Marlon Brando plays Emiliano Zapata, a penniless peasant who, angered by government’s abuse of the people, becomes an outlaw, then a revolutionary leader, then a general and finally a president himself.
It all begins when he and other peasants complain to President Diaz about their fields being seized by powerful land barons. When Diaz does nothing, Zapata begins leading troops on behalf of Francisco Madero.
But Madero can’t live up to his promises either. And when he’s assassinated in a plot to overthrow the government, Zapata finds himself fighting another revolution to oust Gen. Huerto.
It’s successful, leaving two generals, Pancho Villa and Zapata in command of a country. Villa is tired of fighting and has no interest in governing, so Zapata steps into that role, until he finds himself becoming more and more like the men he replaced.
He heads home, where there’s more trouble. His brother Eufemio (Anthony Quinn) has been taking whatever he wants from whomever he wants, whether it be land or women. He’s angry that he’s helped win two revolutions and is still penniless.
He winds up dead, leaving Zapata to fend for himself when he once again finds himself declared an enemy of the Mexican government.
Review:
Well done bio-epic, with solid performances from Brando, in just his third starring role and fresh off his acclaimed performance in “Streetcar Named Desire” and Quinn, who won a supporting actor Oscar for his role.
Jean Peters plays the pretty merchant’s daughter who Zapata wants to marry, over her father’s objections. The scene in which he’s courting her is one of the film’s more light-hearted moments. But as Zapata’s wife, she winds up leading the very life she hoped to avoid.
John Steinbeck wrote the script for the film, which also marks the film debut for Henry Silva. He plays a peasant who shows up at the capitol to complain to President Zapata about the treatment of his people, just like Zapata had done years before.
Though the more flamboyant Pancho Villa was the topic of several films, this appears to be the only movie to date focused on the life of Zapata. Here, Villa is played by Alan Reed, who would go on to become the voice of TV’s Fred Flintstone.
Directed by
Elia Kazan
Cast:
Marlon Brando … Emiliano Zapata
Jean Peters … Josefa Zapata
Anthony Quinn … Eufemio Zapata
Joseph Wiseman … Fernando Aguirre
Alan Reed … Pancho Villa
Harold Gordon … Francisco Madero
Frank Silvera … Victoriano Huerto
Fay Roope … President Porfirio Diaz
Arnold Moss … Don Nacio
Margo … Soldadera
Florenz Ames … Senor Espejo
Mildred Dunnock … Senora Espejo
Lou Gilbert … Pablo Gomez
Richard Garrick … Old general
Runtime: 113 min.
Memorable lines:
President Diaz:, to peons complaining that their land is being stolen: “My children, I’m your father, your protector, your blood. But believe me, these matters take time. You must be patient.”
Emiliano Zapata: “With your permission, my president, we make our tortillas out of corn, not patience. And patience will not cross an armed and guarded fence. To do as you suggest, to verify those boundaries, we need your authority to cross that fence.”
Zapata: “What is wrong with me?”
Josefa: “That is not it. What would be wrong with me if I married you?”
Zapata: “What do you mean?”
Josefa: “That I have no intention of ending up washing clothes in a ditch and patting tortillas like an Indian.”
Zapata, when Senor Espejo declines to give his daughter’s hand in marriage: “What is wrong with me?”
Senor Espejo: “We have a proverb. Though we are all made of the same clay, a jug is not a vase.”
Eufemio Zapata as his brother courts Josefa : “I have loved with all my heart 100 women I never want to see again. And he is still after this one. It escapes me.”
Pablo Gomez, one of Zapata’s longtime allies, accused of treason: “A question beats in my head. Can a good thing come from a bad act? Can peace come from so much killing? Can kindness finally come after so much violence? Can a man, whose thoughts are born of anger and hatred … can such a man lead to peace? Can he govern in peace?”
Zapata to a group of peasants: “You’ve always looked for leaders, strong men without faults. There aren’t any. They’re only men like yourselves. They change. They desert. They die. There are no leaders but yourselves. A strong people is the only lasting strength.”
Old general: “They must have been very afraid of him. They shot him to ribbons.”
Fernando: “Well, that’s the end of that.”
Old general: “I don’t know. Sometimes a dead man can be a terrible enemy.”
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