Mexico 1917. The Revolution, when religion has been outlawed. The story is based on fact. This picture unfolds a hidden and true story, dealing with a cruel General : Ernest Borgnine is leading his own war against the Church, as he speeches to his soldiers : The Church is our enemy I will not rest until the church is destroyed and every last priest is driven out of Mexico . Then priests are chased by a totalitarian government, rounded up, churches burned down and religion outlawed . But the ruthless general is challenged by a seemingly mild-mannered priest called Miguel Pro : Humberto Almazan, wanting to stop government soldiers from destroying missions and churches . Along the way the priest Miguel is mercilessly pursued by a police chief : Aldo Sambrell. The state police are aware of his existence, and unlike many other priests, they have a photograph of him, albeit an outdated one. The fugitive priest is trying to getaway from the authorities who have denounced Christianity and want anyone linked to it dead. The good-natured priest makes the decision to risk it all for faith, family and country. The fugitive finds shelter with a kind old woman and his brother : Sancho Gracia. The suffering of a pious catholic priest could bring the tide of change, however. Miguel Pro was the main priest to believe in their cause, but became the first willing to die for it.
Sensitive and brooding movie about pursuits and the necessary religious freedom. This is a stirring and moving confrontation between a fearsome provincial general who terrorizes the residents of the sizeable chunk of Old Mexico he rules, and, a good as well as peaceful priest who attempts to celebrate mass and give spiritual and religious relief. And this uneven confrontation resuts in an unusual challenging between two dissimilar men. Adding an interesting dialogue as the General speaks to priest : "What a pity you went into the priesthood, you would have made a great general" and the priest Miguel answers him : "All due respect in all may be you would have made a great Pope" . Here Borgnine gives a nice acting as a mad general leading his own war and at whatever cost, against the Catholic Church. While the real priest Humberto Almazan provides a sympathetic acting including singing and adding hilarious touches when disguising as a countryman full of mud, as a Prison Inspector and as an elderly woman . Nice support cast formed by various familiar faces from Spaghetti /Paella Western and mostly Spanish actors, such as : Sancho Gracia as his faithful brother, Tina Sainz as his sister, Angel Alvarez od Django as the Bishop, Carlos Casaravilla as a Prison chief, Gustavo Re as a jail warden, Gemma Cuervo as a prostitute, among others.
The picture was uneven but professionally directed by Hollywood veteran Arthur Lubin. This issue regarding religious pursuit has been put in connection with other films, formerly in "The Fugitive" 1947 by John Ford and Emilio Fernandez with Henry Fonda, Dolores Del Rio, War Bond, Pedro Armendariz, J. Carroll Naish, and, subsequently, in the epic "The greatest Glory : The true story of Cristiada" 2012 by Den Wright with Andy Garcia, Oscar Isaac, Eva Longoria, Peter O'Toole, this latter concerning Cristeros War in Mexico of the 20s.
