And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself Page #3

"than in telling the real truth..."

I'll take the pastrami on rye.

"...the real truth

about the self-styled Gen. Villa...

"and his ragtag army with nary

a piece of modern artillery to its name."

lt'd be more productive

for you to read the want ads.

You know what's so galling about all this?

It's all true.

We had so little control

over what happened.

Villa comes off as some kind of simple,

starstruck cowboy.

Give me the strudel.

We didn't offer a clue to his complexity,

to his greatness.

What a movie that would make.

This would all be better said

to someone with a checkbook, wouldn't it?

He's been beaten and tortured all his life.

They say that he still has whip scars

across his back.

He was a convict before he turned 20.

It's midnight.

Before he was 12,

he was already being hunted by the law.

Now there are places in Mexico

where he is the law.

Don't make me fire you twice in one week.

He's the James Boys, he's Billy the Kid,

he's Napoleon...

all rolled into one.

But he asks nothing for himself.

He takes nothing.

He builds schools where there were none.

He seizes the homes of the wealthy.

He redistributes the land.

He gives it to the poor. He feeds them.

He even prints his own money.

Prints his own money?

The man's not all bad, is he?

Tell me that this material would not make

a fantastic moving picture.

Forget it. The Times said the one we made...

Iooked like a high-school play

that couldn't afford the costumes.

For my money, and that's sure as hell

what every penny of it was...

we gave Pancho Villa more than his shot.

- But we didn't. That's the whole point.

- Be realistic.

You'd never crowd all that stuff

into a two-reeler, not in a million years.

I'd make it more like seven.

- Seven reels?

- Seven reels.

Did you smoke some of that funny stuff

down in Mexico, Frank?

Who in their right minds...

is gonna wanna sit through a movie

that runs for over an hour?

There's never a first until someone tries.

Don't give me fortune cookies

in the middle of the night, Frank.

And seven reels is a whale of a show...

you're ready to give away

for a nickel a ticket.

Then double it.

Double it?

- A dime a ticket?

- A dime a ticket.

One good first deserves another.

- These are exciting thoughts, Frank.

- They are.

- I'm definitely getting excited.

- Don't let me stop you.

If only they didn't all look

so crummy down there.

For 10 cents,

people are gonna wanna see a lot more...

than a bunch of barefoot buggers

jumping around in the cactus.

We can help them look better.

I know we can.

I have to run this past D.W., of course.

He'll see the possibilities in a minute.

I promise you.

The Life of General Villa.

Okay.

Hey, you moron, watch the vase!

- Hello, sir.

- Francisco Two.

- Do I know you were coming?

- I sent a telegram.

When I see it, then I will know you are here.

- I missed you many times, mi amigo.

- I've missed you.

Yeah, good. Bueno.

The Virgin, does she answer your prayers?

Not with my Spanish, she doesn't.

It's not Spanish. Never Spanish. Mexicano.

There are two things

Spain give to my people:

the church and the weapon.

You should write a book.

Maybe I have to read one or two first.

This is the battle?

So much there.

Two little circles.

Magic.

Tomorrow, we must liberate

a projector somewhere.

Tell me are you hungry, thirsty?

House of great wealth.

Not one drop of ice cream.

If my father saw us here,

me and my brother, he would say:

Before your head grows a boot.

A room like this.

Such a room could be only for a don.

Or for a foreigner.

Into a room like this,

my father could only crawl...

to beg for some food for himself,

for his family.

There are books here

that weigh more than he did when he died.

Welcome back to Mexico.

- Are you all right, Francisco?

- Yes, thanks.

Is the horse riding you well?

You did not come all this way...

- only to bring me my film, right?

- Right.

Another movie? You want to make

another movie with Pancho Villa?

Yes, sir. Same deal as last time.

Same money.

Your President Wilson

has lifted the arms embargo.

Money is not a problem

for Pancho Villa anymore.

Tell me, has there ever been

a movie of Don Quixote, do you know?

No, not that I know of. No, sir.

Not one movie of Don Quixote?

And Seor Aitken wants to make

two of Pancho Villa.

We believe that this story, this photoplay...

will greatly enhance your popularity...

and it's gonna go a long way

to helping the Revolution.

You still have a lot of enemies

in high places though.

Yeah. That's the best place for enemies,

high up where you can see them.

You'd be doing me a very big favor.

Remember Don Quixote, mi amigo.

A man must not fight windmills.

Villa positively not interested.

Returning New York immediately.

Awfully sorry. Did my level best.

Frank N. Thayer.

"N" for "nephew."

You're welcome.

Don't give me that happy-peon lark.

You're on my land.

You and the other bloody bandidos...

think you can just ride off here

with my horses and my guns, amigo?

No.

Soldiers of Pancho Villa are no bandidos.

You've been robbing me blind

and you bloody well know it.

Five thousand head of my cattle...

and not so much as

one bloody f***ing peso.

Thank you very much.

These tinhorn bean-ocrats down here

may put up with the crap you dish out.

But you've finished shitting

on this white man. Comprende?

Did you read Hearst today?

I've got it right here.

"The cold-blooded murder in Mexico

of English ranch owner William Benton...

"that was the latest example of the socialist

Villa's rabid hatred of foreigners...

"reinforces the Hearst

Corporation's demand...

"that the civilized nations of the world

act in all haste...

"to introduce the self-styled General

to the business end of a rope."

Mr. Aitken.

Does the General have any questions?

The General has no questions.

"Whenever engaging the enemy,

you guarantee..."

- That's you, sir.

- I know I am "you."

"...you guarantee that any fighting

by the forces under your command...

"will occur only between the daylight hours

of 9:
00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m."

Agreed.

"There is to be

no night combat whatsoever...

"and the Mutual Company," that's us...

"is to be informed and consulted...

"as to the nature

of any and all military engagements."

S, cut, print, iris in, iris out, pan...

It's muy simple.

Very good, sir.

"In the event that a major exchange

cannot be filmed...

"you will agree to restage such battles,

or stage new ones as may be necessary...

"for the benefit

of the Mutual Company's cameras.

"For its part, the Mutual Company

agrees to furnish wardrobe..."

Problem?

He wants to make sure

Frank's gonna be working on this one, too.

No Francisco, no Francisco.

I promise you, General...

this fine young man is gonna be with you

every damn momentum of the day.

Whatever you need, whatever you want,

this is gonna be your man.

Every bit as he's gonna be mine.

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