I was truly impressed by this movie--not just the acting, but the story as well. I knew almost nothing about Pancho Villa, and even if a lot of "Viva Villa" was fictionalized, I still know a lot more than I did before.
Wallace Beery played Pancho Villa. The movie started in the 1880's sometime where Pancho saw his father whipped to death by Spanish forces for daring to ask for a little of their land back. Pancho and many Mexicans were "peones" which is to say peons--unskilled farm workers. Pancho Villa seeing his father killed was the impetus for him becoming a brutal and feared bandit. The biggest object of his violence were Spaniards.
His exploits were spread over the U. S. by an American reporter named Jonny Sykes (played by Stuart Erwin). When Pancho Villa joined the Mexican Revolution fighting under Madero (played by Henry B. Walthall), Jonny Sykes was right there with the story. Sometimes the story preceded the actual events and many times the story was embellished. What wasn't embellished by Jonny was the fact that Pancho Villa was a vibrant, daring, and ruthless person. These were qualities that could be viewed as good or bad.
Other actors in the film were Fay Wray, Donald Cook, and Leo Carrillo as Pancho Villa's main sidekick Sierra. It certainly would've been nice to have more Mexican actors and actresses in the movie like Ramon Novarro and Lupe Velez. Barring that, it was an excellent movie about an important man in Mexican history.
Free on YouTube.
Wallace Beery played Pancho Villa. The movie started in the 1880's sometime where Pancho saw his father whipped to death by Spanish forces for daring to ask for a little of their land back. Pancho and many Mexicans were "peones" which is to say peons--unskilled farm workers. Pancho Villa seeing his father killed was the impetus for him becoming a brutal and feared bandit. The biggest object of his violence were Spaniards.
His exploits were spread over the U. S. by an American reporter named Jonny Sykes (played by Stuart Erwin). When Pancho Villa joined the Mexican Revolution fighting under Madero (played by Henry B. Walthall), Jonny Sykes was right there with the story. Sometimes the story preceded the actual events and many times the story was embellished. What wasn't embellished by Jonny was the fact that Pancho Villa was a vibrant, daring, and ruthless person. These were qualities that could be viewed as good or bad.
Other actors in the film were Fay Wray, Donald Cook, and Leo Carrillo as Pancho Villa's main sidekick Sierra. It certainly would've been nice to have more Mexican actors and actresses in the movie like Ramon Novarro and Lupe Velez. Barring that, it was an excellent movie about an important man in Mexican history.
Free on YouTube.