Bunuel_Luis_My_Last_Breath

place. People arrested at night were always told that they were goingto "take a little walk."It was advisable to use the intimate "tu" form of address foreveryone, and to add an energetic compariero whenever you spoke toan anarchist, or a camrada to a Communist. Most cars carried acouple of mattresses tied to the roof as protection against snipers. Itwas dangerous even to hold out your hand to signal a turn; as thegesture might be interpreted as a Fascist salute and get you a fastround of gunfire. The s&oritos, the sons of "good" families, wore oldcaps and dirty clothes in order to look as much like workers as theycould, while on the other side the Communist party recommendedthat the workers wear white shirts and ties.Ontafion, who was a friend of mine and a well-known illustrator,told me about the arrest of Shenz de Heredia, a director who'dworked for me on La hija a2 Juan Simon and Quiin me quzere a mi?Sknz, Primo de Rivera's first cousin, had been sleeping on a parkbench because he was afraid to go home, but despite his precautionshe had been picked up by a group of Socialists and was nowawaiting execution because of his fatal family connections. When Iheard about this, I immediately went to the Rotpence Studios,where I found that the employees, as in many other enterprises,had formed a council and were holding a meeting. When I askedhow Sknz was, they all replied that he was "just fine," that theyhad "nothing against him." I begged them to appoint a delegationto go with me to the Calle de Marques de Riscal, where he wasbeing held, and to tell the Socialists what they'd just told me. Afew men with rifles agreed, but when we arrived, all we found wasone guard sitting at the gate with his rifle lying casually in his lap.In as threatening a voice as I could muster, I demanded to see hissuperior, who turned out to be a lieutenant I'd had dinner withthe evening before."Well, Bufiuel," he said calmly, "what're you doing here?"I explained that we really couldn't execute everyone, that of coursewe were all very aware of Siienz's relationship to Primo de Rivera,