Review of Viva Zapata! (1952) by Sarfaraz A — 07 Jan 2013

Viva Zapata! fictional-biographical film directed by Elia Kazan from the screenplay written by John Steinbeck. Starring Marlon Brando as Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, Anthony Quinns as Eufemio Zapata.

Zapata (Marlon Brando) a Mexican revolutionary along with his brother Eufemio (Anthony Quinn) efforts to free Mexico from the corrupt longtime dictator President Porfirio Díaz. After toppling Diaz, Zapata is dismayed to see that the replacing regime is no different from the previous. Zapata's own brother set himself up as petty dictator.

Elia Kazan's direction is superb, a genius who had previously worked on A Streetcar Named Desire (also starring Marlon Brando). Kazan's interest with Zapata grew with the author of The Grapes of Wrath, but thoughts of pro-communism and severed possible post-filming United States-Mexico relations forbade them from ever tackling this idea.

This was one of early works of Marlon Brando, who was young and zealous about method-acting from the beginning. Anyone who has previously seen Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, should visualize the critical performance from Brando in this highly anticipated biographical film on Zapata. Brando applies close to Mexican-accent, and mannerism. Brando received Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Typically, I was thrilled to see Anthony Quinn's one of finest performances in this film playing Eufemio Zapata (brother to Emiliano Zapata) - his excessive drinking, womanzing acts earned him Best Supporting Actor Oscar Award (which I believe he deserved more than anyone else at the time).

The movie begins with entertaining scene, throughout its duration. A well-accounted film depicting Zapata as an incorruptible rebel leader.