Max Mex Movies Post VI: Juarez

In looking at films about the period of the second empire in Mexico one stands out from the rest and that is, of course, the 1939 classic “Juarez” starring Paul Muni in the title role, Brian Aherne as Emperor Maximilian, Bette Davis as Empress Carlota and featuring Claude Rains at his villainous best as Emperor Napoleon III, John Garfield as Porfirio Diaz, Donald Crisp as Marshal Bazaine and Gale Sondergaard as Empress Eugenie. Although by no means perfect this is probably the best film of the period yet made. One of the biggest flaws is the format itself; a bio-pic of the republican leader Benito Juarez. It was shot as essentially two movies and then cut together into a single piece but the film is easily dominated by the story of the ill-fated Maximilian and Carlota who easily overshadow the part of Juarez.

One of the interesting things about this movie is just how comparatively fair it is toward the Mexican Imperial couple. The only real villains are the French and that starts in the opening scene in which Napoleon III hatches a plan to thwart the spread of American democracy by establishing an empire in Mexico; an idea suggested by Empress Eugenie. The French engineer a fraudulent referendum to trick Maximilian into coming to Mexico to become Emperor and all the while Juarez opposes them all while making grandiose speeches about the superiority of democratic republicanism. It would have been a much better movie had they focused entirely on Maximilian and Carlota and, indeed, Paul Muni became alarmed at how much screen time Davis and Aherne had compared to himself and insisted on inserting more scenes of his own.

The problem there is that the scenes with Paul Muni are plodding, preachy and downright boring. Muni plays a convincing Juarez certainly, but his dignified stoicism makes him appear wooden and no sooner than he appears on screen one instantly becomes drowsy. Also, obviously playing to American audiences, the film goes over the top in associating Juarez with the deified American president Lincoln. In fact Juarez is rarely seen on screen without a conspicuous portrait of Lincoln in the background to remind everyone that ‘Juarez is the good guy’ just in case the viewers are being too much won over by the romantic idealists Maximilian and Carlota. He also gives a number of speeches about the benefits of republicanism which will only sway those audience members who know nothing about the history of Mexico. One of these speeches is given to Porfirio Diaz who was almost won over by the sincerity of Maximilian only to have Juarez ‘set him straight’ about the superiority of democracy. This is ironic for those who know Mexican history considering that Diaz himself rose to power by means of his association with Juarez only to become a dictator himself later in life.

Bette Davis as Empress Carlota is at her best in this movie, effectively portraying the ambitious, well meaning, sincerely devoted wife and consort who is finally driven over the edge into insanity by French betrayal. Bette Davis plays the part as only she can and her final scenes confronting Napoleon III must rank among the greatest work of her career. It is, however, Brian Aherne as Maximilian who steals the show, playing the part to perfection as a noble, high-minded idealist, somewhat innocent but totally fair and sincere. The defense he gives for monarchy is flawless, especially in light of the larger history of Mexico. Neither Maximilian or Carlota are vilified in this movie, which is refreshing, though liberties are taken with the truth to improve the image of Juarez. The withdrawl of support by the conservative party (unfairly portrayed as rather too villainous in my view) and the reluctance of Maximilian to take stern measures against the republicans are simplified but in general accurate.

The movie is not filmed on a grand scale, but done with enough talent that it does not really show. The republican bias is there, but is delivered in so ham-fisted a fashion it is easily dismissed by informed viewers and this, combined with the sympathetic portrayal of Max and Carla, comparitively accurate (such as showing the loyalty of men like generals Miramon and Mejia) views of the characters involved make it a film that monarchists can and will enjoy. The truth of Mexican history rather puts the lie to the arguments of Juarez, whereas the arguments of Maximilian in favor of monarchy still stand the test of time. A film highly recommended.

(now, breath a sigh of relief, the Max of Mexico movie review series is done!)

Max Mex Movies Post V: Veracruz

“Veracruz” was released in 1954 and starred Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Denise Darcel and Cesar Romero. Unlike many other films regarding the period of the second Mexican Empire, “Veracruz” is considered by many to be one of the greatest classic westerns of all time. It was also, as far as I know, the first such film to be shot on location in Mexico and the filmmakers make great use of the natural beauty of the landscape, even though it at times clashes with reality in the story (given the setting of the film we really should not have seen any pyramids) and also unlike many of its fellows it was shot on a truly grand and epic scale with a huge cast, big battle scenes and some great shots of the scenic castle of Chapultepec. It is also one of the films about the war in Mexico to actually feature Emperor Maximilian (played by George Macready) though it is, unfortunately, a small though important part and a grossly inaccurate portrayal of the man.

