''Let's Go with Pancho Villa'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Vámonos con Pancho Villa'') is a Mexican

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

directed by

Fernando de Fuentes Fernando de Fuentes Carrau (December 13, 1894 – July 4, 1958) was a Mexican film director, considered a pioneer in the film industry worldwide. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''El prisionero trece'', ''El compadre Mendoza'', a ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

, the last of the director's '' Revolution Trilogy'', besides ''

El prisionero trece ''Prisoner 13'' (Spanish: ''El prisionero trece'') is a 1933 Mexican film. It was directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Plot The film is a part of the trilogy of films made by Fernando Fuentes concerning the Mexican Revolution, the other two films ...

'' and ''

El compadre Mendoza ''Godfather Mendoza'' (Spanish: ''El compadre Mendoza'') is a 1934 Mexican film. It was directed by Fernando de Fuentes, and is the second of his '' Revolution Trilogy'', preceded by ''El prisionero trece'' (1933) and followed by '' Vámonos con ...

''. Like the previous films in the trilogy, the film is critical towards propagandist views of the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

by portraying the conflicts as a tragic series of events within Mexican history, emphasized by the characterization of its titular character, general

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

, being depicted as a cruel leader instead of a national

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

. The movie is thought to have been the first Mexican super-production and led to the

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...

of the film company that made it.

Plot

Villa was portrayed by

Domingo Soler Domingo Díaz Pavia (17 April 1901 – 13 June 1961), better known by the stage name Domingo Soler, was a Mexican actor and occasional screenwriter of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. He appeared in over 150 films and wrote the screenplays for 2 ...

. Directed by

, the film tells the story of a group of six friends, or ''rancheros'', who hear about the revolution and Villa and decide to join him, only to suffer the cruel reality of

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

under the command of an apathetic Villa who, despite the observed horror of war, simply does not care about his men. The movie has two endings: the original ending shows the last surviving friend returning to his home, disenchanted with both Villa and the Revolution. The second ending, discovered many years later, returns to the same scene ten years later, when an old and weakened Villa tries to recruit the last survivor again; when the father hesitates as he does not want to leave his wife and daughter behind, Villa kills the wife and daughter. The angry father then tries to kill Villa, before another man shoots the father dead. Villa takes the sole survivor, the son, with him.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times Daily Mirror described the movie as "a bleak film of increasingly senseless violence". In a mostly negative review, the author (writing anonymously as they have since left the LA Times) criticizes the lack of character definition in the movie, describes camera movements as "so rough it could be a documentary" and the score to be almost imperceptible several times throughout the movie. Writing for Slant Magazine, in a more positive review, Aaron Cutler describes the movie's production as "quick, fluid movement, lots of music, smooth unassuming transitions, clean sound, rapid action, and extended colloquial humor". However, he criticizes the dialogue as being typically Hollywood, with dramatic and unrealistic lines that lead the audience to be enamored by the emotion behind the dialogue, rather than the fact. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, the 2010 New York Film Festival showcased ''Let's Go with Pancho Villa'' as one part of a de Fuentes' movie trilogy depicting the Revolution.

Background

Though it was a sizable financial failure when released, interest and professional appreciation of the film experienced a resurgence in the late sixties. Today, it is considered one of the best movies of

Mexican cinema The cinema of Mexico dates to the late nineteenth century during the rule of President Porfirio Díaz. Seeing a demonstration of short films in 1896, Díaz immediately saw the importance of documenting his presidency in order to present an ...

, both for its approach to the theme and its technical merits. In 1994, a list of the 100 best films of Mexican cinema was published by ''Somos'' magazine: "Let's Go with Pancho Villa" was the number one film on the list. It stands apart among the many movies made about Villa in that it portrays the man and the Revolution in its cruelty; most other films, like those by

Ismael Rodríguez Ismael Rodríguez (October 19, 1917 – August 7, 2004) was a Mexican film director. Rodríguez rose to fame due to the movies he directed starring Pedro Infante, and directed many major stars, including Dolores del Río, María Félix, Tos ...

in the 1960s, take an almost idyllic view of both, following the official (government)

mythos Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

. "Let's Go with Pancho Villa" was revered for its derisive interpretation of the Mexican government and thematic emphasis on the benefit of peace to the individual citizen. The movie's soundtrack was composed by

Silvestre Revueltas Silvestre Revueltas Sánchez (December 31, 1899 – October 5, 1940) was a Mexican classical music composer, a violinist, and conductor. Life Revueltas was born in Santiago Papasquiaro in Durango, and studied at the National Conservatory of Mu ...

, who makes a

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

. The score was another appeal to critics during the sixties' revival of the film. The Mexican government contributed the military equipment and soldiers.

References

External links

Movie review
. * {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2020 1936 films Mexican black-and-white films 1936 drama films Films shot in Mexico 1930s Spanish-language films Films about Pancho Villa Mexican Revolution films Films directed by Fernando de Fuentes Films scored by Silvestre Revueltas Mexican drama films 1930s Mexican films

Plot

Reception

Background

See also

References

External links