The Spanish Earth

The film opens in the village of Fuentidueña de Tajo (called "Fuentedueña" in the movie), where villagers try to scratch a living from dry soil and explain the importance of bringing water to irrigate fields for Madrid. The scene moves to Madrid, showing the front line running west of the city and the rebel salient in the Ciudad Universitaria being attacked by loyalists. Ivens planned the documentary as a dialectic, alternating between village and city until the synthesis is reached. The film ends with the loyalists driving off the rebel attack on the bridge over the Jarama, keeping the road open, and water flowing to the fields: the irrigation has succeeded.