Juarez

by Paul J. Vanderwood (Editor), Tino T. Balio, Tino Balio (Editor)

Juárez was Warner Brothers' cinematic attempt to answer the major international question of the 1930s: would democracy or dictatorship prevail? Eager to further the foreign policy objectives of its friend Franklin Delano Roosevelt and equally willing to add to its prestigious and profitable biography series, the stuido set a record high budget and assembled special film stock, extensive scholarly research, a loose time schedule, a renowned director, and a stellar cast that included Paul Muni, Brian Aherne, and Bette Davis. The film was meant to be an ideologically clear-cut statement against fascism. The ways in which this artistic propaganda backfired make Juárez a significant historical document for students of film, Latin American history, and U.S. foreign relations.

264 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1983

About the author

Paul J. Vanderwood is Professor Emeritus of Mexican history at San Diego State University. He is the author of several books including Satan's Playground: Mobsters and Movie Stars at America's Greatest Gaming Resort; Juan Soldado: Rapist, Murderer, Martyr, Saint; The Power of God against the Guns of Government: Religious Upheaval in Mexico at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century; Disorder and Progress: Bandits, Police, and Mexican Development; and Border Fury: A Picture Postcard Record of Mexico’s Revolution and U.S. War Preparedness, 1910–1917.