With intrigue and intensity, Viva Zapata retells the parable-like story of the Mexican peasants' struggle against a tyrannical government in the early years of this country. Given this plot, the film might have emerged as either a wild, bloodletting Western or a saccharine treatment of patriotic bugaboo. But John Steinbeck carefully avoided both in a script that director Elia Kazan has bandled with magic. His art is obvious in the charactarization of Zapata, heroically played by Marlon Brando.

Brando is the revolutionary tiger, an uneducated animal of the soil, yet his dedication to the peasants' cause is beautifully expressed. In bold contrast to Brando's passionate sincerity, Kazan develops the black-draped figure of Fernando as the cratic zealot of any war--the traitor who with no devotion to either side, with no goal other than rebellion and death. Joseph Wiseman fulfills this role with a calm fanaticism, breaking his shell of assurance with sudden bursts of excitement. Zapata's brother is equally reckless, but Anthony Quinn plays the part in an amusing swagger, lifting skirts as easily as spirits. In the feminine lead, Jean Peters is lively and tender as Brando's pet, although she occasionally succumbs to traces of soap opera sentiment.

One possible objection to Viva Zapata is the apparent disorganization of plot. There are any number of places where the conclusion might logically follow. But viewed as an episodic adventure of the Mexican leader, Viva Zapata is a modern legend tied together with touches of action, humor, and, most important, Marlon Brando.