“On June 6, 1808, the aim of Napoleon Bonaparte’s invincible army was to destroy the Spanish army’s gunpowder store and so control the whole of Europe. With only 25km to its objective, the Grande Armée, for the first time in its history knew the bitter taste of defeat in the Sacred Mountain of Montserrat. A defeat that encouraged all the oppressed peoples to fight for freedom.”
These opening words from Legend of the Soldier (original title: Bruc. La Ilegenda) successfully set the stage for this entertaining film about the legend of Bruc the drummer. According to the legend, Napoleon’s army retreated when a lone soldier, Bruc, took up the drum of a fallen soldier and began beating on it. The sound of the drum echoed off the mountains and fooled the French army into thinking there were hundreds of soldiers coming over the mountains.
The film begins directly after the event that made Bruc (Juan José Ballesta) a legend. Instead of focusing on the event itself, the filmmakers dive into the resulting pursuit of Bruc by one of Napoleons Captains, Maraval (Vincent Perez), and his gang of ruffians, with orders from Napoleon to bring back the head of Bruc.
Meanwhile, Bruc’s father wants a better life for his son and intends to give him money to start his own business, so Bruc’s fianceé, Gloria (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), can marry a husband who is better off than his father is as a coal man. Not only is Gloria a sight to behold, but she also plays an integral part in the story of Legend of the Soldier, especially once she gets kidnapped by Maraval and his gang, with the intention of forcing Bruc to surrender. The French journalist, Magne (Justin Blanckaert), also plays a pivotal role in the film.
It can be argued that Legend of the Soldier is little more than a man-on-the-run picture, with a twist of revenge. I won’t argue with this, but despite the simplicity of the plot, the story is well written, the characters are entertaining, and the film has a few tricks up its sleeve.
It’s easy to care about Bruc, his bride to be, and the innocent townsfolk who are being slaughtered, as Maraval and his men chase Bruc through the forests and eventually into the mountains where the original battle took place. Things get especially tense in the third act when Bruc goes full-on mountain warrior and pulls off a series of feats while offing his rivals one by one.
The film looks great and it’s well acted. I’m on the fence about a shaky cam technique used during the battle flashback sequences, but otherwise, the films shows the talents of an experienced cast and crew.
The DVD extras include a interesting 30 minute making of featurette that shows the various filming locations (one of which was the caves of Collbató, which are located on the southern slopes of Montserrat), the genesis of the project, cast and crew interviews, and other information.
Director: Daniel Benmayor
Writer: Patxi Amezcua, Jordi Gasull, José Luis Latasa
Cast: Juan José Ballesta, Vincent Perez, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey
Country: Spain