The movie also includes a list of truly legendary actors of the western genre in supporting roles such as Jack Elam, Ernst Borgnine and Charles Bronson. It also marked a new, more violent and gritty era in western films. The story follows former Confederate soldier Ben Trane (Gary Cooper) who goes to Mexico to find work as a mercenary and hopefully earn enough money to save his devastated plantation back in Louisiana. Along the way he meets up with the gang of Joe Erin (Burt Lancaster) who is very much the anti-hero, an aggressive, arrogant outlaw dressed in black which Lancaster plays to perfection as someone with some depth to him and wickedly cool. Although Erin and Trane are opposites they each recognize the abilities of the other and realize that, for the time being at least, they need each other.

The group is met by the Marquis Henri de Labordere (Cesar Romero -TV’s Joker from the old Batman series) who the pair describe as a shifty fellow with a crocodile smile though such a description could be applied to Lancaster’s character as well. The whole party is almost captured by a Juarista general but are thwarted by Joe Erin in a display of extreme potential viciousness which thankfully does not go as far as threatened. As usual the Juaristas are portrayed as simple, righteous peasants fighting the good fight against the oppressive Emperor. Unlike many such movies, although the French are referenced and French names are heard, French troops are not really seen and the focus is instead on the imperialist forces of Maximilian. That would be a welcome change but after the Marquis takes the group to Chapultepec to meet the Emperor we see that Maximilian is played as a callous schemer, seemingly genteel and refined on the surface but totally ruthless underneath. Of course, as all readers of this blog should know, that is the complete opposite of historical reality. Maximilian had not a malicious bone in his body and rather than being untrustworthy was far too trusting of those around him who did not always deserve it.

Maximilian enlists Trane, Erin and crew to escort the Countess Duvarre (Denise Darcel) to Vera Cruz as she insists on returning to Paris. However, along the way it is discovered that the Countess and the Marquis are harboring a secret; a French payroll in gold. As expected the outlaws, Juaristas and Imperialistas end up fighting over the loot. Trane and Erin do not trust each other, with good reason, for Erin and the Countess are also plotting to abscond with the loot though it means the Countess must betray her beloved Marquis who is staunchly loyal to the Emperor; but then the Marquis is not quite the dupe others take him for either. It all ends in an epic battle at Vera Cruz for the gold, a feature which is so common in films about the Mexican Empire that the uninformed might think Maximilian was made of money rather than being perpetually cash-strapped. We also get the usual inaccuracies of hopeless saintly portrayals of the Juaristas, the imperialists portrayed as dastardly villains and once again the Imperial troops are given a Gatling gun (never ceases to baffle me).

Those, sadly but truly, are the rule rather than the exception with these movies but putting the unavoidable prejudices aside “Veracruz” is a great movie and one of my favorites. It would be worth viewing simply for the performances of Cooper and Lancaster and the great visuals, the epic scale and glittering style of it. I’m always up for a good cavalry charge and this movie delivers with racing Mexican lancers in shining breastplates and helmets, shoot-outs with Maximilian’s Palatine Guard and they throw in just a splash of humor and romance but never enough to detract from the primary story which is something few films today seem to be able to accomplish. So, to sum up, aside from the usual unavoidable aggravating inaccuracies the performances are great, the visuals are epic, the story is exciting and will keep your attention. All in all one of my favorites and certainly one of the all-time great westerns.

Max Mex Movies Post IV: The Undefeated

"The Undefeated" came out in 1969 and was directed by John Ford student Andrew V. McLaglen. It is a fairly unambitious but still entertaining movie that starts just as the American Civil War is ending. John Wayne stars as Union Colonel John Henry Thomas who resigns from the army after the war and takes his remaining men out west to round up wild mustangs to sell to the US Army as a way of repaying his men for their wartime service. They are joined by a number of Indians recruited by his adopted Indian son Blue Boy. When government agents try to cheat them they accept a better offer from the representatives of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico to get top dollar in return for driving the herd to Mexico. The federal agents try to stop them but are unsuccessful.

