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Brazos Films™ Presents
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Two films by Les Blank, and Chris Strachwitz. |
“Chulas Fronteras”
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86 minutes + 30 Minutes of Previously Unreleased "lost & found" footage.
COLOR. Special DVD Features include: 30 additional minutes of bonus footage (features Lydia Mendoza, Narciso Martinez, Santiago Jimenez, Jose Morante, Los Hermanos Cardenas and Los Alegres de Teran), Audio Commentary by the filmmakers, scene access and credits, why the films were made, reviews and honors, about the filmmakers, production stills, & detailed scene info. |
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“. . . Chulas Fronteras is absolutely the best Chicano documentary film that I have seen to-date...It is our history, rescued without excuses and without romanticism but with vitality”
(Prof. Juan Rodriguez — University of California, San Diego) “'Chulas Fronteras' provides a magnificent introduction to the most exciting Norteña (“Northern” Texas-Mexican border) musicians working today: Los Alegres de Teran, Lydia Mendoza, Flaco Jimenez and others. The music and spirit of the people is seen embodied in their strong family life and sheer enjoyment of domestic ritualspreparing of food and eating, celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary, gathering in the backyard with friends. At the same time Blank does not overlook the hardships, in particular the Chicano experience of migrating from state to state with the seasons for work in the fields. He makes clear the role that music has in redeeming their lives by giving utterance to collective pain. For music, politics and life are integrated in this film in a way that is both enchanting and unsettling.” “'Del Mero Corazón' is Blank's truest, most expressive film to datethere is historythere are expressions of pride in La Raza, demonstrated by street murals and by "Las Nubes," an uplifting anthem to the Latin heritage, sung by Little Joe & La Familia.” (Joe Nick Patoski — Texas Monthly) “'Del Mero Corazón' is a Iyrical journey through the heart of Chicano culture, as reflected in the love songs of the Tex-Mex Nortena music tradition. Love songs are the poetry of daily lifea poetry of passion and death, hurt and humor, pleasures and torn dreams of desire. In the film, these songs travel from intimate family gatherings to community dancehalls, from the borderlands to wherever La Raza works, lives, settles down. They are passed along, changed, and turned into new songsalways sung from the heart. Stars: Leo Garza, Chavela Ortiz and Brown Express, Little Joe and La Familia and more. Blank's camera paints portraits of pain, and vitality, then sees through them, to the hearts and souls within.” (Rick Chatenever — Santa Cruz Sentinel) |
Chulas Fronteras
with: Filmed in South Texas. Del Mero Corazón
with: 30 Min Bonus Footage (DVD ONLY)
with: 14 SONGS NEVER BEFORE RELEASED ON FILM. |
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