The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-26
THE NEW FILM
SmOkeScreen OUer Mexico,
The Sinclair Distortion
At the RidltO Theatre

R1GAANO lldhC b1lC OOlOoodl lAAPhACAlNC
to state that this emasculated Cow
boy-and- Indian" thriller which con-
cludes with an open Qualification of
the present reactionary regime Of
Mexico, is the work of Sergei Essen
stein, famous Soviet director of Ten
Days that Shook the World" and
'Potemkin."
Eisenstein, they say, shot every
single foot of the film; the shots have
been put together exactly in accord
ance with his scenario, which was
approved by the Mexican Government
and the result is what you see
Thunder Over Mexico" directed by
Sergei Eisenstein, photographed by
Edouard Tisse.
1t is true that every single foot of
this film, which even in this terribly
mangled and disorganized movie is
perhaps the most beautiful photo
graphy ever seen on the screen, was
photographed by Tisse. Tisse's ma
dramatically exact camera eye has
superbly caught the loneliness and
grandeur of some of Mexico's land
scape and architecture. Not even the
most reactionary film could completely
ruin the remarkable Photographic
studies of these vast fields of giant
maguey or of unbroken perpectives of
land, hills, clouds, sky, sun, ruins OF
Magyar temples, noble profiles OF
Mexican peons fiestas, bullfights, etc.
And if this were all that Thunder
Over Mexico" had to say-a series OF
photographs of the past and present
history of Mexico-there would prob
ably have been less need for the dem
onstrations that have taken place at
the Rialto Theatre since the film
opened last Friday night, although
even as travelogue the film would
haze to be condemned for its mis-
representations of modern Mexico.
But the sponsors of Thunder Over
Mexico" offer it to us as solemn
testament to the growth and rise OF
the Mexican peasantry from century
old peonage to complete power over
their destinies as free people, and
they falsely terminate the film with
several hundred feet of celluloid
showing the workers and peasants OF
modern Mexico-the New Mexico
which has arisen out Of the ashes OF
centuries of exploitation and revolt
in full control of the land and
factories.
This complete reversal of Esenstein's
original conception, which was to
convey satirically the complete bank
ruptcy of the Gales Rodriguez-Wal
st. regime, was deliberately carried
out by the promoters of the film to
show that Mexico has become civil
lied" since the days of Porfirio Diaz
and other dictators, and that peon
and wage slavery is no more-an OF
which we know are lies and more
lies! AS matter Of fact Eisenstein
shot several thousand feet of Mexi-
co.'s bourgeoisie in action and had
, high government and church officials
Unknown to themselves posing for him
in all kinds of ridiculous postures.
But the promoters of the film used
the most innocuous portions Of the
footage to glorify the Gales regime.
Had they been really screened under
Eisenstein's direction these scenes
would have exposed Mexican official
dom for what it is-a tyrannical,
bureaucratic reactionary government
of the bourgeoisie.
1t is true that Eisenstein's original
scenario was prepared by him so as
to get by the Mexican Government,
otherwise he would never have been
allowed to shoot single foot of
film. Nevertheless between the lines
of the scenario are vast evidence OF
Eisensteins profound sociological
understanding of the past and pres
ent history of Mexico ana 1t was his
intention to create film that would
have accomplished for Mexico what
re u-ould have ACCOMPLISHED for the
U. s. had he been allowed to make
American Tragedy" or Suffers
Gold" There is no doubt that Eisen-
stein would have made revolu-
t.onary epic out OF the 234 900 feet of
vital material shot, certainly any
thing but the inane, lifeless and re-
dictionary piece Of tripe now playing,
But in the present version, Eisen-
stein's revolutionary conception has
degensr-ted into a typical Hollywood
western action movie. A girl is at
tackled and the pson, in trying to
; avenge her, becomes involved in bat
, tie during which the daughter of the
landowner is killed. Shortly after
wards he and his friends are cap
tured, given the sadistic punishment
of the horses, and subsequently
tramrled to death. Ore Of the poems
; vino managed to ESCAPE then stirs
up a revolt among the peasants
against the landowners. Although
Eisanstsin shot several thousand feet
Ct the actual revolt, in Thunder
Over Megico' there Is nothing but
The title-"REVOLT' few whisps
OF smoke signifying nothing-more
subtitlas explaining how the poems
threw off the yoke of tyranny, and
then-cut to the New Mexico of to-
Gay, falsely showing the revolutionary
workers and peasants controlling the
reigns of goyernment-under the
Gales regime.
With the exception Of the photo
craphy of Tisse there Is neither
thunder nor Mexico in Thunder
Over Mexico" There is on the other
hand deliberate distortion Of the
facts Of the lives of worke-s and
poems in Mexico and Qualification
OF the re- ctionary regime which cx.
ploits and supresses them.