For Greater Glory

Years ago, my grandma told us stories of Mexico (circa 1920’s). At the time, they had 8 girls ranging in age from 19 to 2 yrs. (the 2-year-old was my mom). Grandma had a cousin, a priest, who was banned from saying Mass or administering the Sacraments. He was a fugitive and occasionally would visit her village to say Mass, baptize, hear confessions and marry the locals, then, eat and run. In those days, spies abound everywhere and it was only a matter of time before the “federalistas” would find out, arrest them, rape the girls and kill them all. This movie relays a horrible tale about a government that would persecute its citizens for exercising their religious freedom.

Great, inspiring movie, and a reminder of what happens in countries where corrupt government try to make themselves into a replacement for "God". America, are you paying attention? We must avoid socialism at all costs,as well as dictatorial governments. The only complaint I have after buying this is that, now that my friends know I have a copy, everyone wants to borrow it! Seriously, the item was of good quality, well packaged, and an inspiring movie, along with plenty of bonus materials about the actual heroes and their real life stories. Equals 5 stars! Now, to get Hollywood to make more movies like this...

I honestly found it quite surprising to see some big name actors in this film, it was truly touching to me. This film is truly incredible, it paints the picture of the forgotten history of not only Mexico but of the Church there. This film is especially close to my heart because this is also the history of my family's region of Mexico (Los Altos de Jalisco), where there are sanctuaries and neighborhoods named after the Cristero Martyrs and the Child Heroes of the Cristada.

What a poignant and powerful retelling of the true story of Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio and the Cristeros! It’s painful to watch because of the reality that these people truly suffered as portrayed for their faith. We must never blindly allow such atrocities to happen. Our faith as Catholics, as Christians, as sons and daughters of the One True God and as brothers and sisters of Christ our Savior, Christ the King, must enliven our spirits to stand up and speak out against restrictions on our religious freedom. Viva Christo Rey!

This is a tremendously exciting true story about the Mexican Cristero War of 1926-29. Andy Garcia is magnificent as Gorostieta, the leader of the rebellion, and the same can be said of many others of the cast, notably the young Mauricio Kuri as Jose.The movie has a clear point of view in favour of the Cristeros, but it is not at all polemic. It also shows very positively the attitude of the many Catholics who refuse to fight, the soldiers and politicians who are torn between doing their duty and doing what they believe is right, the families that are torn apart by the violence, the 14-year-old Jose who has already been proclaimed a martyr and will probably be canonised a saint very soon, and Gorostieta himself, who took over the rebellion because of his support for religious liberty, even though he was not a Catholic at the time.It's a great pity that this movie was given such a limited theatrical release. Most people do not appear to have ever heard of it. It is a movie that needed to be made about a story that needs to be told.

President Plutarco Calles of Mexico decided to use certain articles in the 1917 Constitution to eliminate the Catholic church in Mexico. He decided to use a catch-22 which protected religious freedom... so long as the practitioners were not subject to other laws. He expelled "foreign" priests and public vestments.Mexico, being a traditional Catholic country, saw protests and demonstrations by Catholic organizations. Calles responded by force, employing Federal troops to commit extrajudicial killings. He saw the Cristeros as a threat to his statist regime and wanted it eliminated. This triggered the Cristeros War of the 1920s.The movie skillfully the individual Cristeros... by and large ordinary people who simply wanted to practice their faith. Women were an important part of the movement, smuggling weapons and ammunition and providing food.This film is excellent. I would give it six stars if I could. The acting is wonderful, especially that of Andy Garcia, who plays the role of the Cristero general Gorostieta. It has everything: political intrigue, adventure, moral underpinnings... truly a new classic. The portayal of Mexico's central government, out of control and committing atrocities in order to make the people bow to its will, is particularly disturbing.If you get this video be sure to watch the history piece "extra feature." Although it has a feel of a promotional piece for the movie it is still worth watching in its own right.

Wonderfully made film with true, but little known, historical significance. In the 1920's, Mexico's Freemason president, Plutarco Elias Calles,wreaked havoc on the Catholic population.....desecrating churches, imposing punishments, and torturing/killing priests and other Christians. The Mexican people rose up against the tyrants in a story of extreme faith and bravery with an army under the guidance of famous General Enrique Gorostieta. Their battle cry was "Viva Cristo Rey!!!" (Long live Christ the King!!!) After this segment of Mexico's history, the government forbade the mentioning of it in schools so that most people of Mexican descent are not aware of this fascinating and terrible time. Today, there are Christian men, women, and children in the Middle East being horribly tortured and killed for their beliefs....those who will not renounce their Faith, much like the Mexican people in the 1920's. This is a story of man's determination to have the freedom to worship God. I loved this telling of true "soldiers of Christ". Every candidate for Confirmation should see it.

The DVD I bought is a Region 1 product which will not play on a standard European device. I was aware of this at the time of ordering, thus will not mark it down on this account. With reviews sometimes showing up for different DVD editions of the same film, I would advise buyers to check the region code before ordering.Picture and sound quality are good. English subtitles are not available. Bonus material on the DVD: "The True Story of the Cristeros" featurette.The film itself I really liked. It focuses on a period in Mexican history I knew very little about: the rebellion of the Cristeros against the atheist government in/around the year 1920. The cast is quite exciting with Andy Garcia in the lead and the late and great Peter O'Toole in a small supporting role in the early part of the film. The acting is solid all round and production values are high, making for a very watchable film. However, this is a film about rebellion and war, and there are scenes of violence and cruelty. Also, the story is told with a rather pro Christian/Catholic bias which may not sit well with some viewers. Still, a very decent film about a less known event in world history and worth seeing for anybody with an interest in Mexico and/or history.

A film that captures the brutality of conflict and how mindless war can be! A film that shows the cost of standing up for ideas that you are passionate about!

Great film

A page of History rather unknown. Remembering that freedom of Religion requires commitment.A great film with very good actors. Good action, good pictures, good dialogs, good ideas....

Interesting movie about Mexican history and USAs participation. I guess it may be difficult to understand for non-catholics but I recommend it anyway