BANDIDO

US, 1956, 92 minutes, Colour.
Robert Mitchum, Ursula Thiess, Gilbert Roland, Zachary Scott, Rodolfo Acosta.
Directed by Richard Fleischer.

Bandido is a western set in Mexico, during the revolution of 1916. It shows different factions in the civil war and American support.

Robert Mitchum appears as an arms dealer who favours the rebels. Zachary Scott portrays a mercenary who is interested in capturing the arms owned by Wilson (Mitchum’s character?) and selling them off. Ursula Thiess is his wife and Gilbert Roland portrays a colonel.

The film is full of action, the war in Mexico, the deals with the arms dealer, the attacks by the mercenary.

While the material is generally standard, it is directed with verve by Richard Fleischer who began with small-budget films including The Narrow Margin, moved to more ambitious films with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and over a long period directed a number of different genre pictures very effectively ranging from The Vikings, to Compulsion, to Barabbas, to Fantastic Voyage, to Conan the Destroyer.

1. The quality of this Western? Entertainment? Message ? on the human level, the West, Mexico and war?

2. Audience expectations from the Mexican 1916 setting? The introductory caption? The politics of Mexico and revolution? International intervention especially with arms? American profiteers and adventurers? being involved? Usual material, different?

3. Cinemascope and colour photography, Mexican locations, rousing music etc? Battle sequences and special effects?

4. The historical situation? Was sufficient given about the background of war in Mexico? The government and the soldiers and their attitudes? Escobar and his warring against the government? The involvement of the Americans for example Wilson and his attitude, Kennedy and his attitude, his wife? The attitude of the American government towards this involvement? Their behaviour, the clashes, the violence, Wilson and his attitudes being changed by Liza? His consequent helping of her and action against Kennedy?

5. Robert Mitchum and his style as the hero of this film? His involvement, plans, deals? Showing him as so cool within the battle sequences? Encounter with Escobar? The change with Lisa and his behaviour? Antagonism towards Kennedy? How did his approach to life and war and greed change? His strengths and weaknesses?

6. The comparison with Kennedy? As wealthy, going to Mexico, plans? His imprisonment, confrontation and death? Lisa in association with him? The villain of the piece?

7. Lisa as heroine? Bonds with Kennedy, with Wilson? Conventional heroine?

8. Escobar and his character. attitude towards the Americans, government, his men?

9. The set pieces of confrontations. violence, battles?

10. Themes of government, revolution, justice? Arms. greed, manipulation and exploitation? Violence?

11. How satisfactory an ending and resolution of action and themes?