While driving the herd into Mexico they cross paths with a group of former Confederates and their families led by Colonel James Langdon (Rock Hudson). Unwilling to admit defeat and angered by scalawags and Yankee carpetbaggers taking over the south the group packed up to head for Mexico. When Thomas finds them they are on their way to Durango where they will enter the service of Emperor Maximilian. The Yankees help their former Confederate foes fight off a bandit attack (all parties using weapons that are totally historically inaccurate) and to celebrate the Confederates invite the Yankees to a 4th of July party (rather odd considering that the south did not celebrate the 4th again until World War I as it marked the day the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi was starved into submission) and a violent but still good natured brawl finishes the day off.

This point also sees the start of a painfully absurd effort at a romantic subplot between Blue Boy and the Confederate colonel's daughter Charlotte -the less said about that the better. The two sides part on friendly terms though trouble is in the air when the bodies of the French troops sent to escort the Confederates are found slaughtered by the Juaristas by Colonel Thomas. Nonetheless they push on to Durango where they are welcomed by one General Rojas (Tony Aguilar) with a mariachi band playing a Latino version of "Dixie". However, at the height of the celebration the flags change and Rojas reveals that he is actually a Juarista. He takes all the Confederates prisoner and threatens to massacre them all, soldiers and civilians alike, unless Langdon can convince Thomas to turn over his herd of horses to the Juaristas. The French find out about this and naturally try to stop Thomas from turning the animals over to the enemy.

This is where the republican bias makes for some confusion. The unseen Emperor Maximilian has been nothing but honest and generous with all parties whereas the republican revolutionaries are shown executing French prisoners, blackmail Thomas and threaten the mass murder of all of Langdon's people after kidnapping them by deception. Despite all of this they still try to portray Rojas as a basically good guy rather than a villain -which obviously doesn't really work. Reluctant as they try to make Rojas theft, blackmail and the threat of mass murder is simply not something I would think most viewers could get past. However, this is a movie without any real villains other than the bandits. Some minor efforts are made to make the French seem wicked but we never actually see them do anything wrong. Both sides, north and south, are portrayed sympathetically when it comes to the Americans though they do have to make one of the Confederates a jerk.

On the whole, "The Undefeated" is a good, entertaining little western though it does have its annoyances and the usual inaccuracies. I found the ending most absurd of all as they try to have everyone part as friends and given the actions of General Rojas mentioned above I simply cannot see that happening in real life. But, of course, this is a western and not real life. Wayne and Hudson give their typically good performances, there is some humor splashed throughout though I will assume it was unintended that I laughed at the fight scene between Thomas and Langdon when John Wayne, the quintessential macho-man American, gets punched in the face by the gayest man in Hollywood of his day. As I said, I think it is a good movie, not a great one, but for what it is "The Undefeated" is a fine little western that probably gives a more accurate portrayal of the Juarez/Maximilian struggle than the filmmakers intended.

Max Mex Movies Post III: Major Dundee

"Major Dundee" was released in 1965, directed by the late, great Sam Peckinpah and stars Charleton Heston and Richard Harris. Usually cited as an example of a "flawed masterpiece" the movie had a great many troubles and Peckinpah broke many of his own rules in making it, such as starting filming without a finished script and thus having to 'make it up as he went'. He was also hamstrung by the big shots at Columbia and himself became quite literally over-intoxicated with Mexico while shooting on location that he was out of action for a while; an episode which manages to make it into the movie. Nonetheless, having Peckinpah's name attached to it alone would be enough to warrant the film a second look.

Major Amos Dundee, the title character, played by Charleton Heston who is at his best, is a southern-born Unionist officer in the American War Between the States. Because of some trouble at the battle of Gettysburg he is cast off to command a prison-fort on the remote New Mexico frontier where one of his prisoners is a former friend turned bitter enemy named Captain Benjamin Tyreen, an Irish Confederate cavalryman played to great effect by Richard Harris. When Apaches attack a Union column at a nearbye ranch, slaughtering the adults and kidnapping the children, Major Dundee hopes to win glory and the good graces of his superiors by bringing the Indians to heel. To do this he takes volunteers from his own command, recruited outlaws and renegades as well as a large number of Confederate prisoners -obviously not a command born to operate efficiently or with great esprit d'corps.

