The Life of General Villa

D. W. Griffith's actual participation in this film is spurious. The newsreel footage of The Battle of Torreon May have been released previously as a short. According to contemporary reviews, General Villa himself participated in the production, although the extent is unclear. A news item in Moving Picture World stated that the Mexican War Film Corp. (which was tied financially to Mutual) had purchased the American rights to this film. The film was probably re-edited and re-issued by Mutual on April 15, 1915 as The Outlaw's Revenge. Modern sources credit Raoul Walsh with the camera work for The Battle of Torreon. In 2003, HBO aired their cable television movie And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Larry Gelbart and starring Antonio Banderas as Pancho Villa. The television film dramatized events surrounding Villa's "invitation" to American filmmakers, including Griffith, to film his exploits as a means of financial support for his troops.