Review of Viva Zapata! (1952) by Orlok W — 10 Jul 2011

What would the world have been like without Eli Kazan? He was such a brilliant force in the film world and gave us several classics like A Streetcar Named Desire and On The Waterfront. Viva Zapata is one my father has been telling me about since I was a kid so I bought it for his a while back and now I have gotten around to watching it myself. It has much to admire especially if you already have a taste for Kazan's more famous work. Here he explores a newer, grittier story and gives Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn plenty of room and scenery to co-create another timeless film. I can't promise you that the make-up department didn't almost ruin this experience for me with their work on Brando's eyes, but I stuck through it and gave the seasoned film space to grow.

Brando plays Zapata, an unbendable and honest rebel with a cause. He is steadfast in land rights for his home of Mexico and all his fellows. When corruption rises to a new high, Zapata and his brother (played by Quinn) spring into action leading the revolution that overthrows the President. Once the dust settles, it seems that no one but Brando can resume the office to run it the right way, with the peoples best interest at heart. Things are not as easy as he thinks though, and who can be trusted? His friends? His brother? It is not a simple fix and when lines are crossed, sometimes they can't be uncrossed. Relationships change with the times and a man must make choices that effect his wife, his brother, and his own life. Brando puts his heart out on his sleeve here in a particularly personal feeling performance. It is not easy to watch him make the decisions he must sooner or later live with.

It's all Brando and Quinn here, using elements that Kazan has opened up for them. Quinn won the Oscar for Supporting Actor here as Zapata's brother. It is a performance that I would like to see again sometime to indulge it more. I didn't see the brotherhood electricity between the two main actors too much, but I liked how I saw them interact with the other cast members. At one point, Quinn is drunk and celebrating and tells one character that he loves him...but never liked him and to be human just for one night! I loved that scene almost as much as I loved the scene where Brando rewards a young boy with a gift of his choice. You have to see the film to find out what he picks and the reaction of Brando The Great. The whole picture was shot and released with a grand sense of realism that is rare in this day. Sadly, I fear that the western style film is fading fast so I am catching up on all the classics. The finale in Zapata is surely something that caused an uproar for some and disbelief in others, especially for its time. I for one appreciated the depth of the ending and the story behind the whole project. With a musical score to accompany the other fine ingredients, I must voice my approval here in respect to another excellent production by Eli Kazan.