The Apaches have gone to Mexico and Dundee and his mixed column pursue them where they are bound to become embroiled in the on-going war between the French and the Juaristas. James Coburn makes a good appearance as a grizzled scout and many other familiar faces will be noticed from the western genre, even Slim Pickens showing up. As with all Peckinpah films it has a gritty realism about it and plays out as a sort of "Moby Dick" type story on horseback. The plot does tend to wander off from time to time and we must endure a slight romantic subplot that seems to exist for no other reason than to have a woman in the picture. All the while enduring the tensions within their own command Dundee and company pursue the Apaches, liberate a Mexican village from the French, living off the enemy for their supply and the "good guys" do not always win.

There are some inaccuracies as usual and like many of these types of movies "Major Dundee" shows the conflict in Mexico in nationalistic terms as Mexicans vs. the French. The only mention of Emperor Maximilian is his name on the infamous "Black Decree" which is displayed next to some executed Mexican villagers. Dundee loses heart at one point and it takes his enemy Tyreen to motivate him to continue on with his expedition. Because of the way the story wanders off course occasionally some might be let down by the final confrontation with the Apaches after which the troops must only deal with the French in order to get back to Texas. It does have its flaws, but for me, the erratic nature of it tends to add something of the surreal nature of the conflict on the fringes of the second Mexican Empire.

"Major Dundee" is not an excellent movie, but it should be kept in mind that this was only Peckinpah's second major film effort and he learned alot from it. There are things I don't like about it but the shooting is great, the main players give great performances and it has a rough realism that many of the classic "cavalry" pictures lack. So, on the whole, I would recommend it for those interested in the Mexican Empire period, the western genre and Peckinpah fans have probably seen it already. I would suggest viewing the new extended version which, even if not correcting all of the flaws at least has a much better score to offer.

Max Mex Movies Post II: Two Mules for Sister Sara

“Two Mules for Sister Sara” was released in 1970, directed by Don Siegel and starred Shirley MacLaine and Clint Eastwood. The movie was filmed in Mexico and was one of those cases of an original story changed almost beyond recognition from the final film that appeared on screen. Budd Boetticher wrote the original screenplay and was extremely displeased with the result after Albert Maltz got done with it. I would say why, but would spoil it for those who have not seen the movie and might like to. It is the story of an American gun for hire who falls in with a nun during the French intervention in Mexico.

Clint Eastwood is Hogan, a Civil War veteran with an agreement with a Juarista colonel to help destroy a French fort at Chihuahua in return for a share of the gold in the strongbox there. Along the way he meets Sister Sara (Shirley MacLaine) who he saves from being gang raped by four drunken outlaws (Americans oddly enough). Once that escapade was dealt with Sister Sara appeals for Hogan’s help again when the French cavalry show up, telling him that she is wanted by the French for raising money for the Juarista army. Even after that threat is avoided, Hogan cannot seem to shake the persistent sister who insists on going along with him, for reasons which will become clear in the end.

As it turns out Sister Sara used to live in Chihuahua and has detailed knowledge of the French garrison, which she predicts will be uselessly drunk celebrating Bastille Day which is coming up. The two make an unlikely pair and there are numerous humorous moments between them. It is a good, simple action western with plenty of scrapes as the two repeatedly save each other from encounters with the French. As usual, the Juaristas are the good guys and the French are the bad guys and there is the obligatory scene of a French firing squad executing someone. In fact, of all the movies I’ve seen about the 2nd Empire period all of them have scenes of firing squad executions, only one of which was a republican firing squad executing a batch of Frenchmen (don’t worry, we are assured in that film that they deserved it whereas the Juaristas never do of course). Given the portrayal of the two sides it is probably fortunate that Emperor Maximilian, best as I recall, is never even mentioned. The war is portrayed simply as one of Mexicans fighting the French who want to "make Mexico one of their colonies".

