Rating: 
Summary: Why i give a low score to a great movie?
Review: I agree whit all the good reviews, is not a good movie, is one of the best movies I have ever see, great in any aspect, but, Yes here comes the problems! The DVD is just a bad copy, whit the subtitles built in, no menues and the worst, Huuuu! This just make me sick! No 16:4 How can that be posible? Is a great movie, So why is not realised like a movie? I just hope this get to the person that is responsible of those mistakes, and even if there is no menu at least take off the subtitles and put it on whide screen the way is sopese to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been SOOOOO much better...
Review: I agree with the last guy. This movie could've been great. Indeed, it WANTS to be great, what with the cinematics and what all. But it's not great. It's politically-correct history revision. God forbid PC Fascists should ever stay true to the original story and keep a positive picture Christianity in it! Oh no, don't do that. Twist up truth to fit your New Age Fascist needs.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been much better
Review: I am a follower of conquistador history - and have read many books, letters and the accounts of de Vaca. I was very disappointed with this film. Dwarfs leaders (which I cannot find in any of de Vaca's account) and over drawn accounts of the supernatural do not lead to the accuracy of the film. For instance, there are pieces of the supernatural which are actual in the accounts -- such as Moorish predictions relating to de Vaca before he landed in (what is now) Texas (not Florida as in the films description). True and important other supernatural elements such as the fascinating and peculiar "Evil Thing" of the Avavares are never mentioned. The film also does very little to show how de Vaca came to ultimately be friend and hero to the natives and their struggles (for years) to find food and refuge from neighboring or pilfering tribes.
Honestly, I cannot figure how this film is so acclaimed - it suffers in so many historical ways that would have made the film much more interesting; that is, to tell the account as de Vaca wrote it rather than this strange and overdone tale ending with a marching metallic cross being led across the desert. I hope to see a much more interesting and accurate rendition of this fascinating account released at some point in my lifetime.
Rating: 
Summary: Captures the Essence of the Account
Review: I don't normally address other reviewers in my reviews, but in this instance I believe the reviewer from Arizona who gave this movie a one star rating to be totally off base. That, and the fact that he posted two one-star reviews to bring the totals down for an international award winning film. I've read de Vaca's account, and it is indeed a great tale, which is why I was so looking forward to this movie's measuring up to the original narrative. I was not disppointed in the slightest, although naturally the movie doesn't portray all the passages from the account. It's evident from every frame of this film that the filmmakers invested a great deal of love, energy and artistry to their task. Director Echevarria gets the utmost out of his outstanding cast. The Spaniards and the Native Americans are entirely believable, and the film depicts one of the most authentic representaions of Native American cultures I've seen on screen. The only film that comes close is Last of the Mohicans. It's definitely a case of the good, the bad and the ugly. The clash of cultures couldn't be represented any better. Juan Diego as de Vaca is a revelation. He should have been up for an Oscar for his performance. The dwarfish villager who first vividly menaces and later befriends de Vaca has to be one of the most memorable characters in recent cinema. The same can be said for the village Shaman, also an exceptional performance. From the credits, it is evident that the Mexican Government had a hand in funding the filming of this movie. It is well that they should have, as this has to be something of a national treasure. Definitely disregard any negative comments about Cabeza de Vaca. It's a great film about an amazing man, whose courage and fortitude may have been unmatched in the annals of European exploreration of the New World. This is decidedly a must-see. BEK
Rating:
Summary: Confusing and Boring
Review: I had really looked forward to viewing this movie. I guess I should have read all the reviews before I bought it. I was expecting a rendering of de Vaca's actual survival experiences and hoping to learn more about a fascinating bit of history. Instead the movie focused on a few of his experiences which were so mysterious as to be unintelligible and dragged those scenes out into sheer boredom. The movie jumped from one experience to the next with no narrative and no explanation of time passed. There was no way to understand the main character, much less empathize or sympathize with him. As my husband said after watching it, "And you paid HOW MUCH for this movie????"
Rating:
Summary: The Most Under-rated Movie Ever
Review: I saw this movie in Miami, FL when it was newly released. It electrified me but I was disappointed that it did not create a huge sensation. It should encourage people to read the original writings of Cabeza de Vaca on his prodigious wanderings. He is one of the greatest explorers ever! But this movie goes much deeper into his and our collective unconscious. It is not merely a factual description of his trip across the North American continent but a journey into our mental and spiritual make up. Shipwrecked, captured and sold to the tribal Shaman, the mighty European Conquistador is reduced to the fetal position on the shores of the New World. But it is his deep and sincere Christian belief that makes him a potent Shaman himself as he is trained by the master and the two powers merge. There is plenty of indictment against the narrow confines of the Church and the brutality of the conquest. The Native Americans are depicted as mostly noble, perhaps primitive yet organized and in harmony with nature. There is a scene in the desert SouthWest where they appear like Buddhist monks as they inter the first to fall to the bullet on this continent. I have seen the movie once or twice since 1992 and can't wait to get the DVD to further study the film and get any extras it may provide.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been SOOOOO much better...
Review: I'm giving this 3 stars not 4 because it is not widescreen. What really is the point of buying a DVD that is not widesreen? For some reason some DVDs don't seem to consider it important to tell you this before you order. I took my chances on this one and was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Toto, I don't think we're in Spain anymore...
Review: If you are bored with the same old Hollywood schlock, pop this baby into your DVD player and prepare to have new creases ironed into your brain. There are scenes in this movie that only electro-shock therapy could erase. The story is amazing, the cinematography is stunning, and the music is bizarre and highly evocative. The best decision by the director was to NOT subtitle the Indians' dialog- leaving us just as baffled and apprehensive as our hero at being thrust into a completely alien culture.
Rating: 
Summary: Good interpretation of the new world conquest with a twist.
Review: It's difficult not to pass judgement on period films rather that to merely enjoy them for their entertainment value. However, this particular movie stirred emotions a la "Planet of the Apes" variety and it was difficult to avoid being swayed by the film makers adaptation. This film's protrayal is what I belief would be an accurate representation of what Spanish soldiers encountered in the new world -say the Southern US before the exploitation of the native peoples -not mexico). Stay with it, subtitles are challenging, but in this movie it's not crucial to follow the dialogue because the story takes place in an environment where the main character and the supporting cast do not speak the same language.
Rating:
Summary: Dubious allegory at best
Review: The image on the box cover is from the last scene. Obviously, it is allegorical. Unfortunately, the entire movie is allegorical, whereas the work on which it is based, "Naufragios," written by Cabeza de Vaca himself, is neither allegory nor any other sort of fiction, but a factual account of what happened to him during eight years of wandering among indigenous Americans who had never before met a European. (Despite Amazon's note, this review refers to the VHS version, but I know of no reason to believe that there is any difference between the VHS version and the DVD version.)
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