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Guillermo Calles

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Filmmaker

The Resume

    (June 25, 1893-February 28, 1958)
    Born in Mexico
    Birth name is Guillermo Calles Guerrero
    Frequently billed as Willie Calles, William Calles, El Indio Calles or Guillermo 'Indio' Calles
    Acted in 'A Mexican Tragedy' (1912), 'The Squaw Man' (1914), 'De Raza Azteca' (1921), 'Behind Two Guns' (1924), 'Daniel Boone Through the Wilderness' (1926), 'Dios y ley' (1930), 'Heart of a Bandit' (1934), 'The Treasure of Pancho Villa' (1935), 'La Perla' (1947), 'Los tres huastecos' (1948), 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre' (1948), 'Una Viuda Sin Sosten' (1951), 'Seven Cities of Gold' (1953), and 'Run for the Sun' (1956)
    Produced and directed 'El Indio Yacqui' (1926), 'Raza de Bronce' (1927), 'Sol de Gloria' (1928), 'El Charro' (1930), and 'Regeneracion' (1930)
    Filmed the Mexican travelogue Documentary, 'Pro-Patria' (1932)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was typecast as Indian Chiefs, usually in bit parts, near the end of his career.
    He made close to 100 films but has been forgotten even within the Hispanic and American Indian film communities (overshadowed by the other Mexican movie director nicknamed El Indio).
    Few of his directorial efforts have survived, with the only proof of their existence being news clippings, lobby cards, and production stills.
    His maiden directorial effort, 'De Raza Azteca,' was panned by critics as reinforcing Hollywood stereotypes of both American cowboys and Mexicans.
    He would appear onstage wearing an outlandish native Aztec costume during the premiere screenings of his nationalist films.
    Rudolph Valentino allegedly gave him a gift of a pet dog, which he named Aguila and subsequently featured in many of his films.
    He staged a three-day hunger strike when the Director's Guild denied him the chance to direct a series of films in 1954.
    His hunger strike worked and the Guild gave in, but he neither directed the films, nor directed ever again.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He would have been the perfect star and director for a serious Crazy Horse biopic.
    He was the first Mexican to make any kind of serious gains in Hollywood films.
    He was a pioneer in Mexican nationalist film and, later, Cine Mexicano (despite getting virtually no credit for his role in both).
    He grew up with his brothers impoverished in an Arizona mining town, raised by his widowed Tarahumara-Indian mother.
    His films challenged Mexican-Indian stereotypes and attained unprecedented popularity among Hispanic audiences as a result.
    He was the first filmmaker to produce a Spanish-language movie with synchronized sound.
    He was a founder of the Film Directors' Guild, but was prevented from finding work as a director by the same Guild n the 1950s.
    His documentary 'Pro-Patria' was one of the only serious attempts to capture post-revolutionary Mexico in a realistic light.
    Along with Sessue Hayakawa, he broke ground in silent films by avoiding broad gestures and wild expressions.
    He was offered the chance to become a director by the Vitagraph Film Company if he agreed to renounce his Mexican citizenship, but he refused.
    He eventually got fed up with Hollywood's discriminatory practices and resolved to return to his native Mexico to find work there. He didn't find much more luck there -as his Indian ancestry/heritage prevented him from getting any quality work.
    He spent his last years traveling in a mobile home throughout California, usually accepting bit roles and screening his old films.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying