“And Starring Panchovilla as himself” did not seem to be much of a title, since I didn’t know who Panchovilla was in the first place. A low angle shot of Antonio Banderas brandishing old type rifles was the only recognizable feature on the cover.
Panchovilla was a revolutionary in turn of the century
The mutual film company, who at that time had in their rolls great names including that of Chaplin, sends a newbie named Frank Thayer to discuss and finalize terms with General Panchovilla. Pancho smirks at Frank “I wasn’t good enough for Chaplin eh?”.
But he needs the gold and agrees to the deal. This marks the start of a friendship between Frank and Pancho (the nickname for Franco in Spanish or Mexican as Pancho would say).
The cast is amazing. This is Antonio Banderas’ first serious acting assignment where he has to actually perform rather than let his ‘sex symbol’ image do it. And he does it with aplomb. His witty lines will leave you in peals of laughter or serious thought. His portrayal of Pancho as a man who is burdened by the weight of the expectations from his people is sure to surprise the audience.
The movie is a HBO production, but looks gorgeous enough to pass off as any major studio production.
Apart from telling a great story, the movie also gives interesting insights into cinema production in the early 1900s. What a long way we’ve come!!
1 comment:
HBO and Lions gates.. that releases most of those 'Indie' movies are by far much better than the regular crap that is rolled out... like Narnia.
I heard among the good ones playing... Syriana, Crash, Good Bye and good Night and Capote are surely worth a watch...
do NOT watch the charlize theron movie.. nor Narnia... you will eb dissapointed.
Post a Comment