THE STORY – Luis Valdez elevates Chicano narratives to cinema through Zoot Suit and La Bamba, overcoming political and industry pushback to create landmark films that broaden and honor America’s cultural story.
THE CAST – Luis Valdez & Edward James Olmos
THE TEAM – David Alvarado (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 92 Minutes
TTo many Americans, the name Luis Valdez may not ring a bell, but to Chicanos across the country, it is a name cemented in history. Deemed “The Shakespeare of Chicano Theater,” Valdez’s art spoke volumes, channeling the pain he, like those in his community, experienced throughout his entire life. He is, to many like myself, the embodiment of an unimaginable concept such as the American Dream. That sentiment is more than shared by documentary filmmaker David Alvarado, whose latest feature, “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez,” places Valdez on the pedestal he more than rightly deserves. While the film falls into the same pitfalls most celebrity documentaries are bound to repeat, Alvarado not only crafts a suitable tribute to one of the more underappreciated artists in American history but also shines a light on a subset of Latino culture that deserves its time in the limelight.
Alvarado smartly introduces audiences to Chicano culture through the familiar presence of celebrity narrator Edward James Olmos, a frequent collaborator of Valdez who operates not only through testimonial interviews but as the film’s narrator. Olmos brings a needed energy to the feature with his signature coarse voice, guiding audiences not only through Valdez’s life but also through this crash course in Chicano history. As Alvarado traces Valdez’s life, Olmos interweaves colorful descriptions of key Chicano terminology and its significance behind the slang that embodies the spirit of Valdez’s work. The film is divided into three sections, beginning with Valdez’s childhood as the son of migrant farm workers. The tribulations stemming from his economic hardships only deepened his desire for the arts. It was more than an escape for someone in Valdez’s position; it was a way to connect with his heritage, something explored in his most popular feature, “La Bamba.”
In the film, Valdez, along with his closest friends and family, helped paint the portrait of the artist he would become. Alvarez combines archival video, sequences from Valdez’s films, and the traditional floating-heads interview style found in every documentary. Through Alvarez’s exploration of Valdez’s ties with activist Ceaser Chavez, it builds to the start and eventual growth of El Teatro Campesino, the farm workers’ theater troupe. Where Alvarez’s storytelling is at its most engaging with viewers is during the portion of the film focused on Valdez navigating the predominantly white landscape of Broadway and show business as a whole. It’s disheartening as viewers emotionally entangled with Valdez’s story witness what is now considered a legend in this industry being sidelined by those who not only get his work but impose their biases on their perspective of it. There’s plenty of footage of “Zoot Suit” showcased (both the theatrical production and the feature film), from touring the country’s outskirts to bringing him to the Big Apple and through his future successes.
Where “American Pacucho” begins to lose its allure is in the last third of the film, primarily focused on Valdez’s aspirations to bring Ritchie Valens’s life to the screen, which is his most mainstream creation throughout his career. At this point, the novelty of unfamiliarity with Valdez’s life fades away, leaving the film to stew in the more than standard structural blueprints we have seen many times before, especially when celebrity documentaries are all but rare. There’s nothing egregious in the way Alvarez constructs the film, and in fact, it’s aided by Daniel Chávez-Ontiveros’s editing, making it a more than concise effort. While this period of Valdez’s life is fascinating, there’s something to be desired about how much of his career after “La Bamba” is breezed through up to the film’s conclusion. What we do have here is a more than entertaining look into the life of someone many may not be familiar with, but why is that? Valdez is more than deserving of his life being discussed beyond the expiration of this feature, but even as incomplete as it feels, “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” is one step closer to giving him the flowers he deserves.
