Synopsis
"Filmed at the time of
Kazan’s notorious HUAC testimony,
Viva Zapata! offers a dramatically searching yet ultimately unresolved return to the director's roots in radical left-wing theater and politics. Written in close collaboration with lifelong Mexicophile
John Steinbeck, who shared
Kazan's fascination with
Zapata's vision and failure, the film uses the idealistic revolutionary to offer an unflinching critique of the limits and corrosive potential of power. Featuring one of
Brando's underappreciated bravura performances,
Viva Zapata! is today considered one of the most evocative screen depictions of the Mexican revolution, despite the intense efforts by the Mexican film industry to suppress and censor the film during its early production stages." – Harvard Film Archive
