...considering the historical events associated with the previous film, which this viewer partook of and reviewed, a while back, it is sort of ironic that the year 1959...closely associated anti-establishment movement, initiated by political warfare guerrilla Che Guavara...would also be the same year, which bore a headline of great tragedy, of equal precedence...media & headline-wise...and the subject of this viewer's next review...
...date line, circa 1959.....Cuban President Fulgencio Batista is forced from power, and in his place, Fidel Castro becomes the reigning Cuban Premier.....Television viewers were taken to strange, surreal and sometimes horrific places, which lay 'somewhere between the pit of man's fears, and the summit of his knowledge', with the premiere of "The Twilight Zone".....the Xerox company introduces their very first copier.....The epic film, "Ben Hur" holds it's star-studded gala premiere, in New York City.....And disaster strikes down a small, single-engined 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza plane, one fateful winter's evening, on the outskirts of Clear Lake, Iowa...the fiery crash, claiming the lives of famed rock-n-roll musicians Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (...aka 'The Big Bopper'), and 17-year-old Richard Stevens Valenzuela, also known as Ritchie Valens.....
...Richard Valenzuela has dreams...dreams of one day, getting his mom out of the Southern California orange groves, picking and crating fruit for slaves wages, and into the home of her own dreams...dreams of getting together with his high school sweetheart, Donna, and one day, taking her away to the good life...dreams of seeing his (half) brother, Robert, find purpose in his life, despite an estranged marriage, as well as harboring and building of inner weaknesses, jealousies & securities...startlingly horrific, fearful and seemingly prophetic dreams of airplane disasters, stemming from one such air crash, which claimed the life of his best friend, in a schoolyard...but mostly, given Richard's dynamic vocal and instrumental talent, dreams that passionately cry out, a wildly unbridled love of rock 'n' roll music...
...and despite fateful intervention and momentary deterrence of such dreams, fulfilled or not, Richard finds it within himself to strive onward, despite any ensuing obstacles. Not dissuaded by Donna's father, who expresses a dislike in his daughter, forming a relationship with one of Richard's Hispanic persuasion and heritage. An elating, happenstance moment, when Richard is 'discovered' performing in a small venue, by record producer Bob Keane, of fledgling company Del-Fi records. A measure of career 'give & take', as Richard is persuaded to change his name...as he himself convinces his record-producing benefactor that a folk song, rich in Hispanic heritage, as well as accompanying Hispanic lyrics, can become a rock 'n' roll classic...and as Richard's, now dubbed 'Ritchie Valens' music career begins to skyrocket, he finds himself being forced to face the challenge of instant stardom, as well as his underlining fears, stemming from his childhood...the latter of which prophetically comes around to haunt him, one cold and wintery, fateful and tragic night on an airport runway, at the height of his career, when...at the loss of a coin toss, and wrought with a case of the flu...Ritchie is compelled to face his most dire fear, one final time.....
...and the rest?? Well, folks...the rest is rock 'n' roll legend, long since dubbed 'the night the music died' (...courtesy of folk musician Don McLean)...and boy, can Hollywood pick 'em, as far as latching onto true stories of controversy & tragedy, adding a good measure of Tinseltown fluff (...OK, so they change the facts, and embellish the truth...eh, just a tad), and grinding out a compelling, inspiring & heart-wrenching, cinematic re-enactment of history past...so heartfully and emotionally manipulating the viewing audience, often to the point of almost quite literally wringing the tears from them, like squeezing out water-soaked facial bath cloths. And of course, we all fall for this...and as such, blessed be the Hollywood writers...or at least, certain skilled ones...for doing this, for in the case of 1987's "La Bamba"...well, let's face it, my friends. It works.....
...and what makes "La Bamba" work, is far from limited to the standard 'small-town nobody becomes an overnight, sensational somebody' storyline...a standard which, ironically, was also used by Columbia Pictures, in telling the spectacular and dynamic 'rise to fame' story of musician Buddy Holly...yet another victim of that ill-fated plane crash...in "The Buddy Holly Story", from nine years earlier. Whereas, in that earlier film, one singular performance quite literally out-shined the whole movie's proceedings...affording actor Gary Busey, a well-deserved Oscar nomination...in "La Bamba", viewers relished multiple outstanding performances, not only drama-wise, but also, in the musical renderings...
