mutualfilmco

PANCHO VILLA'S ARRANGEMENT WITH THE MUTUAL FILM CO.: "In January 1914, Pancho Villa became Hollywood's first Mexican superstar when he signed an exclusive contract with the Mutual Film Corporation. In return for $25,000, he agreed to keep other film companies from his battlefield, to fight in daylight whenever possible, and to reconstruct battles if the footage needed reshooting. "Now the subject of an HBO film starring Antonio Banderas (And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself), Villa is one of the main protagonists in Margarita de Orellana's vivid account of the American movie industry's fascination with the events of the Mexican Revolution. "Through memoir accounts, newspaper reports, and analysis of the films themselves, "Filming Pancho" reveals much about how Mexico was constructed in the American imagination and how the film images reinforced and justified American expansionism and racial and social prejudices." --From a description, on Amazon, of a documentary movie of Hollywood's treatment of the Mexican Revolution. (The DVD is available for purchase from various Amazon vendors.) __________________________________________________________________ More Mexican Revolution coverage, by Mutual Film Company:

This picture is coded 2975-10 wich locates it in the series "Refugees going to Marfa" after the federals (huertistas) crossed the border into USA, on Jan 10th, 1914. Dr. Roberto Duarte

This picture is also found in the Wheeler collection

jerodamor@yahoo.com.mx: Is the Wheeler collection available online? It would be great to see some images to compare them with the ones in the Bain collection.

I accessed Wheelan (sorry I misspelled) collection by repository.tamu.edu./handle/1969,1/734, which you gave me on picture LC-B2-3021-9 Col. Martiniano Servín. Dr. Roberto Duarte

PANCHO VILLA'S ARRANGEMENT WITH THE MUTUAL FILM COMPANY: "In January 1914, Pancho Villa became Hollywood's first Mexican superstar when he signed an exclusive contract with the Mutual Film Corporation. In return for $25,000, he agreed to keep other film companies from his battlefield, to fight in daylight whenever possible, and to reconstruct battles if the footage needed reshooting. "Now the subject of an HBO film starring Antonio Banderas (And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself), Villa is one of the main protagonists in Margarita de Orellana's vivid account of the American movie industry's fascination with the events of the Mexican Revolution. "Through memoir accounts, newspaper reports, and analysis of the films themselves, "Filming Pancho" reveals much about how Mexico was constructed in the American imagination and how the film images reinforced and justified American expansionism and racial and social prejudices." --From a description, on Amazon, of a documentary movie of Hollywood's treatment of the Mexican Revolution. (The DVD is available for purchase from various Amazon vendors.)

A brighter view of the scene:

Info about Abraham Gonzalez and Francisco Villa, from Wikipedia: "Villa's hatred of ['usurper' Mexican Presidente] Huerta became more personal and intense after March 7, 1913, when Huerta ordered the murder of Villa's political mentor, Abraham González, who had worked with Madero and Villa since 1910. González had been one of Madero's political advisors. He recruited Francisco Villa in 1910 to support Madero with the Plan de San Luis which started the first part of the Mexican Revolution with the armed movement of 20 November 1910. The Plan de San Luis was conceived to force Dictator Porfirio Diaz (Mexican president for 33 years) to leave the presidency and allow for a Mexican democracy.[3] Villa later recovered González's remains and gave his friend a proper funeral in Chihuahua."

Wystan: Thank you for catching the typo in Gonzalez's name. We will fix the record when we update.

don't forget Wystan's question about "General", Governor seems more accuate see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Gonz%C3%A1lez

Oh, when I read photo title I thought it referred to Francisco I. Madero, but no, it's his brother, Raúl, who join to Pancho Villa's revolutionary forces. He died at 94, in 1982. I didn't know, but was interesting investigate that!

Bystanders in the background of the photo have all been retouched out of existence, except for a lad (and another spectator) whose eyes poke up just behind Pancho Villa's left shoulder. _____________________________________________________ PANCHO VILLA'S ARRANGEMENT WITH MUTUAL FILM CO.: "In January 1914, Pancho Villa became Hollywood's first Mexican superstar when he signed an exclusive contract with the Mutual Film Corporation. In return for $25,000, he agreed to keep other film companies from his battlefield, to fight in daylight whenever possible, and to reconstruct battles if the footage needed reshooting. "Now the subject of an HBO film starring Antonio Banderas (And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself), Villa is one of the main protagonists in Margarita de Orellana's vivid account of the American movie industry's fascination with the events of the Mexican Revolution. "Through memoir accounts, newspaper reports, and analysis of the films themselves, "Filming Pancho" reveals much about how Mexico was constructed in the American imagination and how the film images reinforced and justified American expansionism and racial and social prejudices." --From a description, on Amazon, of a documentary movie of Hollywood's treatment of the Mexican Revolution. (The DVD is available for purchase from various Amazon vendors.)

Rodolfo Fierro is correctly identified on this Bain/LOC/Mutal photo: Other Bain/LOC photos of Pancho Villa, inscribed with a Mutual Film Corporation copyright notice: And Mrs. Pancho Villa: More Mexican Revolution coverage by the Mutual Film Co.:

Rodolfo Fierro is not plucking a feather. He´s going to tie a knife in cock´s ankle. During the fight the cocks keep kicking each other untill one of them gets killed. Raúl Madero seems holding money in his hand, probably betting money. Most of the time the fight is "el giro" (white) against "el colorado" (red). Dr. Roberto Duarte

In Texas A&M University Library, Wheelan Collection of the Mexican Revolution we can find similar or secuential versions of this picture, click on hdl.handle.net/1969.1/778 Dr. Roberto Duarte Plastic Surgeon