Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Hispanic-American  Cinema

Edward James Olmos in the play "Zoot Suit" (circa 1978)           

books

links

people

documentary videos & DVDs

selected films, A to Z

Neither Amazon and B&N, nor Wikipedia nor AllPosters.com have broken out separate categories
for Hispanic-American cinema, but instead show Latin American cinema as a category,
which may or may not include U.S.-made movies with Hispanic or xicano themes.
So the purpose of this page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store is to highlight the topic
of U.S.-made movies with Hispanic themes, and the actors and other personnel involved.

browse Latin American Cinema DVDs at Amazon.com

Spanish-language movie poster catalog at AllPosters.com

Magic Lantern's Cinema of Mexico Page

'Simultaneous Bilingual Film Production' Page

·            ·            ·

B o o k s

search for books on Hispanic-American cinema at Amazon

Chicano Cinema by Keller  "Chicano Cinema: Research, Reviews, and Resources" [1985]
Edited by Gary D. Keller

Bilingual Press 10x6¾ pb [5/85] out of print/used

Spanish translation "Cine Chicano" ISBN 9688054151
{not available at Amazon or B&N, 8/2011}

Bronze Screen / Chicano Film Culture  "The Bronze Screen: Chicana & Chicano Film Culture" [1993]
by Rosa Linda Fregoso

Univ MN Press 9x6 pb [10/93] for $18.50
Univ MN Press 8¾x6¼ hardcover [10/93] out of print/used
Hispanics & United States Film  "Hispanics and United States Film: An Overview & Handbook" [1994]
by Gary D. Keller

Bilingual Press 10x7 pb [7/94] for $21.00
Chicano Hispanic Image in American Film  "The Chicano/Hispanic Image In American Film" [1994]
by Frank Javier Garcia Berumen

Vantage Press 9½x6¼ hardcover [12/94] out of print/used
Hispanics in Hollywood  "Hispanics In Hollywood: A Celebration of 100 Years In Film & Television" [1994]
by Luis Reyes & Peter Rubie

Lone Eagle 10x8 pb [10/2000] for $14.93
Garland Science 10x8 hardcover [11/94] out of print/used
Latino Images in Film  "Latino Images In Film: Stereotypes, Subversion & Resistance" [2002]
by Charles Ramírez Berg

Univ TX Press 9x6 pb [8/2002] for $16.47
Univ TX Press 9½x6¼ hardcover [8/2002] out of print/used
Brown Celluloid / Latino Hollywood  "Brown Celluloid: Latino/a Film Icons & Images In The Hollywood Film Industry" [2003]
by Frank Javier Garcia Berumen

Vantage Press 9x6 pb [9/2003] for $14.78
Heroes, Lovers / Latinos in Hollywood  "Heroes, Lovers, and Others: The Story of Latinos In Hollywood"
[2004] by Clara E. Rodriguez

Oxford Univ Press 8¼x5¼ pb [2/2008] for $19.95
Smithsonian Institution Press hardcover [5/2004] for $26.95
Latino Los Angeles in Film & Fiction book by Ignacio López-Calvo  "Latino Los Angeles In Film and Fiction: The Cultural Production of Social Anxiety" [2011]
by Ignacio López-Calvo

Univ AZ Press 9x6 hardcover [2/2011] for $50.00



Hispanic-American  Cinema  Links
Simultaneous Bilingual Film Production
synopsis for screenplay "El Tigrón" by G.E. Nordell

Latin American Cinema entry at Wikipedia
Magic Lantern's Cinema of Mexico Page
National Assn. of Latino Independent Producers [est. 1999]
National Hispanic Foundation For The Arts [est. 1997]
{traveling} Hispanic Cinema Museum based in Georgia
Latin-American Cinemateca of Los Angeles [est. 1997]
National Hispanic Cultural Center [est. 2000] in Albuquerque, NM
Nosotros: for Latinos/Hispanics in the entertainment industry [est. 1970]
Somos Primos [est. 1990] of The Society of Hispanic Historical & Ancestral Research [est. 1886]
Latin America Film weblog [est. 4/2009]



