Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

TheLittleSongbird What drew me into seeing Juarez in the first place were the cast and that Korngold wrote the music. And while it is far from perfect, there are definitely a lot of good things. It does look exquisite, not just in the lavishly rendered costumes and sets but also in the sweeping cinematography. Korngold's score is splendid also, full of the rich and rousing melodies he is famous for, if not quite on the same level as the scores he did for Prince and the Pauper, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk and especially The Adventures of Robin Hood. The Mexican history is interesting and I did find it informative, and most of the acting is fine. In particular Bette Davis who is very compelling in her role, Brian Aherne's dignified Maximillian and Claude Rains who plays urbane better than anyone(except perhaps Cary Grant). Donald Crisp, Montagu Love and Joseph Calleia are excellent also. However there are debits, while the script is mostly literate it also suffers from being too talky and trying to tell us too much. The film is perhaps overlong, and is rather tedious in the pace at times. And two actors unfortunately didn't work for me. Paul Muni, wonderful in Scarface, The Good Earth and The Life of Emile Zola, not helped by very heavy make-up is far too stoic and stiff in the lead. And while he tries hard to give the honest intensity the small role of Porfirio Diaz, John Garfield just ended up being out of place. On the whole, a great cast, a splendid score and lavish production values are definite things to like, but Juarez is spoilt sadly by bad pacing, too much talk and two actors who don't convince as much as they should. 6/10 Bethany Cox

John T. Ryan Once again our cinematic travels take us to a film and an outstanding one, at that, which is located in the Time-Space continuum that we know as A.D. 1939. Whatever else happened in Our World that year; the situation in Hollywood was certainly favourable to spawning the very highest order of film. To this very day the phenomenon remains inexplicable.Just take a look at the list of outstanding titles which came out that great year to see what we are talking about. We have a roster, not by any ranking or preference that includes; but, is not necessarily limited to: GONE WITH THE WIND (Selznick/MGM), John Ford's DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (20th Century-Fox), THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (RKO Radio Pictures), THE CITIDEL (MGM), ZENOBIA (Hall Roach/United Artists) SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal), THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM) and Frank Capra's MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (Columbia).Even those films outside of the Feature Film category seemed to prosper. We saw shorts like The 3 Stooges' 2 reeler WE WANT OUR MUMMY (Columbia) and Chapter-Plays or Cliff-Hanger Serials like BUCK ROGERS (Universal) and the best of the genre, ZORRO'S FIGHTING LEGION (Republic); all adding in, even their own small measure, to the lush buffet of movies from which the public feasted and continues to do so even today.As for today's Guest Star, JUAREZ (Warner Brothers, 1939), we see what was no doubt, intended to be Warner Brother's shot at the Best Picture Oscar. Its epic story, its extra huge cast, its length at 137 minutes original release length, the top talent in both starring and supporting & character parts and its being a well written and close to reality historical drama, all are factors which added to the picture's stature.The story is that of that 5 year period of time between 1862 and 1867 during which Emperor Louis Napoleon (aka Napoleon III) of France invaded the United States of Mexico (Yeah Schultz, that's the full name of the Republic) and in attempt to re-establish French Colonial presence in the New World; he brought in Arch Duke Maximalian von Hapsburg of the ruling family of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to be Mexico's Emperor. The French had used a phony plebiscite (having the country's populous casting their votes, when the vast majority was illiterate). That trick served the purpose of convincing the super-honest Maximillian to take on the job. Max was top guy from April 10, 1864 to May 15, 1867.The rest of the story in the film concerns the struggle of the Mexican people to restore the Republic under duly elected Presidente, Senor Benito Juarez. Mentions are made of the Civil War in the United States of America, north of the border. Juarez is depicted as having a portrait of Abraham Lincoln in his mobile office and Mr. Juarez receives correspondence from Abe, who offers encouraging words.With the United States' being caught up in the Civil War and unable to put some teeth in the enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine, Senor Juarez knows he will have to continue on solo.Later, Juarez is shown as being personally and deeply upset when news of the Lincoln Assassination is received in the battlefield.There is a reference to the Battle of Puebla, May, 5, 1862 and its importance to the War's successful conclusion. (That is the origin of the Mexican Holiday of "Cinco de Mayo"; which is celebrated in an even grander scale than their Independence Day of September 16, 1810.) AS much as the film is action/event driven, the use of the properly intense performances by the fine Leads and supporting players. Paul Muni as Benito Juarez is quietly intense. He is obviously a Leader of Men who ponders all of the possible consequences. He displays the Wisdom that would only come with extensive experience in Public Office; which the Historic Juarez did posses.My own personal favourite scene is the one in which President Juarez walks head on into a cordon of Soldiers who were ordered to shoot him; but with all the seriousness he can muster on his stoic countenance, he stares them down; thus winning them over to his side.Betty Davis gives a fine, virtuoso performance; being the sort that she had been giving to audiences for nearly a decade by this time. As Princess Carlotta, then Empress Carlotta, she presents a complex, multi-faceted loving, yet disturbed young lady. Among her sorrows is the reality of being infertile and thus unable to provide an heir.The problem is solved when she and Maximilian agree to adopt a local Mexican boy; who was descended from a prior attempt at establishing an Empire in the Land South of the Border.Although the Film is entitled JUAREZ, it is s much of a story about the Hapsburg Archduke. Brian Ahern as Max provides us with the picture of an extremely Royal Looking man, who is well educated, well spoken, decent and kind, reverently God-fearing and reverent in his practice of his Roman Catholic faith. Maximilian is honest to a fault. When he discovers that he was duped into this Mexican Intrigue, he refuses to flee Mexico; standing by his loyal native supporters, even to the point of facing the Firing Squad with them.AS with most top tier productions, JUAREZ has a truly fine cast of supporting players. We are honored with the appearances by Claude Raines, Donald Crisp, Joseph Calleia, Gale Sondergaard, Gilbert Roland, Henry O'Neill, Noble Johnson Montagu Love and even good old Frank Lackteen.The film is not only exciting, entertaining and informant; but also bold in fearlessly meeting head on with issues like Racism and how being of a 100% Indian pedigree was a problem for the Great Mexican Statesman.

