For Greater Glory BD/Combo [Blu-ray]

I like it, very inspiring movie.

great film! great actors! true historical film.

The Catholic Church had accumulated incredible power and wealth under the Spanish regimes. This was limited and reduced after Mexico's independence. freedom of religion was allowed under the Constitution of 1857. Calles was an atheist and under the revised 1917 Constitution it was further limited. It was not enforced until Calles took power. Mexico's history was extremely unstable until the Diaz long term regime. He was a dictator. Rebellion, intervention, assassination, murder, coups had , regularly occurred.Looming to the north was the United States always playing a huge role in politics . Seeking stability, the US backed ,what it saw as the most stable candidates. It especially feared a Socialist takeover of Mexico. the US interests owned copper mines, silver mines, sugar cane plantations, oil facilities, banks etc etc all which might be at riskSo this is based on real events, with some alterations for cinematic drama.Gorostieta did not defeat the hero Zapata. He did fight for Huerta, who had Zapata ambushed. Catorce was murdered in jail. Calles did truly have a maniacal dislike of the church. He did order atrocities on civilian supporters, priests, rebel adherents etc. He feared the country would slip back into chaos a rebellion would mushroom. and the US would intervene as per usual. The US did arbitrate a compromise, the rebels lost, the Catholic Church withdrew its support for the rebels. Calles was reelected as president. His political party morphed into the PRI, which held power until recently. Vargas the priest general did attack trains during which civilians were killed. Several priests fought. The churches were closed and foreign priests exiled. The movie itself is rather slow.THe location shots are decent. The dialogue seems rather simplistic. My wife lived for many years in Guadalajara and the action is centered in Jalisco and Zacatecas states . Her aunt lived in Tlaquepaque, mentioned in the movie. Her housekeepers name was Victoria Guttierez Ramirez. Could she have been a relative of Catorce? He had a reputation as a deadly shot and a ladies man with a "wife" in every village. For us the location and events were very interesting.

I give this movie five stars because of the integrity of the story, the magnificent cinematography and the outstanding performances by Andy Garcia and a stellar supporting cast. Since others have already given synopses in their reviews I will confine myself to critique. First of all I was delighted to see this movie brought to the big screen because after nearly 90 years, many people in Mexico had still not heard of the Christeros until recently; and that largely due to the movie. So effective was the government clamp down on the Church and its people, that even the valiant history they lived through has been denied to them -- for the most part until now.In the beginning the Christeros movement was spontaneous, but it began to grow rapidly when even an unbelieving general came to realize that life without liberty is empty and meaningless. I believe the pivotal issue of the movie -- freedom of religion, yes, but also freedom in general -- is facing a similar threat here in America. It is good to have real life heroes to emulate should the time come for our own test of courage. Knowing that other people have fought, that many of them also died -- knowing full well the consequences of their choices -- should give inspiration and courage to following generations who may be tested in their own lives someday.Normally when I first see a movie advertised, or read about one that is soon to be released, I look for the big name cast members and go first of all with ones that I like. Nothing unique about me there. So Andy Garcia was a given, as was Peter O'Toole. Eva Longoria not so much [although she is good in this role]. Still I am often hesitant to see something with a lot of lesser known actors and this movie has a fair amount of them. But amazingly the 'unknowns' are, in some cases, as wonderful to see as the seasoned actors. So do not let that aspect deter you from seeing or buying this movie.The most inspiring aspect of the story for me was that the majority of the 'heroes' portrayed were real life, ordinary, 'common' people who found at their moment in history that even the 'little man' can have the courage to stand up for his most deeply cherished beliefs. Another inspiring aspect centers around the role that women -- wives, mothers, daughters and 'maidens'-- played in helping to bring success to the resistance of the movement. In fact it is probable that without the courageous assistance of the women, who also risked their lives on a daily basis, the mission would never have gained a foothold much less continued as it did.One of my all time favorite movies, "It's a Wonderful Life" started out small when it was first released. But in later years it took on a life of its own and has now become, at least according to some surveys, the most popular movie of all time. Some have criticized the lack of wide spread advertising before the release of "Greater Glory". Yet despite the financial constraints inherent in 'non Hollywood' productions, this film has done relatively well in the past nine months following its release. Here's hoping that at some point it will take on its own 'wonderful life' and spread like wildfire to viewers in the near as well as the distant future!

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 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....

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

This movie is amazing. Highly recomended for everybody, told the true story about shame past in Mexico, how politcs punish people for religion.