Actors,  Directors  &  Others

Hispanic-American actors & actresses list at Wikipedia

          

film-maker  Allison Anders
browse Allison Anders on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actor-director  Alfonso Arau from Mexico
browse Alfonso Arau on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

"Picking Up The Pieces" [Kushner-Locke TV movie May 2000]
Co-produced & directed by and co-starring Alfonso Arau; written by Bill Wilson; starring Woody Allen,
Sharon Stone, O'Neal Compton, Danny De La Paz, Andy Dick, Fran Drescher, Elliott Gould, Cheech Marin,
Lou Diamond Phillips, David Schwimmer, Pepe Serna & Kiefer Sutherland; full credits from IMDb

actor  Antonio Banderas from Spain
browse Antonio Banderas on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Adriana Barraza

actor  Rubén Blades

Leo Carrillo [1880-1961]
no browse/Amazon entry • IMDb listingWikipedia

starred as Pancho in five Cisco Kid films at United Artists and in the 1950-56 TV series
Leo Carrillo's Rancho de los Kiotes [est. 1937] near Carlsbad, CA
Leo Carrillo's custom 1948 Chrysler Town & Country convertible

"The California I Love" [1961] autobiography of Leo Carrillo
Prentice Hall 7x10 hardcover [1961] out of print/used

The  Cisco  Kid  Page
at 'Readers of the Purple Sage' Western Bookstore

actress  Penelope Cruz from Spain
browse Penelope Cruz on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Kate del Castillo

actress  Dolores del Rio [1905-83]

actor  Hector Elizondo
browse Hector Elizondo on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

CH's Hector Elizondo fanpage

producer  Moctezuma  Esparza
IMDb listingWikipedia

Esparza-Katz Productions, Inc.
Maya Entertainment

actress  María Félix [1914-2002]

actress  America Ferrera
no browse/Amazon entry • IMDb listingWikipedia

documentary producer  Hector  Galán of Austin, Texas
IMDb listingproduction company Galán, Inc.

Martin Garralaga [1894-1981]
browse Martin Garralaga on DVDIMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia

starred as Pancho in Cisco Kid films at Monogram Pictures in the 1940s

actress-producer  Salma Hayek
browse Salma Hayek on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

Frida Kahlo Page at Spirit of America Bookstore

Ask The Dust movie  "Ask The Dust" feature film [Paramount March 2006]
Written & directed by Robert Towne; based on the 1939 novel by John Fante [1909-83]; starring Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek & Donald Sutherland
Paramount widescreen color DVD [7/2006] for $26.99
full credits from IMDb
official movie website
27"x41" movie poster available at AllPosters.com

actress  Rita Hayworth [1918-87]
married 1943-48 to Orson Welles [1915-85]

actress  Katy Jurado [1924-2002]

actress  Eva Longoria

singer-actress  Jennifer Lopez
browse Jennifer Lopez on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia
listed #10 on the Maxim Magazine Hot 100 (5/2011)

official Jennifer Lopez website

singer-actress  Barbara Luna
Her heritage is Italian, Hungarian-Jewish, Spanish, Portuguese & Filipino; she has performed
since childhood on Broadway and in cabaret, movies & TV
browse Barbara Luna on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

Cheech Marin
browse Cheech Marin on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

official Cheech Marin website

see also Cheech & Chong Section on Magic Lantern's Movie Series & Comedy Teams Page

