VIVA VILLA

US, 1934, 116 minutes. Black and white.
Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo, Fay Wray, Donald Cook, Stuart Erwin, Henry B. Walthall, Joseph Schildkraut, Katherine de Mille.
Directed by Jack Conway (and, uncredited, Howard Hawks, William Wellman).

Viva Villa is a partly fictionalise, partly historical portrait of Pancho Villa, the Mexican peasant who rose up to be a popular leader. The film was made within twenty years of Villa’s activity and his death. (Yul Brynner portrayed Villa in 1968 in Villa Rides, Telly Savalas was Villa in 1972’s Pancho Villa, Antonio Banderas was in Bruce Beresford’s And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself.

Wallace Beery brings his customary gruff persona to the role – with touches of humour. Leo Carrillo who accompanied Beery in many films, is his murderous sidekick. Fay Wray is the noblewoman who is attracted to Villa. Stuart Erwin portrays Jonny Sykes, the fictionalised name of journalist John Reed (who was in Moscow for the Russian revolution and was portrayed by Warren Beatty in Reds). Joseph Schildkraut is the villainous General Pascal who assassinates Francisco Madero who was the hope for some kind of reform and revolution in Mexico.

The film was made on location, some of the footage was lost and had to be reshot. This involved Howard Hawks and William Wellman and the finishing of the film by Jack Conway.

Wallace Beery won the best actor award at the Venice Film Festival of 1934. It is an interesting companion piece to 1952’s Viva Zapata where Marlon Brando portrayed the southern revolutionary at the time, Emiliano Zapata.

1. A film of the 1930s? Pancho Villa dead only ten years when the film was made? Already the subject of legend? Fact and fiction? American attitudes towards Villa – even though he had attacked the American mainland with killings in New Mexico?

2. The credentials of the film, Howard Hawks, William Wellman, Jack Conway? Writing by Ben Hecht? The strong cast? The visuals? The musical score?

3. The use of the captions, the legend and the fiction, the facts? Names and changes? The origins and history of Villa? Growing up? His appearing as a leader? The bandits and his associates? His methods? Politics, the change? The Mexican cause? His violence? The aftermath?

4. John Reed portrayed as Jonny Sykes? The American perspective, the newspaperman, sending the news, creating the myth of Pancho Villa, present in action, admiring Villa, following him, getting his opinions, with Villa at his death?

5. The location photography, Mexico, the towns and villages of the period, the countryside, Mexico City? Authentic?

6. The prologue, Spain and the history of Mexico, the dictators, the revolutions? The scene of flogging? The death? The effect on the boy?

7. The portrait of Villa – as a character, a simple man, emotional, continually needing the father and father figure, supplied by Madero? His inability to read? His sense of justice? His use of violence – and seemingly conscienceless? His relationship with women, the various women that he married? His relationship with Rosita? Her hold on him? His rise in leadership, his ability to take command? His working with Sierra? His leadership, loyalty of his troops? His achievement?

8. Mexican history and the context, Madero and the Christian figure, considered a fool? Yet his leadership and achievement? Pascal and his death?

9. Felipe and Teresa? Their support of Villa? Madero? The bonds? At their house, the meals? The talks, the vision? The differing on methods? The falling out with Felipe and Teresa? The whipping sequence? Murders?

10. Villa and his battles, his methods, deaths? Sykes and his reporting of the battle of San Rosario? Madero and Mexico? His death, Villa and power?

11. Pascal, his orders, the clashes with Pancho Villa, Santa Rosario and his success, the politics with Madero? His murdering him? The groups? Villa and the previous humiliation by Pascal? The vengeance?

12. Villa, the bank robbery, his arrest? The possibility of execution? Madero taking his part? The note? The failure of communication?

13. Villa and the change in the revolution, in his methods, Felipe, Teresa’s death, the vengeful attitude of Felipe towards Villa? Tracking him, deceiving him? The assassins?

14. Mexico, Villa as president, his wanting to enact Madero’s laws, his style? The failure?

15. Villa bowing out, retiring to his estate? His assassination?

16. Villa and the historical achievement? The legend rather than the facts?