Captain from Castile (1947)

The invasion of Mexico by Cortez, as seen by a young Spanish officer fleeing the Inquisition.

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screenplay), Samuel Shellabarger (novel)

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Cesar Romero

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tyrone Power	...	Pedro De Vargas
Jean Peters	...	Catana Perez
Cesar Romero	...	Hernando Cortez
Lee J. Cobb	...	Juan Garcia
John Sutton	...	Diego De Silva
Antonio Moreno	...	Don Francisco De Vargas
Thomas Gomez	...	Father Bartolome Romero
Alan Mowbray	...	Prof. Botello (the astrologer)
Barbara Lawrence	...	Luisa De Carvajal
George Zucco	...	Marquis De Carvajal
Roy Roberts	...	Capt. Alvarado
Marc Lawrence	...	Corio

Storyline

Spain, 1518: young caballero Pedro De Vargas offends his sadistic neighbor De Silva, who just happens to be an officer of the Inquisition. Forced to flee, Pedro, friend Juan Garcia, and adoring servant girl Catana join Cortez' first expedition to Mexico. Arriving in the rich new land, Cortez decides to switch from exploration to conquest...with only 500 men. Embroiled in continuous adventures and a romantic interlude, Pedro almost forgets he has a deadly enemy...

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Plot Keywords:

bare chested male | romantic rivalry | mother son relationship | brother sister relationship | homosexual subtext | 

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Taglines:

My sword shall make a new world . . . your kiss will make it paradise !

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Nahuatl

Release Date:

January 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Capitaine de Castille

Filming Locations:

Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Darryll F Zanuck desperately pursued Jennifer Jones ( and her husband, David O Selznick) for the leading lady role.

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Goofs

When an announcement is made in the town square in Cuba, it is preceded and followed by an extra who makes a poor attempt at playing a roll on a conga, with one hand tripping over the other. As Cuba is the home of the conga, there were hundreds of local experts who could have played it properly and at three times the speed.

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Quotes

Pedro De Vargas: [finding Botello lying on the ground] Botello, what happened?
Prof. Botello: [groans] What misery! I'm lucky to be alive! Oh, my poor head!
Pedro De Vargas: But what happened?
Prof. Botello: You won't tell on me, Pedro lad?
Pedro De Vargas: Of course not!
Prof. Botello: I was just taking a stroll with one of those Indian ladies - ugly as sin, of course, color of mud, but charming, dear boy, charming.
Pedro De Vargas: You know the penalty for touching an Indian!
Prof. Botello: Now, now, Pedro, you know orders don't apply to a cockroach like me.

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Connections

Referenced in One Night Stand (1978)

User Reviews

Brilliant recreation of the Spanish conquest of Mexico

Tyrone Power in the type of role he made his own,supported by an excellent Cesar Romero as Cortez. The music by Alfred Newman and the direction together with the competent performance by the entire cast makes this film a most satisfying experience.I doubt whether there are any actors today who can emulate the style and screen presence of Power. The film script is likewise crisp and to the point.The movie is a rarity in that it does not fail the novel from which it was adapted.