Que Viva Mexico (1979) Russia, Mexico
Que Viva Mexico Image Cover
Additional Images
Director:Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein
Studio:Kino Video
Producer:Hunter S. Kimbrough, Kate Crane Gartz, Léonard Rosenthal, Mary Craig Sinclair, Otto Kahn, S. Hillkowitz, Upton Sinclair
Writer:Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein
Rated:Unrated
Date Added:2013-06-28
UPC:0738329020224
Price:$29.98
Awards:1 win
Genre:Russian films
Release:2001-04-03
IMDb:0079020
Duration:85
Picture Format:SD
Aspect Ratio:1.33:1
Sound:Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Languages:Russian, Spanish
Subtitles:English
Features:Black and White
LAC code:300011069
DVD or VHS:DVD
Original:original
Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein  ...  (Director)
Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M. Eisenstein  ...  (Writer)
 
Sergey Bondarchuk  ...  Narratore
Grigori Aleksandrov  ...  Editor
Mara Griy  ...  
Eduard Tisse  ...  Cinematographer
Sergei M. Eisenstein  ...  Editor
Esfir Tobak  ...  Editor
Sergei Bondarchuk  ...  Narrator (voice)
Félix Balderas  ...  Sebastian's brother
Sara García  ...  Hacendado's daughter (as Sara) (unconfirmed)
Martín Hernández  ...  Sebastian
David Liceága  ...  Matador
Julio Saldívar  ...  Hacendado
Isabel Villaseñor  ...  Maria
Summary: Hollywood's loss was Mexico's gain, as this glorious documentary will attest. Having failed to realize several projects in Hollywood, Russian film pioneer Sergei Eisenstein trekked to Mexico with producer Grigory Alexandrov and cameraman Eduard Tisse, and the famous writer Upton Sinclair as beneficiary. Their budget quickly ran out, and the film was never properly completed, but Alexandrov carefully assembled this version of Que Viva Mexico! in 1979, and the result is one of the most beautiful documentaries ever made. Although it was later criticized for presenting a fantasized view of Mexican culture, this remains a stunning example of Eisenstein's ability to meld people, politics, and ritual into a richly cinematic experience. Celebratory, socially alert, and at times even surreal, the film displays all of Eisenstein's revolutionary techniques while proving that his narrative style could have flourished in Hollywood. Instead, this marvelous film stands as a testament to what might have been.