Vintage original 8x10 in. US double-weight matte photograph from the classic 1930's historical biopic drama/romance, JUAREZ, released in 1939 by Warner Bros. and directed by William Dieterle. Based on the novel by Bertita Harding, Louis Napoleon III (Claude Rains) takes advantage of the American Civil War to circumvent the Monroe Doctrine and expand his power by helping Emperor Maximillian Hapsburg (Brian Aherne) to add Mexico to his empire. The cast includes Paul Muni, Bette Davis, John Garfield, Donald Crisp, Joseph Calleia, Gale Sondergaard, and Gilbert Roland.
The image features an interior shot of Napoléon III (Claude Rains) reading a document as his wife, Empress Eugénie (Gale Sondergaard) and others around the table watch him. Printed on double-weight stock with a beautiful matte finish, this vintage original photograph is in very fine+ condition without any pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws.
Extensive research was done to provide accuracy. The writers had a bibliography of 372 books. Art director Anton Grot made 3,643 sketches from which 7,360 blueprints were prepared for exterior and interior settings. A complete Mexican village was built on the Warner Bros. ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Because the film shows many of Maximilian's generals to be Mexican, many viewers attribute it to typical Hollywood historical distortions. It is, however, indeed accurate. It's a little-known fact that, although Maximilian was eventually overthrown and executed by Mexican revolutionaries, there were actually more Mexicans fighting on Maximilian's side than against him. This was due in large part to the Catholic Church's strong support of the French occupation of Mexico and its "encouraging" Mexican Catholics to fight against the revolutionary forces by joining Maximilian's army, which they did in large numbers.