¡Ay, Carmela! (internationally released under the original title, with or without the inverted exclamation mark in the beginning) is a 1990 Spanish drama directed by Carlos Saura and based on the theater play by Jose Sanchis Sinisterra. The plot depicts the story of a trio of travelling vaudeville performers during the Spanish Civil War - singer and dancer Carmela (Carmen Maura), her husband, comedian Paulino (Andrés Pajares) and their mute assistant Gustavete (Gabino Diego). The trio gives performances for the Republican troops but once they inadvertently find themselves on the territory, controlled by the Nationalists. The price of their life and freedom is a show that mocks the Republic. Paulino readily agrees but for Carmela it would be a treachery of ideals.
The film was the winner of the 1990 Goya Awards in 13 nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
The following weapons were used in the film ¡Ay, Carmela!:
A Nationalist artillery Captain (José Sancho) in charge of the unit that detain the performers carries an Astra 300 pistol. In the final scene a Nationalist officer draws and fires an Astra 300 pistol.
A Nationalist artillery Alférez (Ensign rank) (Antonio Fuentes) carries a Star Model B pistol. A Star pistol is also seen in hands of a Nationalist official who chooses Republican POWs for execution.
Many Republicans and Nationalists are armed with Spanish Mauser M1893 rifles. Some rifles of Nationalist soldiers are fitted with Modelo 1913 bayonets that were adopted for M1916 short rifles (the bayonet Modelo 1893 for M93 rifle has 10 inch blade while Modelo 1913 - 15.6 inch blade).
A Tiznao armored car is armed with a Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun in the turret (the Spanish version of Hotchkiss is known as Modelo 24). In one scene Requetés carry a Hotchkiss.
One of the Republicans, watching the show in the opening scene, holds a light machine gun. Only the large conical flash hider on the barrel is seen. Judging by the position of the front sight at the base of the flash hider, the machine gun can be identified as Hotchkiss M1922. Among the machine guns that were used in the Spanish Civil War, similar conical flash hider can also be seen on Degtyaryov DP-27 and Breda Modello 30 but both have differently placed front sight.
A replica of Tiznao armored car of Republican troops is seen in the opening scene (Tiznao is a general term for improvised armored trucks and buses of the Spanish Civil War). It is fitted with a turret with a Hotchkiss Mle 1914 machine gun.
A Nationalist T-26 tank is seen in the recently taken town. More then 280 T-26s were supplied to Spanish Republic from USSR, and many of them were captured by Nationalists during the late part of the war. The tank is a T-26 mod. 1933, armed with a 45 mm 20-K main gun and a Degtyaryov DT machine gun. The surviving tanks in post-war Spain had their DTs replaced with the Hotchkiss machine guns, so the screen vehicle that is most likely one of many T-26, preserved in Spanish museums, also may be armed with a Hotchkiss.
