I had read about Santo movies before, so I had to try out one. The print I saw (Vanguard) is in bad shape, and the movie is subtitled (at least partially), but the sound is okay. Still, once past the opening the movie becomes a fascinating culture study of a sort of country living in Mexico. For entertainment at one point they see a cock fight (yes it's real and violent) and it is fascinating to see what kind of manners people use with each other, even in a fictional movie. Santo is always the gentleman -- speaking very correctly both to friends and enemies! The basic plot begins with Santo going to the aid of a woman, the owner of a ranch, who is being threatened by unknown persons. The way the plot unfolds is not as entertaining as seeing the characters interact. It does appear there is animal abuse in the film, since most of the filming seems to be in a one-take mode, but one can never be sure about that. After all, the fights look real enough but were faked no doubt in terms of blows connecting, so maybe they did something similar with the filming of the animal scenes. All in all I have to give this film for both entertainment and amusement value, though perhaps I was just in the right mood. I'm going to check out more Santo movies after this.
Review of The Royal Eagle