Born in East L.A. movie  "Born In East L.A." [Universal Aug 1987]
An American of Mexican descent is caught up in an immigration raid on a factory, and deported to Mexico as an illegal immigrant. Having no proof that he is in fact an American citizen, he is forced to sneak back home to America. Written & directed by and starring Cheech Marin; also starring Paul Rodriguez, Daniel Stern, Kamala Lopez-Dawson, Jan-Michael Vincent & Chastity Ayala
Universal widescreen color DVD [1/2003] for $9.99
Universal color VHS [4/2001] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb
The Cisco Kid tv movie co-written & directed by Luis Valdez, starring Jimmy Smits & Cheech Marin  
"The Cisco Kid" tv movie [T.N.T. Feb 1994]
Co-written & directed by Luis Valdez; starring Jimmy Smits & Cheech Marin
Turner Home Video color VHS [9/95] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb

Chris-Pin Martin [1893-1953]
no browse/Amazon entry • IMDb listing • no entry at Wikipedia

starred as Gordito in Cisco Kid films at Fox in the 1930s

actor  A Martinez
browse A Martinez on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Eva Mendes
no browse/Amazon entry • IMDb listingWikipedia
listed #18 on the Maxim Magazine Hot 100 (5/2011)

official Eva Mendes website

actress  Carmen Miranda [1909-55] from Portugal & Brasil

actress  Miroslava {Šternová} [1926-55]

actor  Alfred Molina
browse Alfred Molina on DVDIMDb listingBroadway creditsWikipedia

actor  Ricardo Montalbán  [1920-2009]
browse Ricardo Montalbán on DVDIMDb listingBroadway creditsWikipedia

co-founder of Nosotros [est. 1970]
Ricardo Montalban Foundation [est. 1999]
Ricardo Montalban Theatre [built 1927, renamed 2004]

actor  Esai Morales
browse Esai Morales on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Catalina Sandino Moreno
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1503432/

dancer-actress  Rita Moreno [b. 1931]
browse Rita Moreno on DVDIMDb listingBroadway creditsWikipedia

director  Gregory Nava
browse Gregory Nava on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

LB's Gregory Nava fansite

silent-era star  Ramón Novarro  [1899-1968]
no browse/Amazon entry • IMDb listingWikipedia

ALH's Ramón Novarro fansite

Ramon Novarro The First Latino Hollywood Superstar biography by Frank Javier Garcia Berumen  
"Ramon Novarro: The Life & Films of The First Latino
Hollywood Superstar" [2001]
by Frank Javier Garcia Berumen

Vantage Press pb [5/2001] for $10.63
Beyond Paradise biography of Ramon Novarro by Andre Soares  "Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro" [2002]
by Andre Soares

St. Martin's Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [12/2002] out of print/used

"The Arab" [Metro 1924 silent] /tt0014679/
Once considered a lost film; Russian film archive Gosfilmofond digitally restored its prints and presented a copy
to U.S. Library of Congress in October 2010. Directed by Rex Ingram; starring Ramon Navarro & Alice Terry

director  Frank Nuñez
IMDb listing

Little Boyz Dreams, LLC

Magic Lantern's
Edward James Olmos  Page

won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for "Viva Zapata!" [1952]  won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for "Lust for Life" [1956]     Anthony Quinn  [1915-2001]
browse Anthony Quinn on DVDIMDb listingBroadway creditsWikipedia
official Anthony Quinn Trust website
Hollywood Collection video

Self-Portrait by Anthony Quinn   "The Original Sin: A Self-Portrait" [1972]
by Anthony Quinn

Bantam mass pb [1/74] out of print/used
Little, Brown hardcover [1/72] out of print/used
Little, Brown hardcover [1/72] out of print/used
Films of Anthony Quinn   "The Films of Anthony Quinn" [1975]
by Alvin H. Marill

Citadel Press pb [2/77] out of print/used
Lyle Stuart 11½x9¼ hardcover [5/75] out of print/used
One Man Tango   "One Man Tango" [1995]
by Anthony Quinn, with Daniel Paisner

HarperCollins mass pb [11/96] out of print/used
HarperCollins 9¾x6½ hardcover [8/95] out of print/used

