Viva Zapata!

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1 hr. 53 min.

Biography

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56%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Mexican rancher Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando) becomes a revolutionary when corrupt President Porfirio Diaz (Fay Roope) ignores the needs of his people. Zapata, his brother Eufemio (Anthony Quinn) and northern rebel Pancho Villa (Alan Reed) band together behind Diaz's political opponent, Francisco Madero (Harold Gordon). But when Madero's administration, particularly General Victoriano Huerta (Frank Silvera), proves just as corrupt as the one it replaced, Zapata is spurred to further action.

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StephenPaul C

The greatest 01 hour: and 53 minutes based on a true story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/10/23

Full Review

Steven M

The Mexican Revolution, which took place from 1910 to 1920, had a profound impact on Mexican society and politics, and its legacy can still be felt today. Here are a few key aspects of the legacy of the Mexican Revolution: Land reform: One of the most important legacies of the Mexican Revolution was its impact on land ownership. Before the revolution, the vast majority of land in Mexico was owned by a small group of wealthy landowners, while the majority of Mexicans lived in poverty and had little access to land. The revolution led to a significant redistribution of land, with the government expropriating large estates and distributing the land to peasants and small farmers. This policy helped to reduce inequality and create a more egalitarian society. Political reform: The Mexican Revolution also had a major impact on Mexican politics. The old system of dictatorship and oligarchy was overthrown, and a new constitution was drafted in 1917 that established a democratic system of government. The constitution included protections for workers, peasants, and indigenous people, and established a system of checks and balances that limited the power of the executive branch. Cultural identity: The Mexican Revolution also helped to create a sense of national identity and pride in Mexico. The revolution was fueled by a desire to create a more just and equitable society, and many of the symbols and slogans of the revolution, such as the image of Emiliano Zapata and the phrase "Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Liberty), continue to be important symbols of Mexican identity. Social and economic progress: The Mexican Revolution also led to significant progress in social and economic areas, such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure. The government invested in public services and infrastructure, and established programs to improve public health and education. These policies helped to improve the lives of millions of Mexicans and set the stage for future social and economic progress. Overall, the legacy of the Mexican Revolution is a complex and multifaceted one, but it is clear that the revolution had a profound impact on Mexican society and politics, and helped to create a more just and equitable society for millions of people.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Audience Member

An entertaining film about of history I didn't know anything about. However, though Brando tries his best, he is woefully miscast as Zapata. I enjoyed the story of the film where Zapata fights for his people's land but then becomes part of the government that ignores the people's pleas. Zapata's confrontation with his brother was well-written and well-acted by Anthony Quinn. However, the shoot-out was confusingly shot, which was odd as most of the shot-outs in the film had good cinematography. The film is notable for being one of the few films scripted by John Steinbeck, but, although the story has similarities with Steinbeck's literary works (i.e. poor working class people looking for a better life), the writing was nothing of note. Brando was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar but lost to Gary Cooper. Out of the other nominees, I've only seen Kirk Douglas in The Bad and the Beautiful and his performance was leagues better than Brando's. Quinn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar but, although Quinn's performance was better than Hunnicutt's acting in The Big Sky, I thought Richard Burton's performance was better in My Cousin Rachel. Steinbeck was nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar which I don't think was deserved, but I haven't seen the other nominated films in that category. Overall, Viva Zapata! was an entertaining film with some good acting and some beautiful cinematography but some pacing issues and a bland screenplay did hurt the film's overall quality.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Miscast, overacted specially Brando with too his too emotional act. Somehow I find this film a bad representation of its story. The fighting was ok and the cinematography was delightful, still not enough to make it a honourable.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

steve d

The weak script dooms it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I liked the film a lot. At first, I thought this film was going to be some zaney comedy or something with Brando wearing a sombrero and the title saying live shoes. Then I realized quickly it was a dramatic autobiographical pic about a Mexican revolutionary leader. I learned a lot too about Mexican history from this one. The film def should've used more Latinos, but Brando does a great job in this one as the lead. Brando seemed born to play this role-good-looking, hot tempered man, trouble by his own fate. IRL I believe Brando was much more troubled by his own demons than his destiny, but he does good playing troubled characters. The man led a rough life with no real peace and the film seems to oversimplify, but the main points get through-power corrupts and live for your ppl in ur life not power. He is shown as a good leader and important to the Mexican revolution, a martyr for the cause of the peasants. The poor fighting the rich will always seem to be a battle unfort.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Elia Kazan

Director

Marlon Brando

Emiliano Zapata

Jean Peters

Josefa Zapata

Anthony Quinn

Eufemio Zapata

Joseph Wiseman

Fernando Aguirre

Arnold Moss

Don Nacio

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Variety Staff

Variety

Elia Kazan's direction strives for a personal intimacy but neither he nor the John Steinbeck scripting achieves in enough measure.

Nov 1, 2007

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

The direction and John Steinbeck's script seem stranded in a no man's land between straightforward adventure and a pessimistic allegory about the corrupting nature of power.

Jan 26, 2006

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Throbs with a rare vitality, and a masterful picture of a nation in revolutionary torment has been got by Director Elia Kazan.

Rated: 4/5

May 20, 2003

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Eve Tushnet

Patheos

I mostly didn’t care for Brando’s performance or the execrable, preachy script by John Steinbeck, and these actually good scenes felt like punctuation marks rather than the substance of the film.

Oct 21, 2022

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Rosa Parra

Latinx Lens

When a film about the Mexican revolution focuses on Zapata's illiteracy instead of his actions to confront a dictatorship goes to show how Hollywood wants to depict Mexicans. Brando as Zapata, no thank you. Quinn makes this film slightly tolerable.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 3, 2021

Full Review

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

"Viva Zapata!" is one of those films that, while it continues to have impressive aspects, just doesn't hold up as well as it did when it was first made. You find yourself wishing it were in widescreen, and that they had hired at least ONE Latino actor.

Rated: 6/10

May 11, 2013

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Synopsis

Mexican rancher Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando) becomes a revolutionary when corrupt President Porfirio Diaz (Fay Roope) ignores the needs of his people. Zapata, his brother Eufemio (Anthony Quinn) and northern rebel Pancho Villa (Alan Reed) band together behind Diaz's political opponent, Francisco Madero (Harold Gordon). But when Madero's administration, particularly General Victoriano Huerta (Frank Silvera), proves just as corrupt as the one it replaced, Zapata is spurred to further action.

Director: Elia Kazan
Screenwriter: John Steinbeck
Distributor: 20th Century Fox, Key Video
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Genre: Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2012
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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