The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955)

Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent but underrated film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Blistering performances.

Rory Calhoun (Tom Bryan), Shelley Winters (Ruth Harris), Gilbert Roland (Juan Castro), Joseph Calleia (Pablo Morales), Fanny Schiller (Laria Morales), Carlos Mosquiz (commandant), Tony Carvajal (Farolito), Pasquel Pena (Ricardo). Director: GEORGE SHERMAN. Screenplay: Niven Busch. Story: J. Robert Bren, Gladys Atwater. Photographed in Eastman Color by William Snyder. Prints in Color by Technicolor and Superscope. Film editor: Harry Marker. Music: Leith Stevens. Art director: Jack Okey. Hair styles: Ruby Felkner. Special effects: Jack Lannon. Unit manager: John E. Burch. Production supervisor: Cliff Broughton. Assistant director: Lew Borzage, Sound recording: Jose Carles, Terry Kellum. RCA Sound System. Producer: Edmund Grainger. An Edmund Grainger Production.Copyright 1955 by Edmund Grainger Productions. Released through RKO- Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Palace: 24 November 1955. U.S. release: 19 October 1955. U.K. release: 30 January 1956. Australian release: 11 October 1956 (sic). Sydney opening at the Palace (ran a pre-determined two weeks). 8,582 feet. 95 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Yankee mercenary aids Villa's guerrillas in Mexico in 1915.COMMENT: A thinly disguised adaptation of For Whom the Bell Tolls (with elements from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre thrown in), even down to the cutting of the heroine's hair. Unfortunately, the snidely smiling Rory Calhoun is no Gary Cooper, and the passably attractive Shelley Winters (hampered by the fervor of her amateurish dialogue) even less an Ingrid Bergman. Gilbert Roland tries hard as a sort of composite moralistic revolutionary, but only Joseph Calleia in the Akim Tamiroff role (Pablo in both films) and his feisty wife, Fanny Schiller (played by Katina Paxinou in Sam Wood's 1943 version), really excel. True, the action scenes are put across with a modicum of panache, but the film often grinds to a shuddering halt for some lengthy dialogue exchanges. Most of these could be heavily scissored to advantage. On the other hand, the rugged Mexican locations are vividly realized and William Snyder's sharply detailed Superscope photography never fails to fascinate.

So here it is a film set around the time of the revolution of Pancho Villa yet features a Coca-cola advertising board!! Once you get past that this is not a bad movie at all. A movie of a simple premise where a train is robbed of its haul of gold by a band of guerrillas to support the revolutionary Pancho Villa and the trials and trails of greed an honour that the money breeds between men. At the centre of the story are two men. The American mercenary Tom Bryan who is essentially torn between his greed and doing the right thing, and his counter part Mexican revolutionary Juan Castro who has no deigns on the gold and will give everything for Villa's revolution. The story goes through many twists and turns with the standard female love interest (Shelly Winters) capturing the affections of both men. It is refreshing to see a film from this era not afraid to show Americans in a less than glorious light and a lead character with a great deal of moral ambiguousness whilst it is the Mexican who has the hero traits. Whilst not particularly well acted there are no poor performances and if you are a fan of the western then this film is worth checking out. Would I watch it again? Perhaps but only if I was bored and had nothing else to amuse me.

Yes, it's true. There is a 1950's Coca-Cola sign atop a building in this Western movie. About 5 minutes into the movie, Rory Calhoun and some Mexicans rob a bank and there, behind them atop one of the buildings, is a 1950's time period Coca-Cola sign visible for all to see. I checked the history of Coca-Cola signs and find this one was not a style until the late 1940's and, since the movie was made in 1955, it is obviously not an original 1914-1915 time period sign (which is when the movie was supposed to take place). So one wonders who was in charge of the scenery for this Western.Otherwise, the Western is good. Calhoun plays a mercenary who is fighting for Pauncho Villa and helping the cause to raise money for guns and ammunition. Roland is one of Villa's main men who is responsible for delivery of the gold they steal to Villa. Winters, as lovely as ever, is a school teacher who wants to fight for the cause because she believes in it.The gold gets stolen off the train and is taken by mule train to where it is to be delivered to Villa. But Villa is not there when they arrive and Calhoun wants the gold for himself. Then it becomes a struggle between him and Roland.There's plenty of action and definitely a very good plot. The acting by the stars is good and believable. It's a Western certainly worth watching--despite the Coca-Cola sign.

In this off-beat tale, Calhoun is an American mercenary that hires himself and his machine gun out to Villas band of revolutionary rebels. There's plenty of action, as the old west meets modern times. Story moves at a nice pace and the cast featurning Calhoun, Roland, and a pre-cellulite Winters make this a worthwhile view.