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The Gaucho

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For other uses, see Gaucho (disambiguation).

The Gaucho
Theatrical release poster
Directed byF. Richard Jones
Written byDouglas Fairbanks
Produced byDouglas Fairbanks
StarringDouglas Fairbanks
Lupe Vélez
CinematographyTony Gaudio
Edited byWilliam Nolan
Music byArthur Kay (uncredited)
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • November 21, 1927 (1927-11-21)
[1]
Running time
115 minutes
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Box office$1.4 million[2]
Full film
Douglas Fairbanks in The Gaucho in 1927

The Gaucho (the official full title of the film is Douglas Fairbanks as The Gaucho[3]) is a 1927 American silent adventure film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Lupe Vélez that is set in Argentina. The lavish adventure extravaganza, filmed at the height of Fairbanks' box office clout, was directed by F. Richard Jones with a running time of 115 minutes.

Fairbanks biographer Jeffrey Vance considers the film "a near masterwork" and "an anomaly among his [Fairbanks’] works."[3] Vance also considers it a "daring departure, the film is an effort of unanticipated darkness in tone, setting, and character. The spirit of adolescent boyish adventure, the omnipresent characteristic of his prior films, is noticeably absent. It has been replaced by a spiritual fervor and an element of seething sexuality the likes of which has never been seen before in one of his productions.”[3]

Plot

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The disreputable leader of a group of bandits, El Gaucho, is thrust into the role of hero after an even more cruel local strongman, Ruiz, takes over the Andean village that El Gaucho and his men have used as their base. But after regaining the town for his selfish uses, El Gaucho has a showdown with the Padre and undergoes a spiritual transformation when confronted with the holy powers of a sacred shrine.

Cast

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Legacy

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A new preservation print of The Gaucho, created by the Museum of Modern Art, was first shown at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2008.[4] It has subsequently been screened at MoMA (2008),[5] and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (2009)[6] to promote the new book Douglas Fairbanks with author Jeffrey Vance introducing the screenings.

The nickname for the sports teams of the University of California-Santa Barbara is The Gauchos in honor of Fairbanks' acting in the eponymous film.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Meuel, David (2023). Silent Film's Last Hurrah: The Remarkable Movies of the Long 1928. ISBN 978-1-4766-6895-6. The Gaucho, United Artists, produced by Douglas Fairbanks, directed by F. Richard Jones, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Lupe Velez, released November 21, 1927.
  2. ^ Balio, Tino (2009). United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-2992-3014-2.
  3. ^ a b c Vance, Jeffrey (2008). Douglas Fairbanks. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p. 227. ISBN 978-0520256675.
  4. ^ Soares, Andre (2014). "Douglas Fairbanks in THE GAUCHO Academy Screening". Alt Film Guide. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  5. ^ Higgins, Steven (December 17, 2008). "Laugh and Live: The Films of Douglas Fairbanks". Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  6. ^ Guillen, Michael (July 13, 2009). "The Gaucho (1927) Introductory Remarks". The Evening Class. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  7. ^ "Nickname "Gauchos"". Retrieved November 14, 2016.
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