Captain From Castile [VHS]
![Captain From Castile [VHS]](/images/Captain-From-Castile-VHS-630434256X-L.jpg)
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.99 You Save: $5.99 (30%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $3.00 (click here) Category: VHS Video See more movie releases |
|---|
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
VHS Movie Reviews of Captain From Castile [VHS]
Movie Review: History and Hollywood Merge
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember seeing "Captain From Castile" as a young boy on our B/W TV set with a 12" screen. My Dad had read the book years before and was as excited as I to see the movie in our home. The film captured all the romance, adventure, and swashbuckling drama that I loved then, and still love as a man in my 60s. Since then, I've seen this film many times and have read extensively about the Conquest of Mexico and found much of the movie to be historically accurate with regard to the conquistadors confrontation with the Mejica (i.e., Aztecs), the indigenous people who built the city of Tenochtitlan. Samuel Shellabarger's novel is more exciting to read, of course, especially the "Noche Triste" chapter, which was not in the movie, but I feel that the film should also be enjoyed as pure entertainment. It brings out the boy in me every time. I wish my Dad was still alive to enjoy seeing Tyrone Power and Jean Peters follow Cesar Romero's Cortes on his "conquest."
It would be wonderful to be able to see a mini-series of CAPTAIN FROM CASTILE filmed in the same cinematic style as the HBO/BBC collaboration on the made-for-TV series ROME. There were so many parts to the original novel, which ran over 500 pages, that it would have to be shot in segments. Of course, the PC crowd would have apoplexy if it followed Shellabarger's storyline, as tolerance of other people's culture and religious beliefs wasn't in vogue during the 16th century.
Movie Review: Tyrone Power at his best!
Summary: 4 Stars
Please allow me to differ with the gentleman from Mexico City who trashed this movie in his biased review. I have studied Spanish, regularly watch Spanish television, and HAVE READ many books about pre-columbian Mexico and it's Conquest by Cortez and his gang of adventurers. This movie was shot largely on location IN MEXICO and I only spotted a few minor historical errors. It is a GREAT movie, as good as Tyrone Power's "Zorro" or his "Black Rose". If anything, this movie glosses over the savagery and barbarism of the rulers of Mexico City and their priests who engaged in human sacrifice and cannibalism every day. There was no exhibition of this in this movie except at the very end we see a temple with blood splattered steps. The modern, politically correct idea that the evil white men came and stole the country from the native Mexicans has only been around for about two hundred years. For three hundred years before that the vast masses of native Mexicans never felt that way at all. The rulers of Mexico City terrorized the native peoples, were widely hated, and, in fact, at the time of the fall of Mexico City there were more native Mexicans fighting on the side of Cortez and the Spanish than there were fighting for the Mexicans. These are historical facts that are ignored in today's political climate. Cesar Romero makes a GREAT Hernando Cortez. He resembles him physically and captures his robustness, daring, great charisma, and charm as he leads the tiny expedition across Mexico, "Beautiful Mexico", from the tropics to the highlands to Mexico City itself at the end of the great causeway on the islands in the lake in the valley of Mexico, where you can even see the volcanos smoking in the background. Thank you very much.Movie Review: Sets, customes and history do justice to this epic
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great epic in the old Hollywood tradition. It awards us with some history of the Spanish inquisition and allows us to travel to the New Wrold in grand spectacle. Tyrone Power and Jean Peters are suitably matched and are supperb as the young lovers fleeing Spain. Cesar Romero does a fine job as Corteza. This is a colorful movie with all the action and adventure you would expect from a grand epic. I highly recommend it, specially to students wanting to learn something about the conquest of the New World.Movie Review: A Sumptuous Swashbuckler
Summary: 3 Stars
Tyrone Power and Jean Peters star in this mammoth Fox production of Shellabarger's best seller. The story plods along but production values are first rate. Leon Shamroy's breathtaking Technicolor cinematography, the location shooting and one of composer Alfred Newman's best scores. Newman garnered an Oscar nomination for it, the film's only Academu citation.Movie Review: Big Budget Spectacle - noise and fury signifies nada
Summary: 3 Stars
An elaborate and big budget film that remains unexciting and pointless in its attempts to show Cortez' conquering of Mexico with a ridiculous plot - our hero nearly "dies" twice. Those margaritas must have healing powers. Powers is unconvincing in lead, Peters miscast. It does boast stunning Technicolor cinematography and sumptuous costumes. The score by Alfred Newman earned an Oscar nom -the love theme is gorgeous but other than that it is pedestrian with a few conquering marches thrown in for good measure.