Villa Rides (1968)

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writers:

Robert Towne (screenplay) and
Sam Peckinpah (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 September 1968 (West Germany)

Genre:

War | Western

Tagline:

Villa rages! Villa lusts! Villa kills! VILLA RIDES!

Plot:

Mexican rebel Pancho Villa lead a revolution helped by an American aviator imprisonned in Mexico.

Plot Keywords:

Revolution | Pancho Villa | Mexico | Gunrunner | Mexican Revolution

Cast

Yul Brynner	...	Pancho Villa
Robert Mitchum	...	Lee Arnold
Maria Grazia Buccella	...	Fina (as Grazia Buccella)
Charles Bronson	...	Rodolfo Fierro
Herbert Lom	...	Gen. Victoriano Huerta
Robert Viharo	...	Urbina
Frank Wolff	...	Ramirez
Alexander Knox	...	President Francisco Madero
Diana Lorys	...	Emilita
Bob Carricart	...	Don Luis
Fernando Rey	...	Fuentes
José María Prada	...	Major
Antonio Ruiz	...	Juan
Jill Ireland	...	Girl in restaurant
Regina de Julián	...	Lupita
Julio Peña	...	General
Andrés Monreal	...	Capt. Herrera
John Ireland	...	Client in barber shop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Xan das Bolas	...	Villa's telegraphist (uncredited)
José Canalejas	...	Villa's guerrillero rapist killed by Fierro (uncredited)
José Riesgo	...	Fierro's assistant (uncredited)
Enrique Santiago	...	Villa's guerrillero (uncredited)
Seyyal Taner	...	Guerrilla Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Buzz Kulik

Writing credits
Robert Towne		(screenplay) and
Sam Peckinpah		(screenplay)
William Douglas Lansford		(adaptation)
William Douglas Lansford		(novel "Pancho Villa")

Produced by
Ted Richmond	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Jarre

Cinematography by
Jack Hildyard

Film Editing by
David Bretherton

Casting by
Lillian Kelly

Production Design by
Ted Haworth

Set Decoration by
Román Calatayud

Costume Design by
Eric Seelig

Makeup Department
Richard Mills	....	makeup artist
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Eduardo García Maroto	....	unit production manager: Spain
Robert Goodstein	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carlos Gil	....	assistant director
Chuck Hayward	....	second unit director
José María Ochoa	....	assistant director
Arthur Squire	....	second unit director

Sound Department
Ray Chapman	....	sound
Gordon Daniel	....	sound editor
Enrique Mayberg	....	sound

Special Effects by
Milt Rice	....	special effects

Stunts
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Cabrera	....	director of photography: second unit
Ricardo Navarrete	....	camera operator
George Rice	....	camera operator
Vincent Rossell	....	still photographer

Music Department
Maurice Jarre	....	conductor
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar (uncredited)

Other crew
Ricardo Hupkins	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Pancho Villa	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

El Casar de Talamanca, Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Sam Peckinpah wrote the original script and was set to direct, but Yul Brynner didn't like the script because it made Pancho Villa - a man who had given standing orders to shoot all prisoners - "look like a bad guy". Peckinpah was fired and his script was rewritten by Robert Towne to conform to Brynner's idea of what Villa was like.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): SPOLER: The "boy" who takes Villa's watch calls him "my General", but Villa is a colonel.

Quotes:

[Villa has ordered Fierro to ride in the airplane to prevent Lee from flying away]
Rodolfo Fierro: No.
Pancho Villa: What do you mean, "No"?
Rodolfo Fierro: I mean "No".
Pancho Villa: Why not?
Rodolfo Fierro: Because! Because... Because I don't think he is a good pilot!
Pancho Villa: Hmmm... You are probably right. But it doesn't matter. If he is no good, you shoot him and fly it yourself.
Rodolfo Fierro: Me?
Pancho Villa: Of course! Any child could fly one of these things.
Rodolfo Fierro: You could fly it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of Eloise (1976)

Forgotten Classic!?

This is simply and truly a really good action film! Not just cause you have Robert Mitchum, Yul Brynner and in particular Charles Bronson in such fine roles, i can't understand how this is not yet on DVD.

I think a petition should be made to Paramount to release this film but its always hard with them. If Warner Bros. owned this film, it'd be much easier to get their attention concerning an older film.

The chemistry between these great stars and the action is brilliant. While the whole film isn't exactly superb, it is still a fun filled adventure. And the soundtrack by legendary Maurice Jarre is magical and I think if this film isn't released on DVD soon, a lot of fans will go crazy. Paramount, please put this film out on DVD immediately!

4 out of 5 for me!