Mexican Revolution In Film: Part 2

The Mexican Revolution was marked by violence

, corruption, and men who would sacrifice everything in the pursuit of their beliefs. These elements are all very dramatic, to be sure, and it's no wonder that the people and events of the rebellion have been immortalized on film over the years. The first movie on the subject was the documentary 'The Life of General Villa', which was released in 1914 and actually starred the famous revolutionary as he re-enacted battles he had participated in.

Pancho Villa's charisma and memorable life made him a standout in the early years of Revolution-inspired films, though he never took another starring role himself. However, in 1917, while he was still engaged in fighting in the Northern hills, he was commemorated again on the silver screen. Hollywood got in on the action with 'Patria', a serialized movie starring Irene Castle, Warner Oland, and Wallace Beery as the famous revolutionary.

A distinct, propagandist bent, can be found in the script that was funded by the mogul William Randolph Hearst. It related the plot of how a heroine tried to block Japan from baiting Mexico to invade America, and suggested that an event such as this, would shortly occur. 'Patria' was criticized by president Woodrow Wilson himself, as the Japanese were allies of the U.S at the time; he asked that the anti-Asian parts be removed from the film before its release. It contained pro-German ideology also, and was investigated by the Senate after World War I.

Wallace Beery would reprise his role as Pancho in 1934, with 'Viva Villa!' The film was adapted from a biography of the general, though heavily fictionalized. In it, Pancho becomes a runaway after avenging his father's death as a young boy, and after a life of banditry he becomes a general after a meeting with future president Francisco Madero (Henry Walthall). However, his violent ways cause tension between the two men, forcing the revolutionary's hand and driving him to raise the people up against a new form of tyranny.

'Viva Villa!' was produced by the legendary David O. Selznick, it was directed by Jack Conway with uncredited assistance from Howard Hawks. Along with Beery, it starred Fay Wray, the actress best known for being carried up a building in the arms of King Kong. The highest-grossing film of 1934, it was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Assistant Director, Sound Recording, and Writing, but didn't win any.

Pancho, the Revolutionary General, was destined to be immortalized on the big screen countless times, and this was certainly not his last; as the Golden Age of Mexico's cinema industry began to boom in the 1930s, the charismatic bandit would live far beyond his years, through multiple adaptations of his life. While Hollywood may have gotten there first, it was the Mexican portrayal of the Revolution which would shed a light on how the locals really felt about the past few decades.

by: Robert Nickel

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