The newly-named emperor Maximilian and his wife Carlota arrive in Mexico to face popular sentiment favoring Benito Juárez and democracy.
Acting
Davis's Carlota unraveling is unhinged cinema; Muni's Juárez is... committed.
Production
Massive sets and thousands of extras—Warner Bros. flexing their Depression-era budget.
Costume
Ornate imperial uniforms vs. Juárez's austere black suit—visual politics in fabric.
Director
William Dieterle
Paul Muni
Benito Pablo Juárez
Bette Davis
Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg
Brian Aherne
Emperor Maximilian von Hapsburg
Claude Rains
Emperor Louis Napoleon III
John Garfield
General Porfirio Diaz
Donald Crisp
Maréchal Bazaine
Joseph Calleia
Alejandro Uradi
Gale Sondergaard
Empress Eugenie
Gilbert Roland
Colonel Miguel Lopez
Henry O'Neill
General Miguel Miramon
Harry Davenport
Dr. Samuel Basch
Louis Calhern
LeMarc
Walter Kingsford
Prince Richard Metternich
Georgia Caine
Lady in Waiting
Montagu Love
Jose de Montares
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bette Davis fought to play Carlota instead of the bland Juárez love interest—she was right, and it's her film.
Released as fascism rose in Europe, the film's anti-imperialism played differently than intended—some saw Juárez as dangerously revolutionary.
US
