Zapata - El sueño del héroe (2004)

User Rating:

1.6/10   

Director:

Alfonso Arau

Writer:

Alfonso Arau (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 2004 (Mexico)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Fantasy | War

Plot:

A look at the life of Mexican Revolution Hero Emiliano Zapata. |

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Alejandro Fernández	...	Emiliano Zapata
Patricia Velasquez	...	Josefa
Lucero	...	Esperanza
Jesús Ochoa	...	Huerta
Jaime Camil	...	Eufemio
Soledad Ruiz	...	Juana Lucia
Arturo Beristáin	...	González
Julio Bracho	...	Guajardo
Alberto Estrella	...	Martinez
José Luis Cruz
Ángeles Cruz
Evangelina Sosa	...	Azucena
Angélica Aragón	...	Mesera 1
Carmen Salinas	...	Mesera 2
Blanca Tenario	...	Mesera 3

Also Known As:

Zapata (Mexico) (working title)

Country:

Mexico

Language:

Spanish | Nahuatl

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Certification:

Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Latin Arts LLC

Soundtrack:

Llanto

Disjointed, corny wannabe art film

How do you turn a man into a myth? Or worse yet, how do you make 2 hours of pretty terrible viewing? The answer would be this sad attempt at the retelling of one of Mexico's greatest heros. For starters, Alejandro Fernandez doesn't look anything like Emiliano Zapata--he's way too white. And Fernandez looks more like a Mexicano Clive Owen, which was somewhat distracting. The scenes jump with no ryhme or reason as the movie tries to follow the trajectory of Zapata's life. Unless you are completely familiar with the Diaz dictatorship and the land struggles and revolution in Mexico in the early 20th century, you're gonna be completely lost. The film vacillates between grand epic and art film. Zapata/Fernandez is guided by three wise women whose presence in the movie is distracting and just downright goofy. The previous reviewer made mention of several present day Mexican stars who have cameos, including Lucero as Zapata's upper-crust lover(!). I did enjoy the scene where Zapata meets Villa, which re-enacts the famous photograph of the two revolutionary leaders. You do get a sense of the larger than life character that Villa was. However, that short scene is not enough to make up for all the tedious scenes that came before. Really, this movie stinks and doesn't do justice to the memory of a great man who helped led the peasant revolt in Mexico.