Que Viva Mexico
Hollywood's loss was Mexico's gain, as this glorious documentary will attest.  Having failed to realize several projects in Hollywood, Russian film pioneer Sergei  Eisenstein trekked to Mexico with producer Grigory Alexandrov and cameraman Eduard  Tisse, and the famous writer Upton Sinclair as beneficiary. Their budget quickly ran out,  and the film was never properly completed, but Alexandrov carefully assembled this  version ofQue Viva Mexico!in 1979, and the result is one of the most beautiful  documentaries ever made. Although it was later criticized for presenting a fantasized  view of Mexican culture, this remains a stunning example of Eisenstein's ability to meld  people, politics, and ritual into a richly cinematic experience. Celebratory, socially alert,  and at times even surreal, the film displays all of Eisenstein's revolutionary techniques  while proving that his narrative style could have flourished in Hollywood. Instead, this  marvelous film stands as a testament to what might have been.--Jeff Shannon