Spanish Earth, The / The 400 Million (1939) Rating: Starring: Fredric March, Morris Carnovsky, Sidney Lumet, Manuel Azana, Dolores Ibarruri Director: Joris Ivens Category: Classic Studio: Slingshot/Lumivision Subtitles: [None] Length: 108 mins     Joris Ivens was one of the great pioneers of the documentary.A world famous film director, he was also known as a 'cinematic ace', 'cultural nomad,' and the 'Flying Dutchman of the 20th Century.'Ivens works include over 80 films, 15 of which are lost or can't be regained. His first film, De Burg (The Bridge), made in 1928, gained him international acclaim and marked the beginning of the Dutch avant-garde film movement.Called the "greatest documentary maker of his day" by Ephraim Katz in The Film Encyclopedia, Ivens is a cultural phenomenon and controversial artist who still manages to stir up people's emotions from beyond the grave. The Japanese aggression against China in 1937 forced the Chinese communists to join Chiang Kai-shek's Kwomintang to take up the battle against their common enemy.Filmed in 1938 and focusing on the battle of T'aiertshwang, The 400 Million shows all aspects of a war: the battle, the preparations, refugees, casualities and victims, the fear and distress, the human misery and the courage, and the land under fire. One of the most important fims in Ivers' career, The Spanish Earth finds a balance between the daily life of the people and their struggle to survive. The initial commentary was done by Orson Welles, but his voice was considered "too beautiful" to be on the film. Ernest Hemingway, whose powerful voice was deemed perfect for the documentery, replaced him.Both the original Welles commentary and Hemingway's commentary are available for the first time.