Review: For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada

Note: This appeared in the print-only TV Guide of The Marshall Independent.

“The Catholic Church in Mexico is a political movement, and must be eliminated in order to proceed with a Socialist government free of religious hypnotism which fools the people… within one year without the sacraments, the people will forget the faith…” Plutarco Elias Calles Calles, President of Mexico (1924-1928,) ‘Maximato’ (1928-1935) in a private telegram to the Mexican Ambassador to France.

You may have to rent “For Greater Glory,” as it plays only in indy-type venues and theaters with at least eight screens.

And you should, if you’re at all interested in the history of our neighbor to the south and our sometimes uneasy relationship.

No American ever remembers what no Mexican ever forgets, that the southwest quarter of the United States was once the northern half of Mexico. And few on either side of the border remember that from 1926 to 1929, the government of Mexico fought a ruthless war against the Roman Catholic church, called the Cristero War, for the battle cry, “Viva Cristo Rey!” (“Long live Christ the King!”) A war in which priests were shot or hanged in their own churches, peasants hanged from telegraph poles across the country, and children tortured and executed for refusing to renounce their faith.

The United States was involved in that one also. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Dwight Whitney Morrow (Bruce Greenwood) on orders of President Calvin Coolidge (Bruce McGill )to protect U.S. oil interests, supplied the Mexican government with arms, then helped broker a peace. The Knights of Columbus helped support the Cristeros (and fund this movie,) and the Ku Klux Klan offered to support the government of Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles.

“For Greater Glory” tells the story of the Cristiada through the career of General Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Andy Garcia) a retired general, who was hired by the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty to turn the Cristeros into an army.

The irony was that Velarde, like Calles (Ruben Blades) was a Freemason and lifelong anti-clerical, if not outright atheist.

As portrayed in the film, Velarde believes in religious liberty and his devout wife Tulita (Eva Longoria) wants their two daughters to grow up as practicing Catholics.

Velarde at first signs up for the money, and because he’s bored manufacturing soap. But soon the spirit of the Cristeros, the brutality of the regime, and a boy’s courage makes him a believer.

The boy (Mauricio Kuri) became the Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Rio.

Along the way Velarde has to win the loyalty and respect of men like fighting Priest Father Jose Reyes Vega (Santiago Cabrera,) and Victoriano Ramirez (Oscar Isaac,) nicknamed ‘El Catorce’ after he killed 14 Federales sent to arrest him in single combat.

“For Greater Glory” has been surrounded by some controversy. The timing of its release couldn’t have been better scripted in Hollywood, arriving in theaters as the Obama administration and the Catholic church butted heads over the issue of whether the church will subordinate doctrine to government policy. Reviews have been mixed, reflecting reviewers’ opinions.

“For Greater Glory” obviously means something to Cuban-born Andy Garcia. Thousands of Cubans murdered by Che Guevara’s firing squads went to their deaths shouting, “Viva Christo Rey! Viva Cuba Libre!”

(By comparison all you really need to know about Che is, when surrounded he dropped a loaded machine gun and shouted, “I am Che Guevara and I am worth more alive than dead.” His captors disagreed.)

Garcia’s line, “There can be no compromise with freedom, it is by its nature absolute,” echoes Garcia’s public statement, “Freedom is not negotiable.”
Well, you don’t have to step into that controversy to enjoy the movie, it will outlast the circumstances surrounding its release.

But it is Dean Wright’s first effort as director, and it shows. It’s got continuity problems. Velarde’s conversion seems abrupt and unexplained. He goes from atheist to telling the divided Cristero leaders, “This is a war for God” in the next scene.

So was he being cynical at the beginning, or was there a Road to Damascus event we missed?
Eva Longoria’s role is way under-developed, as is Peter O’Toole’s as the martyred Father Christopher.

There’s a scene filmed hand-held camera style to emphasize the chaotic violence of the event that only makes it look like a bad home movie.

Still on balance it’s entertaining, inspiring, and often thoughtful with a realistic appreciation of the ambiguous role of the Vatican and the United States in the conflict. And you don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate a brave people stubbornly insisting on their right to believe and worship as they please.

Note: On May 21, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized 25 saints and martyrs of the Cristero War, most of them priests but pointedly excluding priests who took up arms. In the closing credits there is actual film footage of the execution of Blessed Miguel Pro by firing squad. As the order to fire was given, he spread his arms in the form of a cross.

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