And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself 2003
Golden Globe nominee Antonio Banderas (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) portrays Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in this incredible true story where a Hollywood film crew is allowed to document his life during wartime, ultimately changing the course of military history with cinema. The adventure begins when former film king D. W. Griffith (Colm Feore) convinces Harry Aiken (Jim Broadbent) and Frank Thayer (Eion Bailey) to travel to Mexico to make a film about Villa’s revolution without a penny or advertisement. Thayer’s team finds themselves caught in the crossfire, risking their lives in a mix of fiction and reality. After a series of dangerous adventures and betrayals, Thayer completes Villa and The Life of General Villa is released to acclaim in the United States. The film changes the public’s perception of Villa and proves that “the lens is mightier than the sword.” The movie, telling the true story of legendary Mexican folk hero Pancho Villa, garnered great praise thanks to lead actor Antonio Banderas’s convincing performance.
