Irene Carmona del Val

Group 40
La voz dormida
The film La voz dormida by Benito Zambrano takes place in 1940, one year later of the ending
of the Spanish Civil War. An informative text at the beginning of the film makes clear the
historical context, the Franquismo, and states the main objective of the film: to make an homage
to all those innocent women that suffered Franco’s dictatorship. The story is set in Madrid;
there are several examples of where we can observe it in the film: the fact that Hortensia is in
the prison of Las Ventas; the fact that Pepita goes to the Madrid’s mountains; also, her
comments about how different is Madrid in comparison to Cordoba and the fear that fills the
city of Madrid. In addition to this, the Franquismo is portrayed during the film by several ways
that will be addressed in the analysis.
First, the film shows the two main sides involved in the Spanish Civil War: nacionales and
republicans. In one of the first scenes Doña Amparo introduces with the question “los nuestros
o los rojos?” this existent division between the Spanish society and also remarks which was the
side that won the war and controlled the country (the nacionales). It is possible to see the
nacionales in the paintings of doña Amparo: she paints two men dressed with the falange blue
shirt and doing the fascist salute. During the whole film it is possible to see the symbology of
the franquismo: the salute, the “cara al sol” that the prisoners are forced to sing, the fascist
characters saying “viva España”, the walls with the monarchical flag that Franco established,
the fascist motto that is said in one scene “por la patria, el pan y la justicia”. The characters that
represent the fascist side are: Amparo, Don Fernando’s family, the nuns, the militaries and
administration personnel… On the other side, Hortensia, Pepita, Paulino, Felipe, the prisoners,
Amalia...represent the republican side. One of the symbols of the republican side can be seen
when the prisoners sing “La Internacional” after hearing the shots of the firing squad.
It is also significant how the film shows the situation of the guerrillas through Felipe,
Paulino...these republicans that continued the war in guerrillas in the mountains were called
maquis. This combative spirit against the dictatorship can be seen in the conversation in the
mountains between Paulino and Pepita when he says “la guerra ha terminado pero la lucha no”.
There was a strong repression against them; it is possible to see this repression in the situation
Felipe and Paulino are living: they had to hide in the mountains, exile to France, they are
tortured by the nacionales, they had to change their identity in order to not be discover...In
relation with this is the fear that Pepita express to be denounced by Don Fernando, that shows
how strong was the repression during the dictatorship and the fear it created (around 40000
people were killed).

As it has been commented at the beginning, the film focus on the repression that women
suffered. We see in the film how women were repressed because of being wifes/girlfriends of
republicans and were condemned to death penalty because of it. It is also shown how the trials
in which they were judge were a farce and even their defense was against them. Through the
prisons it is also possible to see the role of the church and religion. We see that the dictatorship
impose an ultra conservative catholicism, that was used as an argument to justify the war as a
crusade. In the film there are scenes were this ultra catholicism is reflected: inmates are forced
to kiss Infant Jesus; Hortensia’s child is baptised against her will after she dies; the nuns say
that the prisoners are being “reeducated in the values of religion”; Doña Amparo has several
crucifix in her house, rosaries…
In addition to this is significant the situation of women with kids in prisons. They had to see
how their kids die and get sick because they cannot properly feed them, they are crowded...It
could be said that these women suffered a double prison having their kids in these conditions.
(Borraz, 2015)
Also, we can observe more details in relation with women during the Franquismo: posters in
the walls of the sección femenina of la Falange (that was even more important than the
masculine one); how the father of Don Fernando says to him “aren’t you ashamed of living at
the expense of your wife?”.
All of these values and repression are trying to instaurate in Spain what nationals called “nueva
españa”; this is commented in several occasions by Fernando’s father and other militaries.
Summing up, the film makes an accurate portrait of the Spain of the time, showing the terror
of Franquisim and putting special attention to repression and in particular repression of women.

Reference: Borraz, M. (2015). La doble represión de Franco sobre la mujer. eldiario.es. [online] Available at:
http://desmemoria.eldiario.es/represion-mujeres/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2017].