El cementerio de las águilas

Made in 1939, the title of the film in English translates into The Cemetery of the Eagles, as the eagle is the symbol of Mexico as seen on it's flag. Here we have the Mexican point of view of the Mexican-American War; Far from the American version of the war we are usually taught in school that begins with the Alamo. The US doesn't start war to liberate Texas from Mexico, but to take over Mexican territory and expand the US slave system (Slavery was illegal in Mexico). With the end of the US Civil War, America went out to both expand its territory and also to conquer new colonies to subjugate like its European counterparts had done in Africa.

Miguel de la Peña , a middle class young man played by famous Mexican singer Jorge Negrete and his poor friend Agustin Melga played by Jose Macip both fall in love with two aristocratic young sisters, Anna Maria and Mercedes played by Silvia Cardell and Margarita Mora. However, it is 1847, the eve of the Mexican-American War and both young men enlist in the army to help their country fight off the American invaders. Like war, all is not fair in love either.

If the Gringos have their movies like "The Alamo" or "One man's hero", there's is little Mexican film with then (by 1939) huge popular actor and singer Jorge Negrete, about the Mexican-American war: "El cementerio de las Aguilas". I saw this film on Mexican syndicated television when I was 10 o 11 years old. Filled with historical inequalities (from the point of view of the parallel story of boy hero Agustín Melgar) ,is a patriotic drama, that tells the story of Miguel de la Peña and friend teenager Agustin Melgar, a middle class man and a poor class boy who are in love with a pair of aristocratic "criollas" Mercedes and Ana Maria in the year 1846, just as the Mexican-American war begun. De la Peña enrolls with the Mexican army (the infamous and traitor Polkos Battalion) just as the North American armies approach the nearing of Mexico City, because he wants to give some time to his relationships to a divorceé and Mercedes. Meanwhile Melgar is studying in the famous military college at Chapultepec but the love for Ana María and the desire to marry her, make him desert the military . The father of ana maria scolds him and Melgar leave in dispair. Just as the enemy forces approach, and trying to emulate de la Peña, Melgar returns to the college to fight with their comrades and defeat the enemy. From then on, the story tells us the heroic deaths of the six boy heroes, counting Melgar at the Chapultepec Battle in Sept. 13 1847. If you want to see the Mexican point of view of the Mexican-American war you must see this film. Is quite good, aside the soap opera melodramatic love story that never fails in Mexican cinema (principally in the Negrete's films).