Lines of Wellington

This movie, directed by Valeria Sarmiento, tells a story from the Peninsular campaign during the Napoleonic Wars. On September 27, 1810, the French troops commanded by Marshal Massena, were defeated in the Serra do Buçaco by the Anglo-Portuguese army of general Wellington. Despite the victory, Portuguese and British are forced to retreat from the enemy, numerically superior, in order to attract them to Torres Vedras, where Wellington had built fortified lines hardly surmountable. Simultaneously, the Anglo-Portuguese command organizes the evacuation of the entire territory between the battlefield and the lines of Torres Vedras, a gigantic burned land operation, which prevents the French from collecting supplies. This is the setting for the adventures of a multitude of characters from all social backgrounds—soldiers and civilians, men, women and children, young and old—to the daily routine torn by war and dragged through hills and valleys, between ruined villages, charred forests and devastated crops.