Duncan Renaldo [1904-80]
browse Duncan Renaldo on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

starred in Cisco Kid films in the 1940s at Monogram & United Artists
and in the 1950-56 TV series

actress  Michelle Rodriguez

film-maker  Robert Rodriguez  from Texas
browse Robert Rodriguez on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

official company Troublemaker Publishing

Quick Draw Productions [est. 11/2010]
Based in Austin, Texas; partnership of Rodriguez, Gigi Pritzker (OddLot Entertainment), and Michel Litvak (Bold Films) to develop, produce & fully finance action-oriented, 'commercial' independent films; Affinity Intl. will handle foreign sales.

Gilbert Roland [1905-94]
browse Gilbert Roland on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

starred in Cisco Kid films in the 1940s at Monogram

Cesar Romero [1907-94]
browse Cesar Romero on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

starred in Cisco Kid films at Fox in the 1930s

actor  Jimmy Smits
browse Jimmy Smits on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Rachel Ticotin
browse Rachel Ticotin on DVDIMDb listingWikipedia

Danny Trejo

author-director  Luis Valdez
browse Luis Valdez on DVDbooksIMDb listingBroadway creditsWikipedia

El Teatro Campesino

actress  Paz Vega from Spain
starred in "Novo" [2002], "Carmen" [2003], "Spanglish" [2004] & "The Spirit" [2008]
no browse/Amazon entry • official websiteIMDb listingWikipedia

actress  Lupe Vélez [1908-44] from Mexico
IMDb listingWikipedia

Mexican Spitfire Complete Collection DVD box set  "Mexican Spitfire Complete 8-Movie Collection" DVD Box Set [2011]
Warner Archives DVD set [5/2011] 4 disks for $44.99
contains eight feature films starring Lupe Vélez & Leon Errol: "The Girl From Mexico" [1939] co-starring Donald Woods; "Mexican Spitfire" [Jan 1940] co-starring Donald Woods & Cecil Kellaway; "Mexican Spitfire Out West" [Nov 1940] co-starring Donald Woods, Cecil Kellaway & Grant Withers; "Mexican Spitfire's Baby" [Nov 1941] co-starring Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Zasu Pitts & Marion Martin; "Mexican Spitfire At Sea" [March 1942] co-starring Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Zasu Pitts & Marion Martin; "Mexican Spitfire Sees A Ghost" [June 1942] co-starring Charles 'Buddy' Rogers & Mantan Moreland; "Mexican Spitfire's Elephant"
[Sept 1942] co-starring Walter Reed; "Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event" [July 1943] co-starring Walter Reed


Documentary  Videos  &  DVDs

Chicano History PBS-TV documentary  "Chicano! The History of The Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement"
[P.B.S. / Galán Prodns April 1996]

Produced by Hector Galán; narrated by Henry Cisneros; won Nosotros Golden Eagle Award
video/DVD not available • credits from IMDbproducer website
Chicano History book  companion book [1996] by Francisco Arturo Rosales
Arte Publico Press 11x8½ pb [9/97] for $16.47
Arte Publico Press 11½x9¼ hardcover [3/96] out of print/used
Hispanic Hollywood & Fiesta  "Hispanic Hollywood" docu feature [2000] and "Fiesta" [1941]
Passport color DVD [5/2000] for $12.99
Passport color VHS [5/2000] 2 tapes / out of prodn/used
documentary not listed at IMDb
"Fiesta" musical film [Hal Roach/United Artists Nov 1941]
Produced, directed & choreographed by LeRoy Prinz; starring Anne Ayars, Jorge Negrete, George Givot, Armida, Antonio Moreno, José Arias & the Guadalajara Trio; full credits at IMDb
Hispanic Hollywood: Then and Now  
"Hispanic Hollywood, Then and Now: The Changing Image of Latinos On Film" [2000]
Passport Video color DVD [8/2007] for $9.98
Bronze Screen / Latino Image  "The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of The Latino Image In American Cinema"
[2002 documentary film]

