Long Live Death (1971): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1971, Long Live Death is a drama film directed by Fernando Arrabal, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. At the end of the Spanish civil war, Fando, a boy of about ten, tries to make sense of war and his father's arrest. His mother is religious, sympathetic to the Fascists; his father is accused of being a Red. Fando discovers that his mother may have aided in his father's arrest. Sometimes we witness Fando imagining explanations for what's going on; sometimes we see him at play, alone or with his friend Thérèse. Oedipal fantasies and a lad's natural curiosity about sex and death mix with his search for his mother's nature and his father's fate. Will Fando survive the search?

Who’s in it. Long Live Death stars Mohamed Bellasoued as Colonel, Anouk Ferjac as The aunt, Núria Espert as The mother and Mahdi Chaouch as The son, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Long Live Death has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Philo, YouTube TV and Midnight Pulp and rent or buy it from Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Long Live Death page.

If you liked it. Fans of Long Live Death tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.