{"id":81644,"date":"2022-02-24T12:47:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T19:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81644"},"modified":"2022-02-24T12:47:03","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T19:47:03","slug":"viva-zapata-1952","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81644","title":{"rendered":"Viva Zapata! (1952)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be the conscience of the world; I don&#8217;t want to be the conscience of anybody.&#8221; <\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-81645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster-196x300.png 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster-668x1024.png 668w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster-176x270.png 176w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Poster.png 729w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen Mexican president Porfirio Diaz (Fay Roope) ignores complaints by peasants brought to him by revolutionary Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando), Zapata and his brother Eufernio (Anthony Quinn) join forces with Pancho Villa (Alan Reed) and Francisco Madero (Harold Gordon) to take over leadership &#8212; but as corruption and deaths continue, Zapata wonders what it will take to bring justice (and land) back to the peasants.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anthony Quinn Films<\/li>\n<li>Biopics<\/li>\n<li>Elia Kazan Films<\/li>\n<li>Historical Drama<\/li>\n<li>Jean Peters Films<\/li>\n<li>Marlon Brando Films<\/li>\n<li>Mexico<\/li>\n<li>Mildred Dunnock Films<\/li>\n<li>Revolutionaries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;controversial film about Mexican hero Emiliano Zapata&#8217;s&#8230; rise (or is it moral <em>decline<\/em>, as the film contends?) from peasant revolutionary leader to President and, following his voluntary abdication, return to the peasant movement&#8221; is &#8220;a fairly exciting action-adventure film,&#8221; but he notes that it&#8217;s &#8220;historically inaccurate&#8221; given that &#8220;Zapata never was President, [and] he was not illiterate.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-1024x747.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"467\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-1024x747.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-300x219.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-768x560.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5-370x270.png 370w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando5.png 1277w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary argues the film is &#8220;politically confusing,&#8221; noting that &#8220;Kazan and [screenwriter John] Steinbeck wanted to make an anti-communist tract, equating the Mexican revolution to what happened in Russia&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;while they get across their central theme that power corrupts <em>anybody<\/em>,&#8221; they &#8220;are also responsible for making viewers realize the necessity of <em>armed<\/em> insurrection in some countries, which is certainly a revolutionary stance for an American film.&#8221; He asserts that the &#8220;film is depressing because, while it shows that revolution is sometimes necessary, there can never be success because the leaders of a revolution will invariably sell out their followers.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-1024x742.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-1024x742.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-300x217.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-768x556.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers-373x270.png 373w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Followers.png 1277w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As someone unfamiliar with the complexities of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mexican_Revolution\">Mexican Revolution<\/a>, I watched this film less with an eye towards historical accuracy and more as a tale of a determined man-of-the-people rising to power, and the choices he must make once he&#8217;s &#8220;arrived&#8221;. To that end, Brando&#8217;s Oscar-nominated performance &#8212; which Peary refers to as &#8220;surprisingly subdued&#8221; (&#8220;probably because the corners of his eyes were glued down&#8221;) &#8212; is an interesting one. Even while courting his soon-to-be-wife (Jean Peters): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-1024x752.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"470\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-1024x752.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-768x564.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3-368x270.png 368w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Brando-Peters3.png 1273w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; he is deadly serious; however, once he realizes the political shenanigans he&#8217;s been caught up in, we can see a palpable shift occurring, as he understands he will need to make some challenging choices. <\/p>\n<p>Peary writes that the &#8220;film&#8217;s most striking scenes are those that show the peasants working together at revolutionary action&#8221;: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Peasants-Walking.png 1283w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and points out the &#8220;impressive outdoor photography by Joseph MacDonald.&#8221; This earnest biopic isn&#8217;t must-see viewing, but is worth a one-time look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marlon Brando as Emiliano Zapata (at least during the second half of the film)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-1024x701.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"438\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-1024x701.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-128x88.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-768x526.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9-394x270.png 394w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Still9.png 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine location shooting<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-1024x699.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"437\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-1024x699.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-300x205.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-128x87.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-768x525.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location-395x270.png 395w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Location.png 1363w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Joseph MacDonald&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-1024x734.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"459\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-1024x734.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-768x551.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema-377x270.png 377w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Cinema.png 1279w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-1024x743.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"464\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-81650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-1024x743.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-768x557.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves-372x270.png 372w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Viva-Zapata-Men-Like-Yourselves.png 1275w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though it&#8217;s worth a look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0045296\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1952\/02\/08\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-marlon-brando-plays-mexican-rebel-leader-in.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/viva-zapata\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/94890\/viva-zapata#articles-reviews?articleId=345965\">TCM Article<\/a><\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be the conscience of the world; I don&#8217;t want to be the conscience of anybody.&#8221; Synopsis: When Mexican president Porfirio Diaz (Fay Roope) ignores complaints by peasants brought to him by revolutionary Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando), Zapata and his brother Eufernio (Anthony Quinn) join forces with Pancho Villa (Alan Reed) and Francisco Madero (Harold Gordon) to take over leadership &#8212; but as corruption and deaths continue, Zapata wonders what it will take to bring justice (and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81644\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81644"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81662,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81644\/revisions\/81662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}