Keetoo Yes. Hollywood gets in the way of history, this is a movie from 1939 after all, but look at the selection of actors who gathered to do this. Muni, Raines, Davis, Aherne, Garfield, Roland, Crisp, Sondergaard!!! Each one as professional as the other, working together as a beautiful ensemble, with this story as a great platform for each of them. I loved the performances of Paul Muni and Brian Aherne. Some have said that these actors were wooden or sluggish, but I disagree! Both of these actors knew step by step of how their characters would act and react to the situations put before them and did it wonderfully. The two gems in this movie are the performances of Gilbert Roland and John Garfield. Their emotional responses, especially to the abdication of, and, subsequent execution of Maximilian are brilliant. Reading the "Trivia" section of this movie convinces me even more of how much thought went into the presentation of this motion picture...even when Hollywood in 1939 would be tempted to cut corners around historical facts. Movies were made with heart and hard work back then. They knew their craft.

richmx2 From "Pancho Villa Starring Himself" to "The Mexican" and the execrable "Man on Fire" (produced by an Englishman, from an Italian script loosely based on an incident in Columbia... reset in Mexico), Hollywood has never made a film about Mexico that doesn't fall back on clichés and cartoonish "gringo-centric" stereotypes. Despite some problems, Juarez is an honorable exception.The problem with the screenplay is that Bettina Harding bought the romantic, Euro-centric notion of Max and Carlotta as figures in a "tragic romance". They were patsies for Napoleon III's global ambitions (something the film does very well), but everyone in Mexico knows the two were complete fools who destroyed the economy, and hardly the loving couple depicted in the movie. Max was a syphilitic, pretentious twit. He neglected Carlotta (the "Casa Obvio", his summer house in Cuernavaca that he built, "forgetting" to include rooms for Carlotta is a popular tourist attraction now, and a botanical museum), had a son by his mistress, "la Bonita India" and -- infected his wife.The other reviewer is unintentionally misleading when he writes that Carlotta lived in seclusion for 60 years. She was bed-ridden most of the time, suffering tertiary syphilis, requiring round-the-clock medical care. She did indeed, like in the film, go bonkers -- but in the Vatican, not in a French palace. The Papacy was a major player in the geo-politics surrounding the Mexican adventure, but the film (perhaps wisely) simplifies the politics. But, what the hey -- it's Hollywood! It has the perfect cast for this kind of epic: who better to play stoic, long-suffering historical figures than Paul Muni? Who does devious Europeans better than Claude Raines and Donald Crisp? I really enjoy seeing Porfirio Diaz (who later seized the Mexican presidency in a coup, and maintained control for close to 35 years -- and is now a mixed figure in Mexican history, sort of like Lenin with the Russians, or Ataturk among the Turks) played by John Garfield. And who better to go completely bonkers and chew up the scenery than Bette Davis? By all means, watch the movie, but then read your Mexican history.