Set in 1913. Pancho Villa (Antonio Banderas) wants money to finance his Mexican revolution.
So Villa has the idea to invite a film studio to tell his life story and raise funds that way. Villa paints himself as a modern day Robin Hood and tones down his brutishness to counter the negative portrayal from the Hearst publishing empire.
Mutual Film boss Harry Aitken (Jim Broadbent) sends a film crew led by his nephew Frank Thayer (Eion Bailey.) Real life footage is shot including skirmishes with the Mexican army, some battles were restaged.
The silent film 'The Life of General Villa' was eventually released but is now lost.
The HBO film looks great and it has an all star cast. Alan Arkin being the most memorable as the sidekick of Villa from New York. Banderas looks rather pleased that he has more to chew on than just rely on his looks. Banderas is happy to revel on Villa's bravado and also show a darker side to him.
The dialogue is clunky, almost typical of these worthy HBO made for cable movies of that era. Although based on true events I sense it was probably too fictionalised and I would had preferred more focus on Pancho Villa than Thayer.
So Villa has the idea to invite a film studio to tell his life story and raise funds that way. Villa paints himself as a modern day Robin Hood and tones down his brutishness to counter the negative portrayal from the Hearst publishing empire.
Mutual Film boss Harry Aitken (Jim Broadbent) sends a film crew led by his nephew Frank Thayer (Eion Bailey.) Real life footage is shot including skirmishes with the Mexican army, some battles were restaged.
The silent film 'The Life of General Villa' was eventually released but is now lost.
The HBO film looks great and it has an all star cast. Alan Arkin being the most memorable as the sidekick of Villa from New York. Banderas looks rather pleased that he has more to chew on than just rely on his looks. Banderas is happy to revel on Villa's bravado and also show a darker side to him.
The dialogue is clunky, almost typical of these worthy HBO made for cable movies of that era. Although based on true events I sense it was probably too fictionalised and I would had preferred more focus on Pancho Villa than Thayer.