1193 La Bamba

[swo17]

La Bamba



The brief but incandescent life of rock-and-roll trailblazer Ritchie Valens is immortalized in this enthralling biopic from another Mexican American icon, Luis Valdez, the father of Chicano cinema. With sweetness and swagger, Lou Diamond Phillips embodies the 1950s California teenager who, forged by his fiercely supportive mother (Rosanna DeSoto) and rebellious brother (Esai Morales), rises from his farm-working roots to chart-topping fame in the early days of rock—until one fateful night that haunts music history. Propelled by a hip-shaking soundtrack featuring Los Lobos and Carlos Santana, La Bamba captures the electric vitality of an artist who bridged cultures to create his own American dream.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Luis Valdez, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• Audio commentaries featuring Valdez, actors Lou Diamond Phillips and Esai Morales, and producers Stuart Benjamin, Taylor Hackford, and Daniel Valdez
• New interview with Luis Valdez
• Conversation between Valdez and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez from El Rey Network's The Director’s Chair
• Making-of program featuring cast and crew
• Audition footage
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and Spanish subtitles

[beamish14]

Glad the great Luis Valdez is getting some love. I really wish it could have included his incredible short I Am Joaquin, which I saw an Academy restoration of with Zoot Suit

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Having gone to public schools where 90% of the classes were Mexican and Central-American, this film (along with Stand and Deliver) was a regular viewing at the end of the school year when teachers slow down on real projects and work. I remember numerous friends quoting “RICCCCHHHHIIIEEE” from the end of the film if the song “Sleep Walk” played anywhere.

[cdnchris]

I'm kinda disappointed this is the sole title not to receive a 4K edition in September.

[jazzo]

Oddly enough, I just screened this film for my 10 and 12 year-old, and it went over like gangbusters, both of them in tears by the final frames. And while I still quite like the picture (and re-experienced deep pangs of sadness over the always incredible Elizabet Pena's passing [Lone Star in the collection, please!]), and have very fond memories of watching it bring so much joy to my own rock 'n' roll-obsessed "greaser" father back in the mid-eighties, I don't think I'll ever feel the need to upgrade from my DVD. But you never know!

Also, I forgot Marshall Crenshaw played Buddy Holly, Brian Setzer, Eddie Cochrane and Howard Huntsberry, Jackie Wilson! What a delight to see them in those roles!

Great design on the cover!

This concludes your exclamation mark allotment for the day.

[Michael Kerpan]

As a Los Lobos fan, a must-buy, I guess....

[tolbs1010]

I remember numerous friends quoting “RICCCCHHHHIIIEEE” from the end of the film if the song “Sleep Walk” played anywhere.

The most quotable line amongst my group of friends, especially if there is a restaurant check to be picked up, is "You're the asshole with all the money". Or for general whining, "What about ME?!"

Cool to see this one get a CC release. Could Zoot Suit be a possibility? It was probably more groundbreaking on stage but the film is solid as well.

[flyonthewall2983]

This early episode of VH1’s Behind the Music about The Day The Music Died is worth a look, and has Lou Diamond Phillips talking about the filming of this and particularly of the scene before the fated flight.

[beamish14]

I remember numerous friends quoting “RICCCCHHHHIIIEEE” from the end of the film if the song “Sleep Walk” played anywhere.

The most quotable line amongst my group of friends, especially if there is a restaurant check to be picked up, is "You're the asshole with all the money". Or for general whining, "What about ME?!"

Cool to see this one get a CC release. Could Zoot Suit be a possibility? It was probably more groundbreaking on stage but the film is solid as well.

I love Zoot Suit, which is a really amazing postmodern amalgam of concert film and drama, but Kino Lorber put it out on Blu-Ray. The show actually had a revival a few years back at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles

[hearthesilence]

As a Los Lobos fan, a must-buy, I guess....

Their cover of the title track is wonderful and highly enjoyable, but it's pretty crazy that it's also by far their biggest success - it feels unbelievable that it would be a #1 hit in a year that had U2, Prince, Bruce Springsteen and above all Michael Jackson dominating the charts.

I actually prefer Crenshaw as Buddy Holly over Gary Busey - to be fair, Busey did turn in a really good performance, but that movie felt too much like a complete work of fiction. I can see Buddy Holly in real life being more like the hipster Crenshaw embodied.

[Michael Kerpan]

I remember Gary Busey most as the crazed side-kick of Mazeppa Pompazoidi (Gailard Sartain) on a great late night movie show in Tulsa.

Crenshaw looks great (but reminds me a bit of Elvis Costello -- or maybe EC modeled himself on Buddy Holly early on?).

Los Lobos is my favorite (surviving) American group from the olden days -- and the only major group to have ever used some of my photos (with thanks and credit) on their Facebook page.

[hearthesilence]

Aw nice! Do you still go see them? They did a December residency at City Winery here in NYC recently - I couldn't make the shows unfortunately, but I was told they were great and the setlist was completely different every night. I really love that era myself, not just the time but that whole SoCal scene that stretches from the late '70s through the early '80s - it's tempting to associate it with Slash Records since they signed so many great bands and put out their best records. (I'm actually listening to X as I type, was listening to the Blasters last week.)

I know some have talked to Crenshaw about the resemblance - he definitely has a lot of admiration for Costello but is usually quick to point out that his records don't really resemble Costello's at all, i.e. there's no direct influence he's consciously working. I haven't read any interviews where Costello talks about Crenshaw, but I do wonder what he thinks of him - he was annoyed early in his career to see what he felt were inferior knock-offs who seemed to copy his appearance as well. I admit I was reluctant to pick up Crenshaw's stuff for that reason, but when I gave his debut a try, I thought it was great - it did have a lot of the charm of Holly's music without feeling derivative or nostalgic.

I wish they included the video for "La Bamba" on this Blu-ray, it's pretty good. (It's directed by Sherman Halsey who was also a renowned manager in the country music world - he "discovered" and managed Dwight Yoakam. A lot of footage from the film, but I like Halsey's too, particularly the ending.)

FWIW, this YouTube user even went out of his way to "remaster" it - he must've had his own personal videotape (recorded off broadcast or purchased) because it looks a lot better than the crummy-looking official uploads on YouTube.

[Michael Kerpan]

We haven't gotten to see Los Lobos for a few years, alas. Next time they are around, however....

[barnyard078]

Does anybody else find it odd that there is no essay listed for this release? Hopefully, it is an oversight that will soon be rectified.

[hearthesilence]

Steve Berlin of Los Lobos did an interview for this podcast where he talks a little about working on the film. I wasn't familiar with the making of it, but he makes it clear that to them, the production was kind of a mess and they had very low expectations about anything coming of it. (When they did finally see the cut, they were stunned that the filmmakers actually got it together and that it was actually a decent film, but again, didn't think it would take off, much less result in them having a #1 hit.)

[PfR73]

Does anybody else find it odd that there is no essay listed for this release? Hopefully, it is an oversight that will soon be rectified.

Website listing now says "PLUS: An essay by critic Yolanda Machado"