During the early sound era in Hollywood several studios filmed simultaneous versions of their better films for a foothold in another language market. The practice was discontinued after about five years. Stronghold from the minor Lippert studios revived that practice with Veronica Lake in the lead in Stronghold and Mexican film star Sarita Montiel in Furia Rosa which was the same film. The practice was not revived after this film.
Stronghold has Veronica Lake as a southern sympathizing woman who has come to Mexico with her Mexican national mother after losing a brother during the Civil War. Foolish people think they'll forget their troubles in Mexico which is having its own Civil War between Maximilian and Carlotta and Benito Juarez and his supporters. But even before they're put ashore the women are kidnapped and used for ransom by the Juaristas to get silver from Lake's cousin Zachary Scott who is the local bigshot and Maximilian supporter.
What I found interesting about this film is that in America Maximilian and Carlotta are treated somewhat even handedly being presented as naive people taken in by the false promises of support from Napoleon III. But in a Mexican production which this Lippert film essentially is, the Austrian pair are the worst kinds of villains. Carlotta here is one evil woman and no doubt her flight into insanity would be applauded in a Mexican film before a Mexican audience.
Veronica Lake walked away from her contract with Paramount and this Lippert film was the best thing she could get three years away from the White Mountain studio. She's not bad in it and Zachary Scott is his usual sleazy villain and ruthless one at that. But this did not revive her career on the big screen. Lake did some television was off the big screen for 14 years until she made three more big screen efforts that added no luster.
Scott in order to capture DeCordova flooded his own mine and drowned several people. The flood scene was nicely staged something in special effects you would not normally get from a poverty row studio.
Stronghold is not a bad film, might have been better if a major studio had done it.
