Very good wartime movie dealing with the Spanish Civil War . It starts with a long flashback in which an ex-soldier called Juan Ruiz : Manuel Zarzo meets a steel helmet .Developing the trenches war in an easy position called Villa Sarten . As the Nationalist commandant , Tomas Blanco, and his soldiers have taken the advanced location that protects the ford of a river. There arrives a rookie Alferez, Manuel Manzaneque, to take the command the garrison , but there actually commands a tough as well as sympathetic sergeant , Antonio Ferrandis . While troops on both sides make short truces to fish trouts and exchange tobacco and canned .At the end the Republic troops trying to take the National ford by themselves and things go wrong .
Notable warlike movie original and competently shot by Pedro Lazaga. Plenty of attractive travellings as when the soldiers attack and take advantage at night and the spectacular final scenes. . It is a worthwhile effort with some good battle sequences and a lot of explosions and shots . The movie delivers a nice description about trench life during the Spanish Civil War 36-39 and a sense of enjoyable reconciliation on both sides . The producers thanksgiving to Spanish Army for the realization of this splendid flick .It is really influenced by American war films and Hollywood directors as Samuel Fuller, Raoul Walsh, Anthony Mann , William A Wellman and their top-notch warfare movies .The film gives an interesting character studio and magnificent interpretations. The Salamanca-born young Alferez played by Manuel Manzaneque is good as an honorable and upright Officer and Antonio Ferrandis is excellent as the likeable and brave sergeant who was born in Reinosa Cantabria . Support cast is frankly magnificent full of notorious secondaries of the 60s and 70s as Enrique Avila , Manuel Tejada , Luis Marin, Fernando Sanchez Polack , Tomas Blanco, Luis Suarez , Guillermo Mendez , Emilio Rodriguez , among others.
It contains an evocative and atmospheric cinematography by Cecilio Paniagua considered to be one of the best Spanish cameramen with International successes as 100 rifles, Hunting party, Patton, Last adventure Custer, Doctor Coppelia and Spanish films as Mi hija Hildegart , El hombre de la Isla or Sonatas . Sensitive musical score by Anton Garcia Abril performed by guitar played by Regino Sainz de La Maza. The motion picture was stunningly directed by the prolific Pedro Lazaga. Pedro was a fine craftsman who made a great number of fims of all kinds of genres and comedies especially. He directed some pictures about Spanish civil war such as La patrulla, El frente infinito , La fiel infanteria and this La posicion avanzada , at his best . He got some hits directing the great comedian Paco Martinez Soria such as : Abuelo made in Spain, Hay que educar a Papa , El padre de la criatura, El alegre divorciado , Estoy hecho un chaval y Vaya par de de gemelos . Rating : Above average. Well worth seeing . This Posicion avanzada will appeal to Spanish cinema buffs .
