The ''Revolution Trilogy'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Trilogía de la Revolución'') is a series of 1930s movies about the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

Fernando de Fuentes Fernando de Fuentes Carrau (December 13, 1894 – July 4, 1958) was a Mexican film director, considered a pioneer in the film industry worldwide. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''El prisionero trece'', ''El compadre Mendoza'', a ...

. The three movies are ''

El prisionero trece ''Prisoner 13'' (Spanish: ''El prisionero trece'') is a 1933 Mexican film. It was directed by Fernando de Fuentes. Plot The film is a part of the trilogy of films made by Fernando Fuentes concerning the Mexican Revolution, the other two films ...

'' (1933), ''

El compadre Mendoza ''Godfather Mendoza'' (Spanish: ''El compadre Mendoza'') is a 1934 Mexican film. It was directed by Fernando de Fuentes, and is the second of his '' Revolution Trilogy'', preceded by ''El prisionero trece'' (1933) and followed by '' Vámonos con ...

'' (1934) and ''

Vámonos con Pancho Villa ''Let's Go with Pancho Villa'' (Spanish: ''Vámonos con Pancho Villa'') is a Mexican motion picture directed by Fernando de Fuentes in 1936, the last of the director's '' Revolution Trilogy'', besides ''El prisionero trece'' and ''El compadre Men ...

'' (1936). All three share a disenchanted view of the conflict, as opposed to the more common romantic, folk, and heroic viewpoints present in more well-known productions.

Three portraits of the same conflict

According to Mraz,Mraz, John cited in Perla Scwarz
La trilogía de la Revolución de Fernando de Fuentes, remasterizada y disponible en DVD
Retrieved on September 17, 2012. De Fuentes dedicates each film to one theme of conflict and loss: * ''El prisionero trece'': Huertistas are represented in the figure of Colonel Julián Carrasco, who descends into alcohol abuse and violence against his family, whom he ultimately destroys. * ''El compadre Mendoza'':

Zapatistas Zapatista(s) may refer to: * Liberation Army of the South, a guerrilla force led by Emiliano Zapata in the Mexican Revolution 1911–1920 ** Zapatismo, the armed movement identified with the ideas of Emiliano Zapata * Zapatista Army of National L ...

appear in the form of General Felipe Nieto, a fictitious cousin of

Emiliano Zapata Emiliano Zapata Salazar (; 8 August 1879 – 10 April 1919) was a Mexican revolutionary. He was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910–1920, the main leader of the people's revolution in the Mexican state of Morelos, and the insp ...

who enjoys the friendship of Rosalio Mendoza until the last years of the conflict. The only empathy shown by De Fuentes in the trilogy is demonstrated by the Zapatism in this movie. * ''Vámonos con Pancho Villa'':

Villistas Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

are depicted as cruel and cowardly, demystifying

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

himself and his closer group of soldiers, the ''Dorados''.

Reception

The three movies were not well received by audiences. Particularly ill-met was the 1936 ''Vámonos con Pancho Villa'', which only lasted one week in theatres and ultimately led to the production company's bankruptcy. Nevertheless, thanks to critics and

cineclub A film society is a membership-based Club (organization), club where people can watch Public and private screening, screenings of films which would otherwise not be shown in mainstream Movie theater, cinemas. In Spain, Ireland and Italy, they are kn ...

s, the trilogy was rediscovered and reevaluated during the 1960s as a milestone in Mexican cinema. In 2010, to commemorate the war's centenary, Filmoteca de la UNAM released a DVD edition of the restored version of the trilogy, the first attempt to popularize these films since their initial release in the 1930s.''El compadre Mendoza'' (1933)
Retrieved on September 17, 2012.
Retrieved on September 17, 2012.Memoria de actividades 2010 de la Dirección General de Actividades Cinematográficas de la Filmoteca de la UNAM
Retrieved on September 17, 2012.

References

External links

* * * Mexican film series Films directed by Fernando de Fuentes Films set in the 1910s Films set in Mexico 1930s Spanish-language films Mexican Revolution films Films shot in Mexico Mexican black-and-white films Historical epic films 1930s Mexican films {{1930s-Mexico-film-stub

Three portraits of the same conflict

Reception

See also

References

External links