Viva Zapata!

"A BANDIT WHO BECAME A LEGEND! Roaring Story of Mexico’s Tiger on a White Horse!"

1952 1h 53m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 252

HistoryDramaWestern

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of president Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.

“A BANDIT WHO BECAME A LEGEND! Roaring Story of Mexico’s Tiger on a White Horse!”

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Cast

Marlon Brando
Emiliano Zapata
Jean Peters
Josefa
Anthony Quinn
Eufemio Zapata
Joseph Wiseman
Fernando
Arnold Moss
Don Nacio
Alan Reed
Pancho Villa
Margo
Soldadera
Harold Gordon
Madero

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: John Steinbeck
Languages: German, English, Italian
Countries: United States of America, Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Elia Kazan, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marlon Brando and Jean Peters and Anthony Quinn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A BANDIT WHO BECAME A LEGEND! Roaring Story of Mexico’s Tiger on a White Horse!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Elia Kazan directs. Joseph MacDonald behind the camera. Alex North scores. Barbara McLean cuts. Produced in United States of America, Mexico. Dialogue in German, English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

174 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, English, Italian.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.
4Directed by Elia Kazan, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Barbara McLean shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Marlon Brando and Jean Peters and Anthony Quinn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A BANDIT WHO BECAME A LEGEND! Roaring Story of Mexico’s Tiger on a White Horse!".
9IMDB entry: tt0045296 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "mexico", "usa president", "presidential election", "peasant".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald
Original score: Alex North
Editing: Barbara McLean
Costume design: Travilla
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Viva Zapata! (1952)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Elia Kazan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-06-22
Brando and Anthony Quinn as brothers during the Mexican Revolution In the Mexican state of Morelos, 1909-1911, Emiliano Zapata (Marlon) rises up as a leader of the revolution against dictator Porfirio Díaz, who supported the elites that monopolized land and water resources for sugarcane production. Zapata warily cooperates with candidate Francisco Madero, who was supported by Pancho Villa and made vague promises about land reform. "Viva Zapata" (1952) is a Western with the setting of the Mexican Revolution directed by the man who also teamed up with Brando for “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “On the Waterfront.” It was unfortunately made in B&W, but a colorized version is available for those interested (which is the version I watched). This was the first of four Westerns done by Brando, followed by “One-Eyed Jacks,” “The Appaloosa” and “The Missouri Breaks.” It’s superior to “Appaloosa,” but not great like “Jacks” or as creative as “Breaks” (and understandably so, since it’s based on history). Winsome Jean Peters is a highlight on the feminine front. To see what happens a decade after the events in this movie, check out "For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada” (2012), which chronicles the Cristero War. It runs 1 hour, 53 minutes, and was largely shot in Texas (Roma, Del Rio, Delores, San Ygnacio, Rio Grande City, McAllen and Laredo); as well as Durango, Colorado (the train sequences); New Mexico; and Century Ranch, Malibu Canyon, California. GRADE: B

Production companies