The Gaucho (1927)

A girl is saved by a miracle after she falls from a cliff in the Argentine Andes, and is blessed with healing powers. A shrine is built on the site, and a whole city grows around it, rich ... See full summary »

Director:

F. Richard Jones

Writer:

Douglas Fairbanks (story)

Stars:

Lupe Velez, Joan Barclay, Eve Southern

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lupe Velez	...	The Mountain Girl
Joan Barclay	...	The Girl of the Shrine (as Geraine Greear)
Eve Southern	...	The Girl of the Shrine
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Ruiz - The Usurper
Michael Vavitch	...	The Usurper's First Lieutenant
Charles Stevens	...	The Gaucho's First Lieutenant
Nigel De Brulier	...	The Padre (as Nigel de Brulier)
Albert MacQuarrie	...	Victim of the Black Doom
Douglas Fairbanks	...	The Gaucho

Storyline

A girl is saved by a miracle after she falls from a cliff in the Argentine Andes, and is blessed with healing powers. A shrine is built on the site, and a whole city grows around it, rich with gold from the grateful worshipers. Ruiz, an evil and sadistic general, captures the city, confiscates the gold, and closes the shrine. But the Gaucho, the charismatic leader of a band of outlaws, comes to the rescue.

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Plot Keywords:

miracle | religion | swashbuckler

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Taglines:

INTENSELY DRAMATIC STUPENDOUS THRILLS (original print ad- all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 January 1928 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elton Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. directed screen tests of potential actresses to play Mountain Girl. Among those were Myrna Loy, Fay Wray, Raquel Torres, Loretta Young and Lupe Velez. When shown Velez's test, Douglas Fairbanks was immediately impressed and the starlet was hired.

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Connections

Referenced in Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)

User Reviews

THE GAUCHO (F. Richard Jones, 1927) ***

Unusual but beautifully made and typically enjoyable Douglas Fairbanks vehicle, which finds the star at his most roguish (while still being his dashing and athletic self); with the Argentine pampas for backdrop, the film – whose full official title is DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS AS THE GAUCHO – can be considered a semi-Western. The narrative encompasses romance (supplied by fiery Lupe Velez), religion (via the presence of a miraculous shrine overseen by a saintly shepherdess – we even get a couple of visions of the Madonna herself, played by Fairbanks' own equally popular actress wife, Mary Pickford!) as well as more characteristic action (in the form of The Gaucho's opposition to the rule of tyrannical Gustav von Seyffertitz). A subplot which ties in with the element of faith sees the hero being deliberately contaminated by a carrier of "The Black Doom" whom he had previously slighted, though both are eventually cured. Fairbanks' trademark pioneering spirit in the technical department is also well in evidence here – with matte paintings giving the illusion of a truly elaborate visual design, reversed film for one particularly showy leap by the star onto his faithful steed, and even the wholesale horse-driven transportation of a house at one point!