Directed by:
William DieterleCinematography:
Tony GaudioComposer:
Erich Wolfgang KorngoldCast:
Paul Muni, Bette Davis, Brian Aherne, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Joseph Calleia, Gale Sondergaard, Donald Crisp, Gilbert Roland, Henry O'Neill, Louis Calhern (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
In 1863, Louis Napoleon of France, threatened with the loss of Mexico under its new president, Benito Juarez, decides to circumvent the Monroe Doctrine by instituting sovereign rule. Napoleon cleverly engineers an election that puts the unwitting Maximilian von Hapsburg on the Mexican throne. Upon his arrival in Mexico, the idealistic Maxmilian, who is accompanied by his wife Carlota, is puzzled by the absence of supporters, and soon discovers that his French advisors expect him to confiscate the lands that Juarez has returned to the Mexican people. Slowly realizing that he is the victim of a fraud designed to establish French supremacy in Mexico, Maxmilian refuses to confiscate the lands and refuses to issue a decree that would place repressive penalties on the rebels led by Juarez. Instead, Maximilian decides to abdicate, but Carlota convinces him that he must stay and deliver Mexico from its enemies. To accomplish this, he offers Juarez the position of prime minister, but Juarez will not compromise his belief in democracy, thus creating an unbridgeable gulf between the two. With the end of the American Civil War, the United States orders the French flag out of Mexico and sends aid to the rebel army. Juarez' vice president, Uradi, uses this opportunity to betray Juarez and seizes the munitions, thereby creating a split that places victory within Maxmilian's grasp. Just as Maxmilian is about to command his army, however, Napoleon orders all French troops out of Mexico, crushing any chance of victory. Enraged, Carlota returns to Paris to confront Napoleon, where she suffers a mental breakdown over her husband's plight. Meanwhile, Juarez wins back control of the rebels and captures Maxmilian and his loyal followers as they are about to make their last stand. Although arrangements have been made for his release, Maxmilian insists on remaining with his men, and after they are judged guilty, they face the firing squad together. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
![Paul Porcasi](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/579/160579948_5479eb.jpg)
Paul Porcasi
Italy
Best movies:
Casablanca (1942)
It Started with Eve (1941)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
![Grant Mitchell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/812/157812478_4ec884.jpg)
Grant Mitchell
USA
Best movies:
Edison, the Man (1940)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
![Harry Davenport](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/765/157765206_365afd.jpg)
Harry Davenport
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Little Women (1949)
![Mickey Kuhn](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/594/161594931_ecb150.jpg)
Mickey Kuhn
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Juarez (1939)
![Robert Warwick](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/000/159000170_4f6a45.jpg)
Robert Warwick
USA
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
The Power and the Glory (1933)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
![Claudia Dell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/000/159000270_16dd97.jpg)
Claudia Dell
USA
![Charles Middleton](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/471/159471372_569e9d.jpg)
Charles Middleton
USA
Best movies:
The Good Earth (1937)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
![Charles Halton](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/426/158426750_1f558b.jpg)
Charles Halton
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
![Francis McDonald](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/263/158263971_a1f5eb.jpg)
Francis McDonald
USA
Best movies:
The Viking (1928)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
![Walter Kingsford](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/897/159897823_2545f6.jpg)
Walter Kingsford
UK
Best movies:
Captains Courageous (1937)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
If I Were King (1938)
![Jason Robards Sr.](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/726/159726641_6d702e.jpg)
Jason Robards Sr.
USA
Best movies:
San Francisco (1936)
Juarez (1939)
Wild in the Country (1961)
![Dewey Robinson](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/053/160053817_784e52.jpg)
Dewey Robinson
USA
Best movies:
Casablanca (1942)
Scarlet Street (1945)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
![William Edmunds](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/208/160208731_22563e.jpg)
William Edmunds
Italy
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Casablanca (1942)
William Wilkerson
USA
Best movies:
Juarez (1939)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
Key Largo (1948)
![Egon Brecher](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/160/878/160878245_325254.jpg)
Egon Brecher
Austria-Hungary
![Noble Johnson](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/161/560/161560047_023b55.jpg)
Noble Johnson
USA
Best movies:
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
King Kong (1933)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Martin Garralaga
Spain
Best movies:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Casablanca (1942)
Juarez (1939)
Georgia Caine
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Dodge City (1939)
Frank Lackteen
Lebanon
Best movies:
The Song of Bernadette (1943)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Pedro Regas
Greece
Best movies:
Scarface (1932)
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
The Rains Came (1939)