Vera Cruz (film)

Vera Cruz
Vera Cruz
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Aldrich
Screenplay by	Roland Kibbee; James R. Webb
Story by	Borden Chase
Produced by	James Hill
Starring	Gary Cooper; Burt Lancaster; Denise Darcel; Cesar Romero; Sara Montiel
Cinematography	Ernest Laszlo
Edited by	Alan Crosland Jr.
Music by	Hugo Friedhofer
Production; company	Hecht-Lancaster Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	December 25, 1954;
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.6 million
Box office	$11 million; (estimated)

Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Western film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, Cesar Romero, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson and Jack Elam. Set during the Franco-Mexican War, the film centers on a group of American mercenaries tasked with transporting a large shipment of Imperial gold to the port of Veracruz, but begin to have second thoughts about their allegiances. It was produced by Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists on 25 December 1954.

The picture's amoral characters and cynical attitude towards violence (including a scene where Lancaster's character threatens to murder child hostages) were considered shocking at the time and influenced future Westerns such as The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Professionals (1966), Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch (1969), and the Spaghetti Western films of Sergio Leone, which often featured supporting cast members from Vera Cruz in similar roles. Its influence on Leone's work led some critics to label it "the proto-Spaghetti Western."^[4]^[5]^[6]

^ Balio, Tino (1987). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0299114404.
^ Silver, Alain; Ursini, James (1995). Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?. Limelight. p. 236. ISBN 978-0879101855. this puts the figure at $1.7 million
^ Vera Cruz at the TCM Movie Database
^ Cite error: The named reference DK1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Images - 30 Great Westerns". www.imagesjournal.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
^ Axmaker, Sean (April 11, 2021). "'Vera Cruz' – The proto-spaghetti western on Amazon Prime". Stream On Demand. Retrieved August 21, 2022.

[tino-1] Balio, Tino (1987). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0299114404.

[robert-2] Silver, Alain; Ursini, James (1995). Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?. Limelight. p. 236. ISBN 978-0879101855. this puts the figure at $1.7 million

[3] Vera Cruz at the TCM Movie Database

[DK1-4] Cite error: The named reference DK1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[5] "Images - 30 Great Westerns". www.imagesjournal.com. Retrieved August 21, 2022.

[6] Axmaker, Sean (April 11, 2021). "'Vera Cruz' – The proto-spaghetti western on Amazon Prime". Stream On Demand. Retrieved August 21, 2022.

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