For three years, between 1936 and 1939, the Spanish Civil War pitted left-leaning and extreme left-wing Republicans, who were loyal to the legitimate government, against the Nationalists, the camp of right-leaning and extreme right-wing putschist rebels led by General Franco. This terrible conflict, which left more than 600,000 dead, ended in victory for the Nationalists who established a dictatorship lasting 36 years, until the transition to democracy which came about only upon Franco's death. Through a selection of essential films, this retrospective offers an immersion into the fears and torment of an era, for a deeper appreciation and understanding of this important page in European history.