On 2010-02-04 Dr. James Gardner, California wrote: ´Viva Villa´ is one of the biographic historical films that were so popular in the 30s - ´The Private Life of Henry VIII´ (1933), ´Queen Christina´ (1933), ´Cleopatra´ (1934), ´Mutiny on the Bounty´ (1935), ´Rembrandt´ (1936), ´The Story of Louis Pasteur´ (1936), ´The Life of Emile Zola´ (1937), ´Young Mr. Lincoln´ (1939). The film confesses at the start that it is a fictional account, but in reality, it stays pretty much to script in portraying the major historical events, although the character profiles are a bit convoluted, perhaps because Villa himself had only been dead a few years (1923) and the Mexican revolution was still fresh in everyone´s mind (e.g., there had been sporadic uprisings as late as 1929, and Cardenas´ reign didn´t start until 1934).
´Viva Villa´ features Wallace Beery in the starring role. It was the second time Beery had played Villa, appearing in a 1917 silent 15 chapter serial entitled ´Patria´ that had been bankrolled by William Randolph Hearst. In 1934 Beery was at the height of his popularity, having starred in the popular ´Min and Bill´ (1930) and ´The Big House´ (1930) and won the Oscar for ´The Champ´ (1931). That same year he played Long John Silver in ´Treasure Island´ and he would continue for 15 more years and more than 20 films.
Beery plays Villa with his ´aw shucks´ characteristics, that really don´t give us a good portrait of Villa, who in fact was extremely clever. He also plays him as a womanizing drunk with a distinct sadistic streak (e.g., he buries an opponent alive in an ant hill). Nonetheless, Beery won the Venice Film festival best actor award and received an academy award nomination.
Leo Carillo co-stars as Beery´s sidekick, a role Carillo would hone to perfection as the sidekick to TVs Cisco Kid (1950 - 56). Interestingly enough, Carillo later played Villa in the 1949 ´Pancho Villa Returns.´
Other supporting actors include Fay Wray (of ´King Kong´ fame), Stu Erwin (TVs ´The Trouble with Father´), and Donald Cook (best known as Jimmy Cagney´s brother in ´Public Enemy´)
For 1934, ´Viva Villa´ has good sound and film quality. The film is directed by Jack Conway, a silent film director and written by the great Ben Hecht (´Front Page´, ´Stagecoach´, ´Some Like it Hot´, ´Gunga Din´, etc.). Hecht had 6 academy award nominations, including ´Viva Villa´ and won 2 times (´Underworld´ and ´The Scoundrel´). Howard Hawks made uncredited contributions to the direction and the writing early on (the film started in 1931 but took until 1934 to be released), and these are most evident in the action scenes which are exceptional for 1934.
The cinematography is by James Wong Howe, one of Hollywood´s best cameramen (nominated 8 times and won 2 times - ´Hud´ and ´The Rose Tatoo´). Howe´s characteristic use of dramatic lighting and unusual camera shots are well in evidence in ´Viva Villa´.
Personally, I prefer ´Viva Zapata´, a film that was inspired by ´Viva Villa´. But if you´re a Beery fan you will certainly enjoy this film.. And summed up by saying Not exactly history. Currently Viva Villa [VHS] has an overall rating of 6 over 10.
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