A film by Susan Racho, Nancy De Los Santos & Alberto Dominguez
Questar color DVD [1/2003] for $22.99
Questar color VHS [1/2003] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDbofficial movie siteTeachers Guide site
CNN Presents Latino in America cable miniseries  "C.N.N. Presents: Latino In America" cable special [C.N.N. Oct 2009]
4-hour, 2-part special hosted by Soledad O'Brien; directed by Alberto Ferreras; featuring Jesse Garcia, Miguel Govea, Mike Guzman, Eva Longoria Parker, George Lopez, Rick Najera, Edward James Olmos & Lupe Ontiveros
DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb
Latino List documentary from HBO & HBO Latino  "The Latino List" [H.B.O. Sept 2011]  
documentary featuring interviews by broadcast journalists Maria Hinojosa & Sandra Guzman with fifteen of the nation's most successful Latinos, including actress Eva Longoria, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, rapper Armando Christian Perez {aka Pitbull}, Raúl Yzaguirre, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, Chi Chi Rodríguez, astronaut Jose Hernandez, John Leguizamo & actress America Ferrera; the film is also part of an exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum that ends in December 2011
directed by Vanity Fair photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • not yet listed on IMDb

"Bracero Stories" [2009] /tt1556583/
Documentary film by Patrick Mullins; interviews of five participants in the U.S.-Mexico 'Bracero
Program' of 1942-64, with comparison to America's current illegal immigration situation.



Selected  Hispanic-American  Films
( in alphabetical order )

untitled Jennifer Lopez TV Project  [Sony TV/Fox TV 2012?]  
Announced 9/2011: Fox Television & Sony Pictures TV committed to the pilot project from from Jennifer Lopez &
producer Silvio Horta; the potential series centers on a Latino family with a group of sisters and their interconnected
love lives • no entry yet at IMDb

"... And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him"
[American Playhouse/KPBS-TV May 1995]
And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him (y no se lo tragó la tierra) docudrama film  Marcos is the second son of a Texas Hispanic migrant farmworker family, following the seasonal harvest cycle to Minnesota, where he gets separated from his parents. Co-produced, written & directed by Severo Pérez, based on the 1971 novel by Tomás Rivera; starring Jose Alcala, narrated by Miguel Rodríguez
Kino Intl. widescreen color DVD [11/2008] for $22.49
Kino Intl. color VHS [1/99] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDb
The Earth Did Not Devour Him YA novel by Tomás Rivera   "...y no se lo tragó la tierra" [YA novel 1971] by Tomás Rivera
English titles "And The Earth Did Not Devour Him" or "This Migrant Earth"

author Tomás Rivera [1935-84] entry at Wikipedia
Arte Publico Press Spanish-language 8½x5½ pb [1996] for $7.95
Translation by Evangelina Vigil-Piñón
Arte Publico Press bilingual edition 8½x5½ pb [5/95] for $9.99
Arte Publico Press bilingual edition 8¾x5½ library hardcover [8/87] for $19.64

"Bad Posture" [indep Aug 2011]
Bad Posture film made in Albuquerque, New Mexico  Filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico; a bored teen goes along with his friend's schemes to make money during the summer vacation; unhappy at being a party to grand theft auto, he decides to track down the girl that the car was stolen from. Co-produced & directed by Malcolm Murray; writen by & starring Florian Brozek; also starring Tabatha Shaun, Ryan Jason Cook, Seth Mossman & Trey Cole
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • credits at IMDbofficial movie site

