Blog Number Six:

Last week I really liked our discussion on whether or not the movie "Viva Zapata" was a revolutionary film or not. I was very excited about how the way we looked at this question and the ideas that we came up with. Through discussion we realized that this movie, when it came down to it, was about the "uncivilized" versus the "civilized". The interesting thing about it was that in the film Zapata, was characterized as the "uncivilized" person, however Steinbeck and the producers, still portrayed him in a positive light. Whereas the "civilized" person, in this case Gomez, was seen in a rather negative, or untrustworthy point of view. This relates to the question as to whether or not the film is revolutionary, is because most films portray uncivilized characters as being evil and the civilized people as being the "good" influence.
Now, not to change topics too fast but I would like to comment on something that I have thought of throughout this whole lesson over the Mexican Revolution. From watching "Viva Zapata" to reading, The Underdogs, I keep picturing the movie "Zorro", as this film is also about the Mexican Independence. For example, Zorro can relate to The Underdogs, because the main character, Alejandro, comes up from the bottom to take revenge on those who murdered his brother. Anyways, I can't help but think we should convince Professor Stark and Professor Serrata to assign us a Zorro movie for homework! Haha. But here is a clip that kind of represents how low Alejandro starts in the movie, and the kind of attitude he has. And at the very end of the clip I picture how Demetrio's men brandish their weapons similarly as if they are more talented than they really are as well!