On July 17, 1936 , Francisco Franco began the military rebellion in Spanish Morocco . On July 18, the military governor of the province of Toledo, Colonel Moscardó (Rafael Calvo) , ordered the Guardia Civil of the province to Toledo. During July 19 and 20, various attempts were made by the War Ministry of the Republican government to obtain the munitions in the arms factory at Toledo . Each time, Colonel Moscardó along with some captains (Fosco Giachetti as Il Capitano Vela , Carlo Tamberlani as Il Capitano Vincenzo Alba ) refused and they were threatened that a force from Madrid would be sent against him . The Republicans controlled most of Toledo and sought the surrender of the Alcázar by artillery bombardment . For the duration of the siege , the Nationalists engaged in a passive defense, only returning fire when an attack was imminent . Colonel Moscardó was called on the telephone by the chief of the Worker's Militia , Commissar Candido Cabello , on the morning of July 23 in Toledo and told that if the Alcázar were not surrendered within ten minutes, Moscardó's 16-year-old son, Luis (Carlos Muñoz) , who had been captured earlier in the day, would be executed. Colonel Moscardó asked to speak to his son and his son asked what he should do. "Commend your soul to God," he told his son, "and die like a patriot, shouting,'¡Viva Cristo Rey!' and '¡Viva España!' The Alcázar does not surrender" , "That," answered his son, "I can do" . An envoy from the Republicans, Major Rojo, was sent to Colonel Moscardó on September 9 to ask for the surrender of the Alcázar. This was refused, but Colonel Moscardó requested for a priest to be sent to baptize the two children born during the siege and to also say Mass . Vázquez Camarassa (Oreste Fares) , a Madrid preacher with left-wing views, was sent to the Alcázar during the morning of September 11, performed the necessary functions and issued a General Absolution to the defenders of the Alcázar. The Republicans had been digging two mines and launched four attacks on the Alcázar with the aid of armored cars and tanks. The attacks failed after a determined defense by the Nationalists, but the Republicans responded with a continuous artillery bombardment of the Alcázar throughout the night and into the next day.
This is a historical story in which an intense drama collides with war , ideology and politics . The film was preceded by a prologue in the Italian , Spanish and German versions , all introducing the subject and setting the scenes and praising the courage of the besieged . The picture is pretty well , though there is an excessive pamphlet tone and Falangist propaganda . The film was shot in Cinecittà with Italian, French and Spanish actors . In the Italian version all three non-Italian actors : the French Mireille Balin, and the Spanish , Rafael Calvo and Carlos Muñoz spoke their lines in Italian they were dubbed by Italian actors afterwards .The Siege of the Alcazar or L'Assedio dell'Alcazar was professionally directed by Augusto Genina , winning Mussolini Cup for the Best Italian Film in Venice Festival . After the war, the film was re-released in Italy under the new title 'Alcazar' with significant cuts . All references to the involvement of Italy in the Spanish Civil War as well as the cruelty of the Republicans were excised to avoid any political debate.
The picture "Sin Novedad en El Alcazar!" was based on historical events , these are the followings : The Nationalists saw the Alcázar as a representation of the strength and dominance of Spain. Losing the Alcázar to the Republicans would have been a serious blow to the Nationalists' vision and morale. The Nationalist forces there were isolated, badly equipped and in no condition to conduct offensive operations. The Republican troops sent from Madrid first arrived at the Hospital of Tavera on the outskirts of Toledo, but redirected their attack towards the Arms Factory upon receiving heavy fire from the hospital. A detachment of 200 Guardia Civil was stationed at the Arms Factory and negotiations with the Republicans ensued. During these talks, the Guardia Civil loaded trucks with ammunition from the factory and sent it to the Alcázar before evacuating and destroying the Factory . Yet the Republicans —due to the increasingly symbolic value of the Alcázar as weeks went by— threw badly needed men, artillery and weapons .The Republican government believed that since the garrison was only 40 miles southwest of Madrid and would not be receiving any immediate help from the other Nationalist forces that it would be an easy propaganda victory. Over the next five weeks, the Republicans attacked the House of the Military Government on eleven occasions, but were turned back each time by the Nationalists . Republicans had been digging two mines towards the southwest tower of the Alcázar . Explosives in the mines were detonated by Francisco Largo Caballero, completely destroying the southwest tower and the two defenders in it. The press was invited by the Republican government to witness the explosion of the mines and storming of the Alcázar on September 18, but it wasn't until September 29 that the press entered the Alcázar, this time by the invitation of the Nationalists, turning the whole thing into a huge propaganda victory for the Nationalists, undermining the Republican morale . The story of the siege was very interesting for foreign supporters of Franco, who would read the several books published in foreign languages, and would strive for meeting Moscardó when visiting wartime Spain.
