'Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas' at the Autry National Center of the America West

A framed poster of Leo Carrillo starring as Mexican caballero Francisco "Pancho" Villa in the 1950 film "Pancho Villa Returns" rests, in all its pristine splendor, on a cobalt wall. Tag lines such as "The man who made history with cyclonic fury!" and "The Robin Hood of Mexico" are splashed across the bill, luring potential viewers to witness Villa as a paragon of virtue. But this is not a theater revisiting the golden age of Mexican cinema. The poster is part of the exhibition "Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas" at the Autry National Center of the America West.

By Yvonne Villarreal

November 30, 2008