Search - Let's Go With Pancho Villa on DVD

LA PELICULA MAS IMPORTANTE HECHA EN MEXICO

I. Venegas | Hacienda Heights, CA USA | 11/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finalmente esta obra maestra de Fernando de Fuentes esta disponible en DVD. Considerada como la pelicula mas importante que haya producido Mexico segun la revista Somos, Vamonos con Pancho Villa nos cuenta las aventuras de seis hombres de la provincia mexicana que deciden dejar sus casas para unirse al ejercito de Pancho Villa. Juntos encuentran la crudeza y realidades de una guerra civil. Uno a uno va pereciendo con mas pena que gloria, hasta que el ultimo de ellos ya totalmente desilusionado de la lucha y sus circunstancias decide regresar a casa.
Hay algunas deficiencias en el sonido de esta produccion, pero poder disfrutar un clasico de esta magnitud finalmente en DVD lo justifica totalmente.
Ojala y Cinemateca obtenga el exito que merece con estos trabajos y siga dandonos la oportunidad de disfrutar de este tipo de peliculas."

Excelente película

Alvaro Diaz | Ensenada, BC México | 02/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Un clásico del cine mexicano, durante muchos años no tuvimos la fortuna de ver esta pelicula en formato digital.
Una pelicula que nos muestra parte de la historia de México, pero lo más significativo para mí es la banda sonora, ya que fue compuesta por el músico Silvestre Revueltas, quien por cierto aparece en la película como el pianista de la cantina, siendo el único documento en película que tenemo de él.
una excelente pelicula, buena fotografía y música y divertidas actuaciones."

One of the Best Mexican Films of All Time

Bertin Ramirez | San Ysidro, California United States | 07/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is currently considered the best Mexican film of all time by a prestigious poll taken by the magazine SOMOS. The film deals primarily with the disenchantment that overcame the Mexican people after the Revolution, which was very risky at the time because the film was made less than 15 years after that war had ended, which meant that this was basically the first film that dealt directly with the questioning of the morality of the methods and ideals that were implemented during the Mexican revolution. The movie was a big financial flop when it came out, I guess nobody considered this entertainment, especially since the memories were still so fresh for so many Mexican families. This fact nearly ruined the director's (Fernando De Fuentes) career, if it wasn't for the release of 'Alla en el Rancho Grande', that same year which was a big financial success but ironically the complete opposite of this film (this being an astute critical vision of the Mexican revolution and the other being a quite commercially complacent vision of Mexican rural life).

Going into the details of the movie itself, it is basically the story of a group of brave countrymen who call themselves 'Los Leones de San Pablo' who join up with Pancho Villa's army. After surviving significant battles, the group is reduced to only two, with a quietly devastating final sequence. The film is filled with many small unforgettable sequences, and the mood that is permeated throughout is that of slow disillusionment and disenchantment of the reasons why these countrymen left their homes, friends and family to join a revolutionary movement based on ideals that were slowly corrupted and finally tore down by the methods of Villa. Both the performances (by the great Domingo Soler as Pancho Villa and Antonio Frausto as the leader of the Leones Tiburcio Maya), as well as De Fuente's focused direction throughout are standouts. The battle sequences and the quiet moments of camaraderie are particularly impressive.

It has to be said that there is yet to be a print of this film with restored sound and image quality, but it is still worthy of checking out. Try and rent or buy the version which presents an alternate ending, which is more violent and cruel than the one they left (which is actually more appropriate). If you enjoyed this film, I would recommend 'El Compadre Mendoza', another De Fuentes film that also deals with the corruptibility of the individual in the midst of the Mexican Revolution. For more of De Fuentes, check out 'Alla en el Rancho Grande' and 'Doña Barbara' (with the incomparable Maria Felix), for more of Domingo Soler, check out 'La Barraca' (with arguably his best performance) and 'La Mujer del Puerto'.

A solid 10 out of 10."