We can debate it all we want, but numbers don't lie. America wants to see Latino movies!!! On opening weekend, El Cantante ranked #12 regardless of mixed reviews. Not bad for a film that was in only 542 theatres opening night, in comparison to The Bourne Ultimatum which was in 3660 theatres.The film had shortcomings, but still touched the core of Latino audiences, yet left us wanting more. I wanted more from Jennifer's performance, more music from Hector Lavoe and most definitively more films that tell our stories. What's most important to note is that we need films developed by Latino producers, directors and writes.
Some I spoke with had great expectations for this film, but all I was expecting to see was a low budget film about a seventies icon. I was curious about what producer, Jennifer Lopez and director Leon Ichaso would come up with. Ichaso was the director of Piñero and did a similar job with El Cantante by playing with time and different points of view. I will admit that I was impressed by Marc Anthony's performance. His interpretation of Lavoe allowed me to believe that I was going on this chaotic journey with him.
Critics talk about the many lost opportunities in this film. One being that the story didn't dig deep enough into the 'Latin Motown' record label, Fania Records, but El Cantante was not about that. From the very beginning, the film is set from the point of view of Puchi, Lavoe's ex-wife. Maybe the title is misleading, but what other title would you suggest when speaking about Hector "La Voz?"
The film accomplished several things and for those who remember the seventies; it made us nostalgic for the music that we grew up with. Lavoe helped launch the Salsa movement and though on hiatus in the last decade, Salsa is making its coming back to reclaim its rightful place in music history.
Salsa music also brought native Puerto Ricans and Newyoricans closer. There is a clear distinction between Puerto Ricans living on the island and Newyoricans. This is a topic rarely discussed in films but it is a subject very real to our migrating culture. I was happy to see that addressed, though briefly, in the relationship between Puchi and her sister in law.
I applaud Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony and anyone else who brings Latino stories to the silver screen. People like Moctesuma Esparza who gave Jennifer her major break and immortalized Selena, Josefina Lopez made a star of America Ferrera in Real Women Have Curves and Salma Hayek brought to life Frida.
There are a few great Latino movies out there and though Latinos may have been in this country from its inception we are "new" at using this medium. Our filmmakers are becoming more experienced as more and more movies are made. But it is up to the public to support these films - mostly during opening week, when the numbers matter. So by helping our films make the top ten in the box-office; studios will consider more Latino projects and we’ll enjoy more Latino movies in the theaters.
- Digna
READ the following review for more about the fim by Bill White ... "El Cantante" is a special film, one that refuses to package a person's life into a comfortably familiar genre. Instead, the viewer is thrown into the chaos of Lavoe's world with as little preparation as Lavoe had when, at age of 17, a week after arriving in New York from Puerto Rico, he began a singing career that would alter the course of American music.
* Read the full article at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/326152_whelcantante03.html
