Juarez (film)

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Movie
German title Juarez
Original title Juarez
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1939
length 121 minutes
Rod
Director William Dieterle
script John Huston , Wolfgang Reinhardt
production Hal B. Wallis for Warner Brothers
music Erich Wolfgang Korngold
camera Tony Gaudio
cut Warren Low
occupation

Juarez is an American period film from 1939, which describes the dramatic events surrounding the revolution in Mexico under the leadership of Benito Juárez and the subsequent shooting of Emperor Maximilian I in 1867. The leading roles are played by Paul Muni , Bette Davis and Brian Aherne , directed by William Dieterle .

action

In 1863, the French Emperor Napoleon III plans to to turn troubled Mexico into a satellite state. The historic moment for military intervention seems favorable, since the USA is involved in the civil war and so cannot punish the open violation of the Monroe Doctrine . Napoleon III installs the young and naive Habsburg Maximilian as emperor of the Mexicans. The real power of the ruler is based solely on French military power. Maximilian I and his psychologically unstable wife Charlotte try to have a beneficial effect, but the plans to increase the welfare of the subjects fail again and again due to the interventions of the French. In 1867 the French left the country and Maximilian tried in vain to come to terms with the revolutionary Benito Juárez . A desperate attempt by Charlotte to persuade the emperor in Paris to send troops again remains in vain. The Empress of Mexico then suffers a mental breakdown from which she never recovers. The fate of the now deposed Emperor of Mexico is fulfilled. Juárez orders his execution by shooting and personally supervises the execution.

background

In the 1930s, Warner Brothers specialized in filming historical biographies of well-known and famous people. First of all, George Arliss stood out, who represented numerous men of history, from the philosopher Voltaire to Richelieu to the British Prime Minister Disraeli . From 1935 on, Paul Muni took on the responsibility of bringing important men to life in lavishly produced film epics. Louis Pasteur and The Life of Emile Zola brought the studio a lot of prestige, several Oscars and even a little profit.

After the success of The White Angel with Kay Francis as Florence Nightingale , work began on a follow-up project in mid-1937. The studio planned to appoint Francis as Empress Charlotte of Mexico . However, the escalating dispute between the actress and the studio, which culminated in a court hearing in September 1937, brought about a readjustment of the project. Bette Davis , whose own arguments with Warner Brothers had ended in defeat for the actress in 1936, took over the role of Francis. Then, however, Paul Muni expressed an interest in the role of Benito Juárez, and the script was profoundly rewritten to now focus on the revolutionary. However, the three protagonists never meet on the screen at any point in the events, so that basically two different stories are told. The film was therefore shot in parallel: while one part described the events surrounding the Emperor of Mexico, the second part dealt with the story of Juarez. At the editing table, the two narrative strands were then combined into a story arc. The result was not liked by either the critics or the viewers: Juarez turned out to be a financial failure.

The film was shot from November 17, 1938 to February 6, 1939 at Warner Bros. Studios Burbank. The exterior shots were taken in Calabasas , San Fernando Valley and Mexico. It premiered on April 25, 1939 at the Hollywood Theater, New York. General theatrical release was on June 10, 1939.

criticism

The Protestant Film-Observer draws the following conclusion: “A sound film of the early American monumental film production, made very skilfully in terms of script and direction. Easy to see from 15 years of age. "

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1940 , the film received nominations in the categories

  • Best Supporting Actor - Brian Aherne
  • Best Cinematography (black and white film) - Tony Gaudio

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wilhelm (William) Dieterle - actor, director . In: CineGraph - Lexikon zum Deutschsprachigen Film , Lg. 22, F 25 f.
  2. ↑ Evangelical Press Association Munich, Review No. 446/1969