Juarez (1939)

Louis Napoleon III takes advantage of the American Civil War to circumvent the Monroe Doctrine and expand his power by helping Emperor Maximillian Hapsburg to add Mexico to his empire.

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

John Huston (screen play), Æneas MacKenzie (screen play) (as Aeneas MacKenzie)

Stars:

Paul Muni, Bette Davis, Brian Aherne

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Muni	...	Benito Juárez
Bette Davis	...	Carlota of Mexico
Brian Aherne	...	Maximilian I of Mexico
Claude Rains	...	Napoléon III
John Garfield	...	Porfirio Diaz
Donald Crisp	...	General Marechal Achille Bazaine
Joseph Calleia	...	Alejandro Uradi
Gale Sondergaard	...	Empress Eugénie
Gilbert Roland	...	Colonel Miguel Lopez
Henry O'Neill	...	General Miguel Miramon
Harry Davenport	...	Dr. Samuel Basch
Louis Calhern	...	Le Marc
Walter Kingsford	...	Prince Richard Metternich
Georgia Caine	...	Lady in Waiting
Montagu Love	...	Jose de Montares

Storyline

The newly-named Emperor Maximillian, the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire, arrives in Mexico in the early 1860s with his wife Carlotta to face popular sentiment favoring Benito Juarez and popular demand for democracy. With an elite group of Mexican monarchists, Maximillian tries to appease the democratic Mexicans but he fails. Abraham Lincoln continues to support Juarez and asks the French to withdraw support for Maximilian. Carlotta goes to France to plead with Napoleon III, to no avail.

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Plot Keywords:

19th century | napoleon iii | maximilian i of mexico | french occupied mexico | french empire | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros. present The Picture That Shows How Great The Screen Can Be!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Brian Aherne, the film was to have been called 'Phantom Crown', after the novel by Bertita Harding which was one of the sources for the script. However Muni had a clause in his contract that permitted him to insist that the name of his character appear in the title.

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Goofs

When Pepe flees after tearing down the poster of the Imperial Decree, he is shot in the back from a distance. But when the wounded Pepe is brought to his father, the bullet wound is now in the front of his body on the right side of his chest near the shoulder.

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Quotes

Emperor Maximilian von Hapsburg: [to Diaz in his prison cell] I want to talk to you.
Gen. Porfirio Diaz: What have we got to talk about?
Emperor Maximilian von Hapsburg: Much, I think. I deeply regret that this neeting had to take place in a prison cell.
Gen. Porfirio Diaz: Where else could it take place but in a prison cell or on the battlefield?
Emperor Maximilian von Hapsburg: Then from all accounts, sir it is well that we meet here. If my generals are to be believed, you are the best soldier in Mexico.

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Alternate Versions

In 1952, the film was re-released and several key scenes were removed, particularly sequences that contained dialogue that criticized countries which, in 1939 had been regarded as totalitarian, but which, by the early 1950s had become Cold War allies of the United States and could therefore no longer be criticized as imperialist adventurers. Germany and Italy, especially, former enemies in the 1940s, were now the cornerstone of NATO. The removal of these scenes obfuscated the narrative considerably, in particular, removing any clear reasons behind the execution of the Emperor Maximilian at the conclusion of the film. This revised print runs 106 minutes and is the version released on video and generally available today. The 1939 version is preserved on nitrate stock in the Warner Archive.

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Connections

Referenced in John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1988)

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Soundtracks

My Country Tis of Thee
(uncredited)
Music attributed to Henry Carey (1744)
Played as part of the score when America is mentioned

User Reviews

Not terrible but hampered by a leaden pace

Well appointed but lumbering, miscast drama. Bette is fine, all spit and fire but John Garfield, who was embarrassed by his forced casting, is completely out of place as Porfirio Diaz with his New York accent still firmly in place. Paul Muni, a very fine actor in modern dress roles, does what he always does when heavily made up; he lets the makeup do the acting for him. The best performance is delivered by Brian Aherne but he is hampered by a bizarre beard which distracts the viewer whenever he's on screen. The lack of fluid direction makes this feel more like a history lesson than a dramatized story of an actual series of events. A good try but stodgy.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 June 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Juarez

Filming Locations:

Warner Ranch, Calabasas, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min 121 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1