Robin Hood of El Dorado (1936)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Please don't spend money on this.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

As I understand it, this story was based on an actual bandit from California in the 1840s. That said, for contemporary audiences, this film would likely have recalled the Robin Hood story (the title does refer to Joaquin Murrierta as "the Robin Hood" of El Dorado, i.e. California). And many would have seen the silent Robin Hood and Zorro films which featured Douglas Fairbanks as the title heroes. But where Zorro was set in California while it was still under Spanish control, and where the idea that a noble hacienda-do could take on the corrupt Spanish government and win, here we have a story set after the Mexican War, where California was under the control of the United States, and where despite his ill treatment at the hands of ignorant gold rushers, his attack on the United States as a bandit could not be tolerated (or allowed to go unpunished), and so you have a much more tragic tale than the pop corn heroism of Zorro or Robin Hood. That makes for a very interesting film. It must be noted that there are some errors (the type of weaponry is all wrong for the time). But even this early in his career, William Wellman shows himself to be a capable director, and the acting, overall, is pretty good.

Does anyone know where I could purchase this title? I have someone very dear to me having a birthday this April and would love to surprise him. He talks about listening to this when going to bed at night as a child. It brings fond memories of his departed mother. I've searched just about every avenue I could think of but as of this writing, I have came up with nothing. The version he talked about is narrated by Lorne Green. I could find it under this name but i can't find where to purchase it. Juaquim Murietta is the story's main character and it was from 1936. Lorne Green narrated it in the late '60s or '70s (not sure). Any help or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

Two later versions of the story of Joaquin Murietta with Jeffrey Hunter and Ricardo Montalban stuck closer to the truth about the famous bandit from the California Gold Rush Days. But certainly Warner Baxter, dusting off his Cisco Kid accent certainly made a dashing Murietta.I'm not certain why Gilbert Roland who was always a personal favorite of mine didn't play this part, it seems like something he was born to do. Though Baxter's portrayal is honest and sincere I doubt that Latino groups today would let a Warner Baxter play Murietta any more than they would have him play Cisco Kid.California was the most heavily populated of the area that was known as the Mexican Cession which came into the United States as a result of the Mexican War. Even at that American immigration was gradually overwhelming the Mexican population just as their ancestors overwhelmed the largely peaceful Indians in California.But when gold was discovered in 1849 that was it. By the next year California was admitted to the union it had grown that exponentially. Such depredations as depicted that turned Murietta into a bandit were a fact and interesting that in 1936 that was shown on screen.Ann Loring and Margo do well as the women in Murietta's life and J. Carrol Naish was just starting on that colorful career of his that had him play every kind of ethnic type on the screen. He made a great Three Finger Jack whose small band of outlaws Murietta takes over by leadership and charisma.Perhaps Murietta's story such that can be verified is due for a more modern retelling. Still this is a fine version of the story.

Really forgotten masterpiece! (Small spoilers included)It looks like just another B Western but it's something more significant than you would assume. When did you see another Western with a Mexican as a hero or without happy ending (from 1936)?Great casting (especially Warner Baxter & Margo) and directing by William A. WellmanMy rate: 9/10