...granted, we can always leave it to Hollywood to cast an outright 'pretty boy' in a dynamic, biographical role, such as this; however, with "La Bamba", we are afforded an equally dynamic performance, to go with the good looks. Star newcomer Lou Diamond Phillips, in his premiere role as Ritchie Valens, is compelling and electric, both in presence and performance...a performance that shot him well into a respectable, albeit limited period of 'flavor of the moment' stardom. And coupled with the rollicking, and equally flavorful & electric musical renderings of yet another '80's, pop-iconic institution...namely, the rock group known as Los Lobos, which Phillips was adeptly and seamlessly sync'd to, performing classic Ritchie staples, like "Donna", "Come On, Let's Go", and of course, the film's titular hit...the compelling dramatics and the legendary music proved more than complementary of each other...
...equally dynamic in the film's dramatic renderings, herein, actor Esai Morales shines, as Ritchie's angst and emotionally tortured half-brother, Bob Morales...portrayed as most tragic, in the midst of personal anguish, substance abuse, jealous as the result of his brother's rising stardom, and insecure in his ability to make his mark in the world...both professionally, and in matters of family & relationships. Elizabeth Pena and Rosanna Desoto prove dramatically crucial and engagingly adequate as Bob's abused wife, Rosie...and Bob's/Ritchie's mediating mother, Connie, respectively. Character actor Joe Pantoliano offers a great contributive and connective presence, as exploitative and sensationalist record producer Bob Keene, who in taking a chance on an impressive, albeit unknown act like Ritchie Valens, finds himself swept up in the unexpected runaway hurricane of Ritchie's fame, and finds himself taking chances, he never considered, not thought viable (...i.e., a classic folk song, called "La Bamba"...restructured into a rock 'n' roll phenomenon, and yet still keeping the Hispanic lyrics?? In his words...'It'll never work..."). Surprisingly enough, it genuinely didn't hit this reviewer, at engaging the film after so many years, that he'd seen actress Danielle Von Zerneck, previously...who herein plays Ritchie's girlfriend, Donna, a young and impressionable young woman, torn by her parent's adamant demands, with regards to her relationships, as well as her appreciative, albeit overwhelmed reaction to Ritchie's rising fame...the actress herself, having appeared in yet another '80's movie staple, from two years previous...namely the 1985 rollicking fantasy/comedy/adventure, "My Science Project"...
...the fine folks over at Twilight Time, has herein afforded us avid viewers and film collector's a great print of "La Bamba" (...once again, in a limited edition...a mere 3,000 copies)...exceptionally flawed, so to speak, in that the artful 'flaw' of the print, greatly serves to exude the overall arid and dusty aura, which exemplified and atmospherically emphasized the Southern California flavor, as well as of that of the more exotic, weathered and parched moments in south-of-the-border Tijuana, both of that particular time in history. To have de-emphasized that 'flaw', would have been akin to doing the film, a measure of injustice, setting-wise. But where the film really stands out, as should be expected, is the sound of the proceedings...especially in the music soundtrack, which reflects a dynamic clarity and engaging fluidity...making the dramatic proceedings and musical performances, all the more exciting and emotionally rousing...
...unique in it's ability to find applicable fervor in both the time period in which the film depicts, as well as an accented sense and feel of a film, most assuredly produced in the '80's, "La Bamba"...with it's engrossing storytelling, and compelling characterizations, remains quite an engagingly manipulative film, emotionally...without necessarily wringing those selfsame emotions from the viewer...and although the powers-that-be, as far as the able-bodied writers of the film, took the occasional liberty, story-wise...if at the very least, to further work up the drama...this exceptional film does exactly what a biographical film of this particular ilk...the classic and timeless 'nobody becomes somebody'...was meant to do: To make such historical characters, vibrant, embraceable, relatable and sympathetic...and leave us not forget, inspirational...
...with "La Bamba"...so damn easy to get caught up in the compelling story of this rock legend, and in the process, become so emotionally wracked at the ensuing tragedy, which ended the brief, albeit rocketing career of such a legend...well, one cannot help but take a cue from Ritchie's half-brother, Bob...proceed to that fateful bridge overpass, throw one's fisted arms back in anguish, and sadly cry out to the heavens..."...Ritchie!!!".....
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