"The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez"
[American Playhouse TV June 1982, Embassy theatrical Aug 1983]
Ballad of Gregorio Cortez movie poster starring Edward James Olmos  Based on an incident in Gonzales, Texas in 1901 involving a stolen horse, mistaken identity and a killing; Olmos, as Cortez, speaks only Spanish.Co-produced by Moctesuma Esparza; co-written & directed by Robert M. Young; co-written by Victor Villaseñor, based on the book by Américo Paredes; co-produced by & starring Edward James Olmos; also starring James Gammon, Tom Bower, Bruce McGill, Brion James & Barry Corbin
not available on DVD; Columbia Tristar Home Ent. color VHS [undated] out of prodn/used
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99
11"x17" poster from Amazon for $14.99
full credits from IMDb
With His Pistol in His Hand book by Américo Paredes  
"With His Pistol In His Hand: A Border Ballad & Its Hero" [1958]
by Américo Paredes [1915-99]

Univ TX Press 8¾x6 pb [1/70] for $12.21
author entry at Wikipedia

"Blood In, Blood Out" [1993] /tt0106469/

"Casa de Mi Padre {House of My Father}"  
[NALA/Pantelion March 2012]
Casa de mi Padre action comedy starring Will Ferréll  Action comedy in the style of the overly-dramatic telenovela, set in Mexico (and filmed in California). The Alvarez family ranch is facing financial ruin; when younger brother Raul shows up with promises to pay off all debts, things are looking better. But Raul's hot fiancé falls for brother Armando and Raul's 'business success' turns out to be illegitimate, and the family quickly finds itself in an all-out war with Mexico's most-feared drug lord. Co-produced by & starring Will Ferréll; directed by Matt Piedmont; written by Andrew Steele; also starring Genesis Rodriguez, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Nick Offerman, Efren Ramirez, Adrian Martinez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mariann Gavelo, Alejandro Patino & John A. Lorenz
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDbofficial movie site

"East L.A. Marine: The Guy Gabaldon Story" [2008] /tt1265593/
The True Story of WWII Marine Who Singlehandedly Captured Over 1500 Japanese /B003V5FZ5Q/

"El Super" [1979 classic] based on stageplay by Ivan Acosta

"From Prada To Nada" [Pantelion Films Jan 2011]
From Prada To Nada movie  A Latina version of Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice" set mostly in East Los Angeles. "A riches to rags story" The lives of two spoiled sisters in Beverly Hills are upended when their father suddenly dies, leaving them penniless. They are forced to move in with their estranged aunt who lives in the barrio in East Los Angeles ... Directed by Angel Gracia; starring Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, Wilmer Valderrama, Kuno Becker & Adriana Barraza
LionsGate widescreen color Blu-ray [5/2011] for $16.64
LionsGate widescreen color DVD [5/2011] for $14.99
full credits at IMDbofficial movie site

"Hell  To  Eternity"
[Allied Artists Sept 1960]
Hell To Eternity paperback  True life story of Guy Gabaldon [1926-2006], a Hispanic boy raised in Los Angeles by a Japanese-American foster family. During World War II, his foster parents were sent to an internment camp, and he enlisted in the U.S. Marines. His ability to speak Japanese was useful during the bloody capture of the island of Saipan: he convinced 1,500 Japanese soldiers & civilians to surrender after their general committed suicide. Gabaldon was awarded the Navy Cross & the Congressional Medal of Honor. Directed by Phil Karlson; starring Jeffrey Hunter (as PFC Gabaldon), David Janssen, Vic Damone, Patricia Owens, Sessue Hayakawa & Miiko Taka
Warner Home Video b&w DVD [6/2007] for $15.99
Fox b&w VHS [11/91] out of prodn/used
full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
novelization by Edward S. Aarons
Fawcett Gold Medal mass pb [1960] out of print

"La Bamba" [1987] /tt0093378/

"La Mission" [Global Cinema Distribution April 2010]
La Mission independent film by Peter Bratt  Filmed in San Francisco, California; a very macho Xicano father living in the Mission District gets out of prison and gets a job driving a bus, joining with his friends after work to fix up lowrider cars; when he discovers that his beloved teenage son is gay, he beats the boy and locks him out of the house.
Co-produced, written & directed by Peter Bratt; co-produced by & starring Benjamin Bratt; also starring Jeremy Ray Valdez, Max Rosenak, Erika Alexander, Patrick Shining Elk, Talisa Soto, Jesse Borrego, Kevin Michael Richardson & Ruben Gonzalez
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available
full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipediaofficial movie site

