Films - Latin American Actors & Directors, Part 1 (of 2): Films from the 20th century

From a recent work-related email, a list of films to watch.



The Latin American Heritage Committee (LAHC) members have curated a list of films by Latin American actors and directors from outside and within Latin American countries that offer a fascinating look at how Latinos have been portrayed on the big screen through the decades.

The film list will be shared in two parts:This week, you have received Part I of the list, which includes films from the 20th century.

Next week, you will receive Part II, which includes films from the 21st century.

Your friendly neighborhood independent video store recommendations:

The LAHC invites you to explore the curated film list below. There recommendations include Mario Moreno ‘Cantinflas’ in "Ahí Está El Detalle" (1940s), Oscar winners José Ferrer and Anthony Quinn in the 1950s, and Rita Moreno’s "West Side Story" (1960s), which raises representation issues. The 1980s spotlight Edward James Olmos in "Stand and Deliver" and Gregory Nava’s "El Norte", while music films like "La Bamba" and "Selena" celebrate iconic artists. The 1990s feature crime dramas like "My Family / Mi Familia" and Robert Rodriguez’s "El Mariachi", along with poignant tales in "Strawberry and Chocolate" and "Central Station".

We hope you discover a film that you can enjoy on your next movie night! Don’t forget to check out the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) and Rotten Tomatoes sites for detailed reviews. The films are available to stream free on the video streaming services listed. Although not always listed, some of the older films are available for streaming on YouTube. Additionally, some of these films are available for rent / purchase from your online providers like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Fandango at Home.

2024 Film List Part I

Film Title	Release Year	Genres	Actors	Directors	Country	Languages	IMDb Rating (# / 10)	Available to Stream Free	YouTube Trailer Link
Ahí Está El Detalle	1940	Comedy, Family	Mario Moreno 'Cantinflas', Sara García	Juan Bustillo Oro	México	Spanish	8	N/A	Ahí Está el Detalle trailer
Cyrano de Bergerac	1950	Adventure, Drama, Romance	José Ferrer, Mala Powers, William Prince	Michael Gordon	USA	English	7.4	Amazon, Pluto TV, Tubi TV	Cyrano de Bergerac trailer
Viva Zapata!	1952	Drama, History, Western	Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn, Jean Peters	Elia Kazan	USA	English / Spanish	7.3	N/A	Viva Zapata! trailer
Dos Tipos de Cuidado	1953	Comedy, Music, Romance	Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete	Ismael Rodríguez	México	Spanish	8	N/A	Dos Tipos de Cuidado trailer
Él	1953	Drama, Romance, Thriller	Arturo de Córdova, Delia Garcés	Luis Buñuel	México	Spanish	7.9	YouTube	Él trailer
Tizoc (Amor Indio)	1957	Drama, Romance	Pedro Infante, María Félix, Andrés Soler	Ismael Rodríguez	México	Spanish	7.6	N/A	Tizoc (Amor Indio) trailer
West Side Story	1961	Crime, Drama, Musical, Romance	Rita Moreno, Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer	Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise	USA	English	7.6	Max	West Side Story trailer
Zoot Suit	1981	Drama, History, Music	Edward James Olmos, Daniel Valdez	Luis Valdez	USA	English / Spanish	6.7	Peacock	Zoot Suit trailer
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez	1982	Drama, History, Western	Edward James Olmos, Rosanna deSoto	Robert M. Young	USA	English / Spanish	7	Amazon, Tubi TV	The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez trailer
El Norte	1983	Adventure, Drama, Survival	Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, David Villalpando	Gregory Nava	USA	Spanish / English	7.7	Pluto TV	El Norte trailer
Born in East L.A.	1987	Comedy	Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez, Daniel Stern	Cheech Marin	USA	English / Spanish	6	N/A	Born In East L.A. trailer
La Bamba	1987	Biography, Drama, History, Music	Lou Diamond Phillips, Elizabeth Peña, Esai Morales	Luis Valdez	USA	English	6.9	Peacock	La Bamba trailer
Stand And Deliver	1988	Biography, Drama, History	Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rosanna DeSoto	Ramón Menéndez	USA	English / Spanish	7.3	Tubi TV	Stand and Deliver extended preview
American Me	1992	Crime, Drama	Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez	Edward James Olmos	USA	English / Spanish	7.1	Amazon, Peacock	American Me trailer
El Mariachi	1992	Action, Crime, Thriller	Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gómez	Robert Rodriguez	USA	Spanish	6.8	N/A	El Mariachi trailer
Like Water for Chocolate	1992	Drama, Romance	Lumi Cavazos, Pedro Muzquiz, Marco Leonardi	Alfonso Arau	México	Spanish / English	7.1	Paramount Plus, Pluto TV	Like Water for Chocolate trailer
Blood In, Blood Out: Bound By Honor	1993	Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller	Benjamin Bratt, Damian Chapa,	Taylor Hackford	USA	English / Spanish	7.9	Hulu	Blood In, Blood Out: Bound By Honor trailer
Strawberry and Chocolate	1993	Comedy, Drama, Romance	Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra	Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío	Cuba	Spanish / English	7.4	N/A	Strawberry and Chocolate trailer
Desperado	1995	Action, Crime, Thriller	Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida	Robert Rodriguez	USA	English / Spanish	7.1	N/A	Desperado trailer
My Family / Mi Familia	1995	Drama, History	Edward James Olmos, Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Jennifer Lopez	Gregory Nava	USA	English / Spanish	7.3	N/A	My Family / Mi Familia trailer
Selena	1997	Biography, Drama, History, Music	Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda	Gregory Nava	USA	English / Spanish	6.9	Tubi TV	Selena trailer
Central Station	1998	Drama, Road Trip	Fernanda Montenegro, Vinícius de Oliveira, Marília Soares Pêra	Walter Salles	Brazil	Portuguese	8	N/A	Central Station trailer
Buena Vista Social Club	1999	Documentary, History, Music	Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Rubén González	Wim Wenders	Cuba	English / Spanish	7.6	Max	Buena Vista Social trailer

Additional information regarding Academy Award and Golden Globes history winners and nominees for some of these films can be found here: 

List of Latin American Academy Award winners and nominees - Wikipedia

Latinos in the Golden Globes: These Are the Winners Throughout the History of the Award (latintimes.com) 

Here are additional interesting articles on Latinos represented in film: 

Latino Hollywood legends, from the silent film era to today : NPR

Latino Representation in Movies Remains Bad: 2023 Study (hollywoodreporter.com)