The Gaucho War (La guerra gaucha) is a 1942 Argentine historical drama and epic film directed by Lucas Demare and starring Enrique Muiño, Francisco Petrone, Ángel Magaña, and Amelia Bence.

The film stresses the values associated with nationalism as expressed in the union of the people, the army, and the church in defense of the country, which was considered by some a prelude to the revolutionary ideology that led to, on June 4, 1943, the overthrowing of the government of president Ramón Castillo.

It required an investment far beyond other productions of the period but the commercial success of the film allowed it to recover the cost in the first-run theaters, where it remained for nineteen weeks.

It was selected as the third greatest Argentine film of all time in the polls conducted by the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken in 1977 and 1984, while it ranked 7th in the 2000 edition.

To them, to the ones that died far from the pages of history we'd like to remember in these images"1817: in Argentina's Salta Province, during the War of Independence, the irregular gaucho forces commanded by General Martín Miguel de Güemes carry out a series of guerrilla actions against the Spanish Royalist Army.

The commander of a Spanish army contingent, Lieutenant Villarreal, is wounded, captured by the guerrillas, and put under the medical care of Asunción, the mistress of an estancia.

The sacristan fakes loyalty to the Spanish king, but in the midst of the battles he sends messages to the gaucho guerrillas hiding in the mountains by means of a messenger boy and by the ringing of a bell.

After the battle, the only four survivors are the dying sacristan, an old man, a young boy, and Lieutenant Villarreal, who has fallen in love with Asunción and converted to the patriot cause.

Leopoldo Lugones (June 13, 1874 – February 18, 1938) was a prolific Argentine writer and journalist of whom Ricardo Rojas said: "His verbal inventiveness was tremendous and he went through all the literary schools; as his mind was impressionable and he went through all the political parties.

The variety of his themes, genres, and styles, in verse and in prose, is the most evident characteristic of his "complete works", if looked at as a whole, even though if they are studied separately his erudition can be appreciated, the fantasy, the verbal richness.

"[6]To write La guerra gaucha Lugones traveled to Salta Province, to visit the actual places where the events happened and to record the oral tradition of the area.

A member of the Unión Cívica Radical Antipersonalista party, he expressed his intention of ending the systemic electoral fraud imposed since the 1930 military coup.

The new president was not in agreement with Ortiz's policies and from his post he condoned the fraud practices, disappointing the followers who believed in the changes proposed by his predecessor.

[10][11] The problems associated with foreign policy took on more importance in Argentina and revived the conflict between the three political factions, the one pushing for siding with the Allies, the neutrals, and the one more in tune with the Axis.

Homero Manzi had the idea since he wrote the script to the film "Viento Norte" ("North Wind") and convinced director Lucas Demare of the project's viability.

The rights for the movie were purchased from Leopoldo "Polo" Lugones (son of the writer) for 10,000 pesos received two jazz records that were unavailable in the country.

But, how to appease the great Lugones, against whom we battled some time ago, for his emphasis in the poetic orthodoxy of the rhyme, in the meter with which he always impressed us, beginning with the reading of his memorable "Montañas de oro" ("Gold Mountains")?

[20]Due to having had spent all the budget needed for La guerra gaucha on El viejo Hucha, the partners at Artistas Argentinos Asociados decided to fund the film with their own fees.

After a brief incursion in journalism, Manzi worked as a literature and castilian professor but for political reasons (in addition to his membership in the Unión Cívica Radical) he was expelled of his professorship and decided to dedicate himself to the arts.

It was centered in the problematic Argentina and Latin America and on its discussions suggested “reconquer the political Sunday from our own land” since it considered the country was still under a colonial situation.

It supported neutrality in WWII on the premise that was no great interest was in play in Argentina or Latin America, it was more of a rejection position towards fascism just as much as communism.

He wrote the screenplay for Nobleza Gaucha in 1937 in collaboration with Hugo Mac Dougall, and a remake of Huella ("Footprint") (1940), for which they received second prize from Buenos Aires City Hall and also Confesión ("Confession") (1940), without achieving commercial success with any of these movies.

In 1937, he was hired as director and screenwriter for the movies Dos amigos y un amor (Two friends and one love) and Veinticuatro horas de libertad (Twenty-four hours of liberty), both starring comedy actor Pepe Iglesias.

[27] This movie was well received by the public and critics, “It consolidated the exceptional tech team accompanied by Artistas Argentinos Asociados: his brother Lucio on the music band, the assistant Hugo Fregones, the montajussta Carlos Rinaldi, the set builder Ralph Pappier, the lighting specialist from the United States Bob Roberts (from the American Society of Cinematographers), the cinematographer Humberto Peruzzi, the electrician Serafín de la Iglesia, the make up artist Roberto Combi and some others.”[27] The following movie was El cura gaucho, in which he met Enrique Muriño, but even with his abundant commercial success, he was fired from Pampa Films.

While directing this scene, a sudden wind change moved the fire towards Demare himself making him lose his wig and singeing his fake beard and mustache.

[32] A scene where a group of horses ran down a hill with burning branches tied to their tails needed to be filmed from in front, so the crew built a hut made of wood, stones, and rocks in which stood Peruzzi the cameraman, who tells that "At the order of Action!

[34] There were also the aforementioned fencing trainer and soldiers lent by the military garrison and two pato players from Buenos Aires, experts falling from horses.

It had an area of about a thousand square meters, fifteen houses, a church with a belfry, hospital, horse barn, corrals, commander's office, cemetery, and ovens, all of which was destroyed by the fire in the final scenes.

If its objective effect (once the patriotic emotion is removed) is less convincing, it is due, perhaps, to its theme elements and film expression did not go deep on the historic essence of the event; preferring instead to show the classic epic elements: true heroes, pure sentiments, valor and sacrifice, in a somewhat elementary form; the film loses sight of the authentic sense, inexorable and terrible of the total movement of a people that fight for their freedom.

The anecdote, the heroic vignette, of easy patriotic feel replaces the broad lines of a vision that could transcend in this epic story to a universal communication.