Le trésor de Pancho Villa

Yes, it's true. There is a 1950's Coca-Cola sign atop a building in this Western movie. About 5 minutes into the movie, Rory Calhoun and some Mexicans rob a bank and there, behind them atop one of the buildings, is a 1950's time period Coca-Cola sign visible for all to see. I checked the history of Coca-Cola signs and find this one was not a style until the late 1940's and, since the movie was made in 1955, it is obviously not an original 1914-1915 time period sign (which is when the movie was supposed to take place). So one wonders who was in charge of the scenery for this Western.

Otherwise, the Western is good. Calhoun plays a mercenary who is fighting for Pauncho Villa and helping the cause to raise money for guns and ammunition. Roland is one of Villa's main men who is responsible for delivery of the gold they steal to Villa. Winters, as lovely as ever, is a school teacher who wants to fight for the cause because she believes in it.

The gold gets stolen off the train and is taken by mule train to where it is to be delivered to Villa. But Villa is not there when they arrive and Calhoun wants the gold for himself. Then it becomes a struggle between him and Roland.

There's plenty of action and definitely a very good plot. The acting by the stars is good and believable. It's a Western certainly worth watching--despite the Coca-Cola sign.

The Treasure of Pancho Villa is directed by George Sherman and adapted to screenplay by Niven Busch from a story written by J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater. It stars Rory Calhoun, Gilbert Roland and Shelley Winters. Music is by Leith Stevens and cinematography by William Snyder.

It's 1915, Mexico, and two adventurers are in the throes of revolutionary greed, loyalties and plain stubbornness...

It's all rather dull, really, a film not without a good action quotient, yet it drags itself through the slumber with weak characterisations. Winters is shoehorned into the pic as a sort of love interest, but ultimately her character achieves nothing more than under developed dressage, while Calhoun and Roland are saddled with some dire passages of chatter that come off as weak willed time filler. There's some sturdy machismo on show, especially when Calhoun lets fly with his Lewis Machine Gun, the location photography at Morelos (Technicolor/SuperScope) engages the eyes, and the last hurrah battle excites, but this is one that quickly fades from memory, sadly. By this point even the buzzards have had enough... 5/10

In 1915, an American adventurer (Rory Calhoun) and freelance fighter joins the supporters of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa , as he plots a gold heist to help the revolutionaries .This one deals with an one man army who was secretly paid to help revolutionaries at a mighty adventure and there's some gold around , too . A yankee soldier of fortune , Rory Calhoun , becomes involved in a blazing war of revolt , as he does a spot of smuggling in 1915 revolutionary Mexico , the period during which this film is set , as war swept Mexico . As the Gringo mercenary crossing the river , and living in Mexico , as he encounters every obstacle in the West while on his way to help Mexican rebels . As he runs into problem with a Mexican revolutionary (Gilbert Roland) and , at the same time relentlessly chased by the Regulars . As Colonel Castro's band of loyal Villa-supporters hope to get him back in power so rob a gold train . The rebel revolutionaries and continuous treason reflect different aspects of his situation . Then , Calhoun falls for an unhappy and high-thinking teacher (Shelley Winters) , allied to the fiery , dedicated revolutionaries . Throughout the dangerous paths the expedition carrying the valuable treasure being chased by the Indians and the federales , government troops , in pursuit, too . ¼Gold For Villa !' A slice of living history out of Pancho Villa's fabulous saga! With gust and gunfire and more dangers lurk. ¡ , they blasted their way into history! "Kill you for a woman, gringo? Never! But for the gold...?" Out of Pancho Villa's fabulous saga comes this slice of living history...filmed in Mexico's wild regions where it once happened, as it once happened! The cry that rooked the world'd hottest strip the hell ¡.

