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Hurray Mexico!

Name: Hurray Mexico!
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Released: 1932
Duration: 88 min

Representation Score

4.4/10

Fair

1932

Not Rated

Director

Sergei Eisenstein

Runtime

88 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Eisenstein’s project serves as a vital historical artifact that centers a non-Western culture through a sophisticated cinematic lens. By focusing on the textures and rituals of Mexico, the work actively challenges the Eurocentric perspectives dominant in 1930s global cinema. The film's strength lies in its intentionality to elevate indigenous and mestizo experiences. The planned focus on 'Soldaderas' suggests a desire to portray women as active participants in social upheaval rather than passive figures. However, the unfinished nature of the footage prevents a full assessment of character portrayal. Without a cohesive edit, the depth of individual portrayals remains tied to ethnographic observation rather than fully realized narrative arcs.

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Category Breakdown

Does Hurray Mexico! have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The unedited footage does not include any documented LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. The documentary focuses on ethnographic and cultural observation rather than identity-based character arcs.

How does Hurray Mexico! portray gender?

Fair

The planned 'Soldadera' segment highlights female combatants and participants in the Mexican Revolution. This disrupts passive domestic depictions, though the lack of a completed edit limits the depth of character portrayal.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Hurray Mexico!?

Excellent

The film centers indigenous and mestizo experiences, providing a powerful counter-narrative to Eurocentric cinema. It celebrates Mexican identity by shifting the lens away from Western-centric norms.

How does Hurray Mexico! represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The work uses an anti-colonial framework to document local traditions and social upheaval. It prioritizes the visceral reality of the Mexican landscape over Western-imposed order.

Does Hurray Mexico! include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence that neurodivergence or physical disabilities are central themes. The ethnographic study does not intentionally represent these specific identities.

Present on Screen

Centering of indigenous and mestizo identities provides a powerful counter-narrative to Eurocentric cinema.
The focus on 'Soldaderas' challenges traditional, passive depictions of women in historical contexts.
The anti-colonial framework prioritizes local traditions and the visceral reality of the Mexican landscape.

Limited or Absent

The lack of a completed, cohesive edit limits the ability to assess deep character portrayal.
The ethnographic nature of the footage results in a lack of specific identity-based character arcs.

Official Synopsis

Unedited film that Sergei Eisenstein, Grigoriy Aleksandrov and Eduard Tisse shot in Mexico 1931-32. This record only represents the 200,000-plus feet of unedited film that Sergei Eisenstein, Grigoriy Aleksandrov and Eduard Tisse shot in Mexico 1931/32 for Mary and Upton Sinclair and three American co-financiers. It was Eisenstein's vision to end up with movie about Mexico in six parts called "Calavera", "Sandunga", "Maguey", "Fiesta", "Soldadera", and "Epilogue". The project was canceled before it was completed due to cost overruns and months-delayed completion, and the producers refused to let Eisenstein attempt to edit anything from the material he had finished after Iosif Stalin called him back to the USSR. From this footage the following pictures were subsequently edited by other hands: Thunder Over Mexico (1933), Eisenstein in Mexico (1933), Death Day (1934), Time in the Sun (1940), and Que Viva Mexico (1979).

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