The Longest Night (1991 film)

The Longest Night (La noche más larga) is a 1991 Spanish historical drama film directed by José Luis García Sánchez which stars Juan Echanove alongside Carmen Conesa and Juan Diego. Written by García Sánchez alongside Carmen Rico Godoy and Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, the screenplay is based on the story El año que murió Franco by Pedro J. Ramírez.

Plot
The plot concerns about the last executions carried out by the Francoist dictatorship on 27 September 1975.

Cast

 * Carmen Conesa as Gloria
 * Juan Echanove as Juan
 * Juan Diego as Menéndez
 * Gabino Diego as Fito
 * Fernando Guillén Cuervo

Production
Based on the book by Pedro J. Ramírez, the screenplay was penned by Carmen Rico Godoy, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, and José Luis García Sánchez. The film was produced by Andrés Vicente Gómez's Iberoamericana Films. Shooting locations included Casa Mingo in Madrid.

Release
The film screened in competition at the 39th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 23 September 1991. Distributed by United International Pictures, the film was released theatrically in Spain on 4 October 1991.

Reception
The film was met by chilliness by the critics, most acrimoniously by the Basque ones. Casimiro Torreiro of El País questioned the choices of silencing that two ETA members were facing the same plight as those detainees in the fiction, with the film also concealing the names of the organizations to which the depicted anti-fascists belonged to (the FRAP).