La Bamba [Blu-ray] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Luis Valdez Luis Valdez

Overview

"Lou Diamond Phillips plays legendary 1950s rocker Ritchie Valens (born Ricardo Valenzuela), in this musical biography. Before scoring radio and concert success with hits like ""La Bamba"", ""C'mon Let's Go"", and ""Donna"", Valens was a 15-year-old migrant worker who worked with his mother Connie (Rosana De Soto). Valens' half-brother Bob Morales (Esai Morales) is a vitriolic ex-con who roars into the migrant camp on his Harley after his release from jail. Valens' musical talents are encouraged by his family -- though later various members of his family react to his fame with varying degrees of pride and envy -- and he soon earns an audition with legendary record producer and former Artie Shaw clarinet player Bob Keane (Joe Pantoliano). Valens soon appears in an Alan Freed rock n' roll teen exploitation film, lip-synching his blistering recorded version of ""Ooh, My Head"". When a romance with Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck) is forbidden by her conservative father, Valens pens the famous ballad that bears her name. Tours follow his chart success until the fatal plane crash that claimed the lives of Valens, The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson), and Buddy Holly on February 3rd, 1959. The supporting cast is excellent with power-pop icon Marshall Crenshaw playing Buddy Holly singing ""Crying, Waiting, Hoping"". Brian Setzer accurately portrays rocker Eddie Cochran, and Howard Hunstberry plays Jackie Wilson and sings ""Lonely Teardrops"". Additional music is provided by Los Lobos, a band who traces their musical roots directly to Valens and other Mexican influences. Also making cameo appearances are the real-life Mrs. Connie Valenzuela and Bob Morales. Although not 100% historically accurate, La Bamba is much more accurate than 1978s The Buddy Holly Story. The feature turned a new generation on to the influential Tex-Mex rock that was an inspiration to such later rockers as The Bobby Fuller Four as well as Los Lobos."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/26/2023
UPC:	0715515287319
Original Release:	1987
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Criterion Collection
Language:	English
Time:	1:48:00
Sales rank:	7,711

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lou Diamond Phillips	Ritchie Valens
Esai Morales	Bob Morales
Danielle von Zerneck	Donna Ludwig
Rosana De Soto	Connie Valezuela
Joe Pantoliano	Bob Keane
Marshall Crenshaw	Buddy Holly
Brian Setzer	Eddie Cochran
Howard Huntsberry	Jackie Wilson
Rick Dees	Ted Quillin
Sam Anderson	Mr. Ludwig
Maggie Gwinn	Mrs. Ludwig
Daniel Valdez	Lelo,Actor
Connie Valenzuela	Elderly lady at party
Connie Alvarez	Farm Worker
Irma Valcorta	Farm Worker
Elizabeth Peña	Rosie Morales
Eddie Frias	Chino
Mike Moroff	Mexican Ed
Geoffrey Rivas	Rudy
Junie Lowry-Johnson	Actor
Bob Morales	Actor
Jeffrey Chandler	Alan Freed
Stephen Lee	Big Bopper
John Quade	Bartender
Diane Rodriguez	Ernestine
Ernesto Hernández	Garbage Man
Noble Willingham	Howard
Kim Sebastian	Donna's Girlfriend
Dyana Ortelli	Donna's Girlfriend
Tony Genaro	Mr. Caballero
Allison Robinson	Girl at Party
Carlos Santana	Musician,Composer
Miles Goodman	Musician,Composer
Los Lobos	Composer
Curt Sobel	Composer

Technical Credits

Luis Valdez

Luis Valdez	Director,Screenwriter
Stuart Benjamin	Executive Producer,Producer
Bill Borden	Producer
Taylor Hackford	Producer
Kevin Pike	Special Effects
Janet Brady	Stunts
Warren Hamilton Jr.	Sound Effects
Fred Judkins	Sound Effects
Warren Hamilton	Sound Editor
Susumu Tokunow	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A somewhat syrupy rendering of real-life rags-to-riches rock and roller Ritchie Valens, La Bamba is both heartwarming and tragic. Lou Diamond-Phillips gives an energetic performance as the Mexican-American Valens; his acclaimed work in the film ultimately proved a double-edged sword, as the actor was largely unable to eclipse this performance in subsequent films. La Bamba's script extrapolates freely from the actual life and events surrounding Valens, but the end result is a pretty sound story that makes for a solid film. The music, provided primarily by Mexican-American rockers Los Lobos, helped their re-make of "La Bamba" chart on Billboard thirty-odd years after its initial release. Supporting performances by Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly and Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochran lend the film even greater rock and roll credibility. The story that ended tragically in a plane crash claiming the lives of Valens, the Big Bopper and Buddy Holly informed a new generation of their legacy and was a hit at the box office.