Weighs a ton, thanks to meddling Muni's obsessive hand in the screenplay. The effective casting lacks spark, save two firebrand ladies: Davis and Sondergaard, the latter stoking the cauldron and the former jumping in. Benito Pablo Juarez was to Mexico what Abraham Lincoln was to the
United States. Both of them lived at the same time, and Juarez was profoundly influenced by the North American president. Like Lincoln, Juarez was physically homely, yet full of wisdom and spiritual clarity that was irresistible to his people.
The film opens with Rains, playing the evil Napoleon III, appointing Aherne (Archduke Maximilian von Habsburg of Austria) emperor of Mexico. T...
Released:
1939
Rated:
NR
Length:
132 mins