A Western drama with dramatic moments , noisy action , shootouts , crosses , doublé crosses and a highly commendable musical score . Bursting with attractive characters, interesting sub-plots , symbols , and with very decent filmmaking and interpretation . It is set in 1915 , Mexico Revolution , where the ever popular ex-revolutionary dictator, Pancho Villa, has been deposed and driven to his home province by another tyrant . Mexican revolution often brings out the best in Hollywood's Soldier Of Fortune action heroes , they are apt to give quite a lift , too, to a routine Western story ; these heroes were usually starred by Robert Mitchum , such as ¨Bandolero¨ by Richard Fleischer with Robert Mitchum , Zachary Scott , Ursula Thies ; ¨Viva rides¨by Buzz Kulik with Mitchum , Yul Bynner , Charles Bronson ; and ¨The wonderful country¨1959 by Robert Parish with Robert Mitchum , Julie London , Garry Merrill , Albert Dekker . Photographically with portentous images , being spectacularly filmed among the treacherous canyons of old Mexico and musically , it's a continuous treat , including an excellently thrilling climax . The picture centers on Rory Calhoun , a gringo and bank robber called Tom Bryan who hopes to retire to Mexico, as he is a mercenary operating South of Border , in a gun-running mission and transporting a treasure , as he finds out the blessings , and along the way delivering the gold to Pancho by Yaqui country proves harder . Rory Calhoun grapples rather unsteadly with his role as a gunrunner who ends with his heart in the right place . Rory gives a lively as well as easy acting as an extremely tough and two-fisted soldier of fortune wielding a machine-gun over his shoulders to get his objectives . Rory was a B-actor who starred a lot of films of all kinds of genres , outstanding in Western , Wartime , Nor film and drama , such as : Ticket to Tomahawk , A bullet is waiting , Finger on the trigger , Apache uprising , Hard driving' , The red house , Mission to Glory , Martin the Gaucho , Adventure island , Dayton's devil, The rebels , Operation Cross Eagles , Bad Jim , I'd climb the highhest , River of no return , Motel Hell , Angel , Avenging Angel . The gorgeous eye-candy Shelley Winters, who married Vittorio Gassman and Anthony Franciosa , here she plays a sweet role , though Shelley ,subsequently , would perfom hardest and dramatic characters ; at the beginning she was a model, vaudevillian and nightclub chorine , turning a good actress . Winters is pretty good as the teacher with a sad life , and she attempts to take a honest way by supporting the revolutionaries . Satisfying support cast plenty of prestigious secondaries , such as : Joseph Calleia and the latin lover Gilbert Roland also takes advantage from a villain but good character role . Including a lot of extras , as the older Mexicans hired as extras in the film were former soldiers of Pancho Villa and others were former government troops who fought them . Interesting and well structured screenplay - though somewhat wordy- by Niven Busch , based on a successful story . It contains a colorful cinematography in Cinemascope , Color De Luxe by courtesy of William Snyder , including wonderful landscapes from Morelos , Mexico ; in fact , it was shot on many of the actual battle sites of the 1916 Mexican revolution . And a sensitive and rousing musical score by Leith Stevens , adding marvelous Mexican sounds and songs , including the famous ¨ La Cucaracha¨ the traditional song whistled at different times by Castro, Bryan, and others and also performed by the passengers on the train .

This modest drama/action/Western picture was professionally and firmly directed by George Sherman , assisted by a Mexico production unit ; though slowly filmed, as I miss more action and shots, but it also has explosion, pursuits and impressive battles . The movie was a collaboration between Edmund Grainger Productions and RKO Radio Pictures , supported by the prestigious craftsman fimmaker Sherman .The motion picture was competently made by George Sherman in B-style , though has some flaws and gaps . Entertainment , atmosphere , action and excitement surge along with the tale under the hand of filmmaker George Sherman , who is clearly more at home with the thrilling scenes than somewhat excessively talking storyline . Sherman made reliable low-budget fares for Columbia between 1945-48, then moved on to do the same at Universal for another eight years . Sherman specialized almost exclusively in "B" westerns there , including the "Three Musketeers" series, which featured a young John Wayne. George directed lots of Westerns as ¨The Last of the Fast Guns¨ , ¨The Lone Hand¨, ¨Santa Fe stampede¨ , ¨Red skin¨ , ¨Chief Crazy Horse¨ ¨Calamity Jane¨, ¨Relentless¨ , ¨Comanche Territory¨ , ¨Dawn at Socorro¨, ¨Border River¨ and many others . He also made occasional forays into action and horror themes, often achieving a sense of style over substance . The only "A"-grade films to his credit were two westerns starring John Wayne: ¨Comancheros¨ (1961) (as producer) and ¨The big Jack¨ (1971) . His last films were realized in Spain as "Find That Girl" , ¨The new Cinderella¨ and ¨Joaquin Murrieta¨. Rating : 6/10 . Acceptable and passable . Well worth watching.

Great film for Gilbert Roland fans. He goes the full nine yards in sartorial fetishism. The thigh-high multi- buckled leather boots, the narrow wrist thongs to emphasise his thewed hirsute forearms, the double flap-pocketed and epauletted safari shirt diagonally crossed with a bullet-laden bandoleer, the mandatory trouser belt above the matching holster belt (if the revolution succeeds, gringo, everyone in "May-he-co" will be able to dress like theece). This ensemble is topped off with the classical Gilbertian contest between his moustache and his cheroot as to which was thinner. In this period he starred in any film in which he appeared notwithstanding his actual billing which was dictated by him being Mexican rather than WASP(apart of course from his waist).

Director George Sherman began his career at Republic Pictures for B - under one hour length - movies, before resuming for Universal Studios, with many westerns, thrillers, war.... He was a pretty good technician, a chain film maker though, yes, but an efficient one. This one was made for RKO pictures and the quality is really taut, sharp as a razor blade, with Rory Calhoun in one of his best role. I will never forget him using the Cucaracha, the terrific machine gun, used by Mexican revolutionaries. And Calhoun's character is absoutely unique; don't miss his line saying: "Children, what would you want me to do with them? " It is action paked, never boring, helped by a fast paced rythm. A must see. Gilbert Roland as the uusual hero's sidekick. Nearly a cliché for a movie buff.