"Machete" [Troublemaker / Fox Sept 2010]
Machete 2010 movie by Robert Rodriguez & Ethan Maniquis  Basically a live-action cartoon. The Machete character's backstory includes three "Spy Kids" movies; this time he is hired to assassinate an anti-immigration state senator in Texas but discovers that he is set up, barely surviving a sniper's bullet. He gets help from The Network (local activists) and a p*issed I.C.E. agent, and his brother (a priest) to remove the politically-connected conspirators who murdered his wife & family and continue to send killers to stop him. Co-produced by Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez; co-directed by Robert Rodriguez & Ethan Maniquis; co-written by Robert Rodriguez & Álvaro Rodríguez; starring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan & Tom Savini
DVD/Blu-ray not yet available
full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipediaofficial movie site

"Mi Familia" [1995] by Gregory Nava /tt0113896/

"Mi Vida Loca" [1993] by Allison Anders /tt0107566/

"The Milagro Beanfield War"
[Esparza / Universal March 1988]
Filmed in Truchas, Los Alamos & Española in New Mexico; co-produced & directed by Robert Redford; based on
the novel by John Nichols; starring John Heard, Rubén Blades, Richard Bradford, Sonia Braga, Julie Carmen, James
Gammon, Melanie Griffith, Carlos Riquelme, Daniel Stern, Chick Vennera, Christopher Walken, Freddy Fender,
Tony Genaro, Jerry Hardin, Ronald G. Joseph, Mario Arrambide, Robert Carricart, M. Emmet Walsh & Lupita the Pig;
won Oscar for Best Original Score • full credits at IMDb

"Quinceañera" [2006] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451176/

"Salt of The Earth"  [March 1954]
Salt of the Earth & Hollywood Ten  A fictional, neo-realist-style tale about oppressed Hispanic-American zinc miners in New Mexico, who go on a strike led mostly by the women. The pro-labor stance and the alleged ties of many of the filmmakers caused the film to be the only officially-blacklisted movie in American history. Directed by Herbert J. Biberman [B]; script by Michael Biberman & Michael Wilson [B]; produced by Paul Jarrico [B]; starring Will Geer [B]; listed on National Film Registry in 1992  {NOTE: Blacklisted members of the cast & crew are indicated with '[B]'.}
Pioneer b&w DVD [3/99] out of prodn/used
Harbor Electronic multimedia booklet & CD-ROM [12/2000] for $29.97
"Salt of the Earth" credits from IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia

more details (synopsis, books, posters, links) on
Magic Lantern's "Salt of The Earth" 1954 Movie Page

"Selena" biopic

"Soapdish" remake [Paramount 2015?]  
Announced 9/2010: Paramount will film a Latin-themed remake of the 1991 cult comedy that takes place
on the set of a telenovela, with hitmaker Rob Reiner set to produce • latest info at IMDb

"Spanglish" [2006] /B0007OCG56/ + /tt0371246/
Directed by James L. Brooks; starring Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega, Shelbie Bruce & Cloris Leachman

"Spoken Word"  [Luminaria; festivals 2009, theatrical July 2010]
Spoken Word 2010 movie poster  Can't call this low-budget film a masterpiece, but it is absolutely a work of art. Filmed in Chimayo, Española, Santa Fe & Truchas, New Mexico; a star on the West Coast poetry circuit gets a call that his father is fatally ill; he returns to his once-bucolic hometown in New Mexico, which is now ravaged by poverty, drug abuse and violence. Co-written & co-produced by William T. Conway; directed by Victor Nunez; starring Kuno Becker, Miguel Sandoval, Rubén Blades, Persia White, Tony Elias & Monique Gabriela Curnen
full credits at IMDbofficial movie site