Some might be put off by certain things, and as usual I will choose to ignore the historical inaccuracies and, as usual, giving the French troops a Gatling gun. One of the things I liked best about it was the musical score, much of which consists of Mexican guitars and Catholic chant. The acting is good, Eastwood, as usual is in his element as the rough, western loner and the scenic shots are great. There is a surprise ending you might not see coming and then of course is the final climactic battle between the Juaristas and the French garrison. On the whole it is, in my view, a good little western, not spectacular but as I’ve said I’m drawn to the time and place of the setting so I take the good and the bad as they come. I will not give away the ending but, naturally, what chance does the French Foreign Legion have against Clint Eastwood? One of the taglines of the movie (obviously drawing on Eastwood’s earlier fame in westerns) was: The “Man with no name” returns to take on an entire army with two guns and a fistful of dynamite.

Max Mex Movies Post I: Adios Sabata

The so-called "spaghetti westerns" are not everyone's cup of tea, but I like them and the film "Adios Sabata" of 1971 stands out in many ways. The film was directed by Gianfranco Parolini, produced by Alberto Grimaldi and stars Yul Brynner as "Sabata". It was not made to be a sequal to the previous "Sabata" movie starring Lee Van Cleef but was so popular in Europe and so similar that it was re-packaged as one with the Brynner's character (originally named Indio Black) being renamed "Sabata". Filmed in Spain it is set in the Second Mexican Empire with a focus on the Austrian Corps. In fact, so little of the French is seen in this movie one would be tempted to think it was the Austrians who had conquered Mexico. Like most, if not all, of these movies, the imperialistas are definitely portrayed as the 'bad guys' and the Juaristas as the heroes. Like most Maximilian is not seen (other than his portrait) and like most the uniforms are all wrong, the weapons totally wrong and so on, but things like that (like Maximilian's army having gatling guns!) have to be put aside because almost every movie of this period have these same mistakes each and every time.

Yul Brynner is Sabata, a soldier of fortune who his hired by the Juaristas to steal a treasure in gold from the Austrian Colonel Skimmel (played by Gerard Herter) who is the drippingly evil villain of the movie. He has a colorful gang of Mexican revolutionaries to assist him as well as a 'wild card' American named Ballantine (played by Dean Reed). The gold is then supposed to be taken to Kingsville, Texas to buy guns for the revolutionary cause -though that sort of gets lost in the shuffle at times. Colonel Skimmel is no easy prey however, being a very shifty fellow himself, who may have his own designs on the treasure purportedly for the cause of Maximilian. There is a lot of action in the movie, a lot of intrigue and a little humor, mostly from the character of Escudo, played very well by Ignazio Spalla.

There are alot of twists and turns, many of them unnecessary in all honesty, but it does keep you guessing, keep you paying attention and it's all in good fun anyway. Some aspects do get pretty close to crossing the line of absurdity though. Sabata's costume makes him look like some sort of 70's frontier version of Elvis, "Septiembre" (Sal Borgese) killing people by flinging balls off the toe of his boot was a bit absurd and I thought the 'Flaminco dance of death' which happens two or three times was a bit on the silly side. I'm sorry but I cannot conjure up feelings of dread when someone is dancing the Flaminco -maybe it's just me. The Austrian spies should probably not be shamed too much for constantly failing considering that they all have blonde hair and wear black frock coats and black bowler hats walking around northern Mexico -sort of stick out like sore thumbs. Just to make sure you know who the bad guy is and that he is an Austrian they put them all in white tunics and give the colonel a Franz Josef-style set of whiskers and a monacle for good measure. The feel of the movie is very spaghetti western in the sound, the score, the setting and so on; if you don't like the genre be forewarned!

There is not a whole lot of character development, but if there were it would take away from the constant surprises or near surprises -you never know who you can trust in this movie. Again, given that these movies always portray the side I prefer as the 'bad guys' I still like it and find it a fun, entertaining movie -though I am a sucker for spaghetti westerns and any film set in Maximilian's Mexico. Others might be inclined to be less kind and though I wish I could try to unravel the plot, it would be impossible to do so without giving alot a way. As far as I know this is the only "Max Mex" western to feature the Austrians. This was good at least for a change (they get nothing at all 'right' about them) but given that and the number of films that feature the French as the bad guys I am still watching and waiting for a movie to show the little Belgian Legion in a prominent role. Anyway, that's "Adios Sabata" in a nutshell and there will be more reviews to come in this series on the movies dealing with Maximilian's Mexico. Adios!