[quote=“kit saginaw, post:20, topic:888”]It’s definitely the first to include a German (Prussian) military-officer as an ‘adviser’ to one-of-the-2 Mexican regimes…
I wish I could’ve seen it in 70mm. I probably did, as a whiney 2-year-old, my parents being huge fans of Lancaster.[/quote]
I’m quite sure there was never a 70 mm version of Vera Cruz. Only very expensive prestige films were shot in 70 mm, and in 1954 no 70 mm films at all were shot.
And which officer was a prussian officer? I remember only Austrian soldiers in the German version. But that maybe again only part of the German dub.
Stanton is likely correct about there not being a 70mm version of VERA CRUZ.
However, the film was considered a prestige film…and was considered in its day to have a large budget.
After all, it starred two relatively big box office names in those days, Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.
It was one of the first films, if not the first, that United Artists released in SuperScope.
VERA CRUZ is an outstanding film and was highly influential on the Spaghetti Western genre.
Lancaster was Giuliano Gemma’s favorite actor and he tried to imitate his gestures and smile from Vera Cruz when developing his western persona for Una Pistola per Ringo. However it was decided that he would be dressed like Gary Cooper in High Noon. Apparently Ringo wasn’t supposed to look too much like a baddie.
[quote=“Chris_Casey, post:22, topic:888”]Stanton is likely correct about there not being a 70mm version of VERA CRUZ.
However, the film was considered a prestige film…and was considered in its day to have a large budget.[/quote]
With prestige films I mean such overblown stuff like Ben Hur, which usalyy was considered for the 70 mm format. Vera Cruz was surely not in that budget league.
Henry (Heinrich von Kleinbach) Brandon’s character, who played a villain more times than not. He was Gunther, in Bandido. I hope I’m not mixing the two.
I love that film!Probably it’s the first with a plot like this before The Magnificent Seven, The Professionals and The Wild Bunch.All this from the distant 1954!I like the fact Charles Bronson one of my favourite actors has a little role here as a sleazy gringo and what a surprice he plays harmonica 14 years before his leading role in Leone’s masterpiece!Also the scene were he tries to rape a girl is very strong.Gary Cooper, Burt Lancaster, Jack Elam, Ernest Borgnine…so good actors.Of course Sara Montiel and Denise Darsel are very attractive women.Lots of action and gunfights that can keep you satisfied.
A special trivia for the end:In Perdita Durango (1997) Javier Bardem says to a person he kidnapped that as a boy used to watch Vera Cruz and his dream was to be a badass character as Burt Lancaster.Try to watch this movie for the ending.I can’t say nothing more ;).
![http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/veracruzpic11.jpg/[/url]](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/402/veracruzpic11.jpg/%5B/url%5D){kind=link}