For Greater Glory – Film Review

For Greater Glory (aka Cristiada)
By Dean Wright

Since the modern Age of Revolutions began in 1789, Catholic peoples have risen up again and again in arms in defense of their religion and of “Christendom”: the public order that had developed over the ages out of the interaction of the Church with state and society. The Traditional pilgrimage to Chartres celebrates to this day the fighters of the Vendee and related movements in the 1790’s. Slightly later in the same decade there were uprisings against the revolutionaries both in North and South Italy. Even more successful – if only temporarily – was the uprising of Andreas Hofer and the Tyrolean peasants against Bavaria and France 1809-10. Defense of Catholicism was a key motivation of the Spanish guerillas in the Peninsular War against Napoleon 1808-13. We can see the 19th century Carlist Wars in Spain – now waged against Spanish liberalism – as a continuation of the legacy. Again in Spain, Catholics fought and eliminated the Marxist and Masonic regime in 1936-39. A more contemporary example of this kind of struggle was the Solidarity movement in Poland in 1980-81, even if nonviolent (on the part of the Polish workers, that is).

A review of these conflicts shows that the most successful – the Peninsular War, the Spanish Civil War and Solidarity – were able to move the struggle to a national level and forge working alliances with forces that were not necessarily “purely” Catholic such as the British Empire, the Falange or KOR. Regrettably most of the other movements remained restricted to a limited region and mainly to the peasant class. They also proved unable to coordinate with outside allies or even with each other. So despite all their heroism, these fighters eventually succumbed to the larger and better organized forces of their opponents. And by the time of the Spanish Civil War there were already Catholic voices – like Jacques Maritain or Bernanos – repudiating the Catholic fighters. A tendency that culminates in the teaching of John Paul II and Pope Benedict that warfare in defense of Faith is never justified – rejecting consistent tradition going back to 622 and the Emperor Heraclius at the latest.

For Greater Glory tells the story of one of these uprisings: the Cristero rebellion in Mexico in the 1920’s. It has remained unknown outside of Mexico except in certain Traditional circles although it occurred on the doorstep of the United States. The veil of ignorance has lifted somewhat in recent years with the canonization or beatification of numerous Cristero martyrs. And in 2007 Miss Mexico created an uproar at the Miss Universe pageant by wearing a skirt emblazoned with Cristero emblems and images. Now, For Greater Glory tells the Cristero saga through the medium of film

Miss Mexico!

It was to be expected that the subject matter of this film would attract the hostility of our media and reviewers. For the received depiction of the Mexican revolutions of the 20th century has always been one of admiration for sincere, if somewhat barbaric revolutionaries: Viva Villa! (1934); Viva Zapata! (1952) and Frida (2002). So it is that For Greater Glory has received predominantly negative reviews and a plainly ridiculous “R” rating to boot.

Let me say that, contrary to these pundits and aside from all ideological concerns, For Greater Glory is a satisfying cinematic experience. It is well acted and the photography is great. The sets have an appropriate Mexican, “lived in” feel. The fine costumes help to recreate the atmosphere of the 1920’s. The direction – by Dean Wright – reflects the lessons learned in films like The Lord of the Rings cycle, Braveheart and Gladiator. The frequent action scenes are exciting and hard hitting. The film is understandable and keeps moving to its conclusion – I never was bored or confused as to what was happening. The structure of the film generally follows the historical course of the Cristero rebellion and weaves in outside political developments as well.

Naturally not all is perfect. The director has a habit – undoubtedly derived from his experiences on the Lord of the Rings, to repeatedly set up dialogue scenes amid the action in which weighty statements are declaimed to the accompaniment of portentous music. Fortunately these scenes, if frequent, are short and the dialogue is, in comparison to other films, relatively under control. And the flow of the film, if always understandable, is a bit choppy. Things are insinuated – like a betrayal of the Cristeros by the US – and by the Catholic hierarchy of Mexico and the Vatican as well? – without achieving the cinematic impact they deserve. An effort to be objective also often leads to a loss of cinematic effect: the great adversary of the Catholics, President Calles comes across as a complex, almost sympathetic figure.

Reverting more to weaknesses on the ideological front, we also have in the film the attempt to convert the Cristeros’ fight for Catholic Mexico to a struggle for “religious liberty.” Fortunately, this reinterpretation is not consistently applied. And the scriptwriters have President Calles give the appropriate response: wasn’t I democratically elected by the majority? On the other hand, the film has the remarkable candor to show the nefarious influence of US economic interests on the situation.

All in all, I consider For Greater Glory a significant achievement in film. For the first time in film, as far as I am aware, a Catholic counterrevolutionary movement is seriously and honestly depicted. Not just in an ideological or hagiographic treatise, but in a cinematically satisfying way.