Juarez (1939)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Franz Werfel (play)
Bertita Harding (novel)

Release Date:

10 June 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Mighty King . . . A Proud Queen ! . . . pitted against a humble man who had the courage to defy the throne !

Plot:

The newly named emperor Maximilian and his wife Carolotta arrive in Mexico to face popular sentiment favoring Benito Juraez and democracy...

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Democracy | France | Church | American Civil War

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Paul Muni	...	Benito Juarez
Bette Davis	...	Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg
Brian Aherne	...	Emperor Maximilian von Hapsburg
Claude Rains	...	Emperor Louis Napoleon III
John Garfield	...	Gen. Porfirio Diaz
Donald Crisp	...	Gen. Marechal Achille Bazaine
Joseph Calleia	...	Alejandro Uradi
Gale Sondergaard	...	Empress Eugenie
Gilbert Roland	...	Col. Miguel Lopez
Henry O'Neill	...	Gen. Miguel Miramon
Harry Davenport	...	Dr. Samuel Basch
Louis Calhern	...	LeMarc
Walter Kingsford	...	Prince Richard Metternich
Georgia Caine	...	Countess Battenberg
Montagu Love	...	Jose de Montares

Runtime:

125 min | USA:121 min (Turner library print) | 132 min (original release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Vitaphone

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #4841)

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

An English version of Franz Werfel's play titled "Juarez and Maximilian" opened on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 11, 1926 and ran for 48 performances. This stage version's cast included Alfred Lunt and Edward G. Robinson. The film is an extremely loose adaptation of Werfel's play. Juarez never appears in the stage version. The only one of Werfel's works to be quite faithfully adapted into a Hollywood film was "The Song of Bernadette", in 1943. (Werfel's play "Jacobowsky and the Colonel" was filmed by Hollywood as a Danny Kaye vehicle and retitled "Me and the Colonel".)

Quotes:

Emperor Louis Napoleon III: Democracy! Government of the cattle, by the cattle, for the cattle!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

La Paloma

Interesting glimpse of Mexican history with its phantom emperor...

Warner Bros. obviously spared no expense to do justice to a story of JUAREZ (PAUL MUNI) but spent so much time on the ill-fated reign of Emperor Maximilian (BRIAN AHERNE and his wife Carlotta, BETTE DAVIS), that the film might just as well have been called MAXIMILIAN. An even better title comes from a play on which this is based, called THE PHANTOM EMPEROR.

Brian Aherne has the most screen time in what appears to be the central role.Ironically, he was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best Supporting Role" category. If billing in Hollywood was fair, instead of governed by studio politics, he should have shared star billing with Paul Muni and Bette Davis in the opening credits.

Having said all that, the details of the story have been given in expert fashion by many of the other commentators who are better acquainted with Mexican history than I am, so I can't talk about the accuracy or inaccuracies of the plot. But from a standpoint of entertainment, JUAREZ attempts to do too much in dealing with a complex plot. The talky script full of historical references becomes tedious and the film occasionally drags and loses momentum until an action scene relieves it of monotony. However, the ability of the writers to cover so much ground in the course of little more than two hours is an achievement in itself.

The acting is splendid for the most part--but unfortunately Muni has chosen to play Benito Juarez in almost mute fashion, his stoic expression hardly ever changing and relying on heavy make-up to do the job for him. It doesn't work.

But all those around him can only be congratulated for doing well in roles large and small. Davis is especially compelling in Empress Carlotta's scene of incipient madness; Aherne gives dignity and sympathy to Maximilian; and Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard, Donald Crisp, Gilbert Roland, Joseph Calleia and Montagu Love are excellent in support.

The only casting misfire is JOHN GARFIELD in swarthy Mexican make-up as Gen. Diaz. He looks out of place even though he attempts to give an earnest performance and his lower New York accent is just below his Mexican one.

Except for a majestic main theme that is used once in awhile, Erich Wolfgang Korngold's overall score did not make a strong impression on me this time.