El compadre Mendoza

Very good film, especially considering that it was made in 1934. The Mexican Revolution was a complicated historical event. It involved a popular uprising on several fronts - Pancho Villa on the north, Emilio Zapata in the south. The political leadership changed rapidly - from Madero to Huerta to Carranza. Businessmen, such as the ranch owner who is the protagonist in this film, are caught in the middle as they try to survive the chaos and instability of the economic order.

My complaint with this movie is its English title. The Spanish title is exactly correct as Mendoza attempts to ingratiate himself as a special friend to every military strongman. But use of the term Godfather (the actual Spanish word is padrino) is way off as the film actually features a godfather who is not Mendoza. The title would have been best left in Spanish. In English it could have been "The Pal Mendoza" or "The Buddy Mendoza".