"The Torch" [Eagle-Lion 1950] /tt0041971/
set during the Mexican Revolution & filmed in Mexico; co-written & directed by Emilio Fernández;
starring Paulette Goddard & Gilbert Roland;

"Ugly Betty" hit TV series [2006-2010]
Based on the Columbian telenovela "Yo Soy Betty La Fea"; co-exec produced by Salma Hayek &
Silvio Horta; starring America Ferrera • series credits at IMDb

"Viva Villa !" [M.G.M. April 1934]
Viva Villa! movie directed by Jack Conway & Howard Hawks  Directed by Jack Conway & Howard Hawks; starring Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo & Fay Wray; Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Script, Best Sound, won for Best Asst Director
DVD not available (2011} • Warner Home Video b&w VHS [4/93] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia

"Viva Zapata !" [Fox 1952]
Viva Zapata! movie directed by Elia Kazan, starring Marlon Brando  Directed by Elia Kazan; starring Marlon Brando, Jean Peters, Anthony Quinn
& Joseph Wiseman; won Best Supporting Actor Oscar (AQ), nominated for
Best Script (John Steinbeck), Best Actor (Brando), Best Music, Best Art Direction
Fox Studio Classics b&w DVD [undated] for $17.63
Fox b&w VHS [6/2001] for $42.97
Verese soundtrack CD [3/98] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
Viva Zapata! script by John Steinbeck, edited by Robert E. Morsberger  


John Steinbeck's "Viva Zapata!" script in book form
Edited by Robert E. Morsberger

Penguin 7¾x5 pb [5/93] for $11.01

"The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit"
[Touchstone Jan 1998]
Ice Cream Suit video  Barrio con-man Gomez convinces four strangers to pool $20 each to buy a luminescent vanilla ice-cream-colored suit; he intends to split for El Paso, well-dressed. The first night, each gets the suit for an hour, and each is transformed: Dominguez with his guitar & voice charms women who dance in a parade through the plaza; Martinez's turn gets his lovely neighbor's attention; street poet Villanazul captures a crowd with his political and economic vision. The suit makes Gomez a better man, so he may not bolt; but then, what do they do with the last partner, the filthy ¡Vamanos!, whose juicy-taco-eating, wine-drinking habits could ruin the suit? Directed by Stuart Gordon; script by Ray Bradbury, based on his story & stageplay; starring Edward James Olmos, Joe Mantegna, Esai Morales, Clifton Collins Jr. & Gregory Sierra
Walt Disney Video color DVD [8/99] out of prodn/scarce
Touchstone color VHS [8/99] out of prodn/many used
Bantam pb playscript [1972] out of print/used
full credits from IMDb

"Zoot  Suit" [Universal 1981]
Zoot Suit video  A landmark of Latino/Xicano arts. First staged as a play in 1978, this is a filming of that play; the 'stylized musical' tells of anti-Xicano riots in Los Angeles in 1942 against a backdrop of swing music & dance. The sensational performance of Edward James Olmos shows why he is today's leading Hispanic actor. Written & directed by Luis Valdez
Universal widescreen color DVD [5/2003] for $9.99
Universal color VHS video [4/2001] out of stock/used
full credits from IMDb; credits on Broadway

Murder At The Sleepy Lagoon book by Eduardo Obregón Pagán  "Murder At The Sleepy Lagoon: Zoot Suits, Race & Riot In Wartime L.A." [2003]
by Eduardo Obregón Pagán

"an important and illuminating contribution ... a wholly compelling glimpse of the reality behind the myth" — Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Review
Univ NC Press 9¼x6¼ pb [11/2003] for $13.97
Univ NC Press 9¾x6¼ hardcover [11/2003] for $49.95



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