‘Viva Zapata!:’ Finding Grace in the Rhythms of Change

Well-intentioned biopic of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata drifts into political speechifying.

Emiliano Zapata (Marlon Brando), in “Viva Zapata!” 20th Century-Fox

NR | 1h 53m | Biography, Drama, History | 1952

Few Hollywood films from the 1950s feel as stylistically ambitious and ideologically tangled as “Viva Zapata!” On paper, it’s a powerhouse: Elia Kazan directing, John Steinbeck writing, Marlon Brando starring.