bellwether for the further tragedy of WWII, the end of it has made a great impact. It has has made indelible, poignant impression on our collective memory.
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