Latin American Filmography - North America
updated (7/07)

AIDS in the barrio: Eso no me pasa a mi . 1988. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Discusses the causes and effects of AIDS in the Hispanic community through interviews with AIDS sufferers, their families, and members of the community at large. Drug abuse, cultural attitudes toward condom use and toward homosexuality, and the economic causes of drug abuse in the barrio are covered, as well as the role of family and friends in comforting and helping AIDS victims. Measures to prevent the spread of AIDS to wives and women friends of drug users and bi-sexual men are also discussed. VHS 3073

The Americans . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment returns to the United States to profile California's Mexican population and the Latin American communities of Miami and New York City. Poses questions about assimilation, national identity, and how these communities are changing what it means to be an American. VHS 2130

Art and revolution-- Mexico . 1982. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Shows how history and art have been brought together in Mexico by such painters as Rivera and Siqueiros. Demonstrates that plastic art is the shared possession of all social and educational levels in Mexico. VHS 740

Borderline cases: Environmental matters at the United States-Mexico border . 1997. 1 videocassette (65 min.). Filmed in three border regions (Matamoros and Brownsville; Tijuana and San Diego; Ciudad Juarez and El Paso), documentary describes problems caused by factories built in Mexico at the US - Mexico border which did not need to comply with US environmental regulations and also presents proposals and projects to remedy the border's deteriorating environmental conditions. VHS 4320

The bronze screen: 100 years of the Latino image in Hollywood . Questar DVD collection. 2002. 1 videodisc (120 min.). The Bronze screen honors the past, illuminates the present, and opens a window to the future of Latinos in motion pictures. From silent movies to urban gang films, stereotypes of the Greaser, the Lazy Mexican, the Latin lover and the Dark lady are examined. Rare and extensive footage traces the progression of this distorted screen image to the increased prominence of today's Latino actors, writers and directors. DVD 1499

Builders of images . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment explores the arts throughout the Americas, celebrating the extraordinary creative ferment that has attracted global acclaim and given rise to a distinct and increasingly influential Latin American voice. Looks at artists from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina who are creating works that reflect and influence their people's cultural identity. VHS 2127

Carlos Fuentes . The Lannan literary series. 1989. 1 videocassette (66 min.). Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's leading novelist and critic, reads from his novels "The death of Artemio Cruz" and "Christopher unborn," as well as unpublished works in English and Spanish. He is interviewed in Los Angeles by Lewis MacAdams. VHS 3217

Chicano Park . 1988. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Under the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge is Chicano Park and its murals. This is the story of its creation and a history of the community. Traces the history of the Mexican-American community in San Diego, from its creation around 1900, through its peak in the late 1920s and its near extinction in the 1950s and 1960s, to its revitalization in the 1970s. Shows the process through which residents effect positive change in their lives and community by using the richness of their cultural heritage to educate themselves to gain political power. VHS 2113

Children of Zapata . 1994. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Describes the Zapatista National Liberation Army's struggle for democratic reform from the Mexican Government. VHS 3464

Columbus didn't discover us . 1992. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Indians from North, Central, and South America speak of the impact the Columbus legacy has had on the lives of indigenous people. VHS 1980

Cristóbal Colón 500 años después . 1992. 1 videocassette (24 min.). Indians from North, Central, and South America speak of the impact the Columbus legacy has had on the lives of indigenous people. VHS 1979

Continent on the move . Americas. 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment follows a Mexican migrant family on its rural-to-urban journey, comparing this internal migration with the transnational flow of immigrants from war-torn Guatemala into Mexico. VHS 2123

Cortez and the legend . Saga of Western man series. 1984. 1 videocassette (52 min.). A dramatization of how 500 Spaniards and 15 horses (with their allies the Tlascalan vassals of the Aztecs conquered an empire of 14 million people. Filmed on location, it portrays the epic clash between two extraordinary personalities, Cortez and Montezuma, by showing the conflict between the Mexican Gods and the Spaniard's Christianity, and the conflict among the Mexican Gods themselves. The narration alternates between the Spanish and Aztec viewpoint of the Conquest, using the chronicles of Bernal Diaz, and quotes from Cortez for the Spanish viewpoint, with actual photographic messages carried to Montezuma by his messengers at the time. VHS 4979

The devil gave us oil . Oil. 1986. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Looks at the plight of heavily indebted Mexico, where the expectation of a continued rise in oil prices encouraged that government to borrow too heavily. Follows the life of a typical local farmer and his family who live near an oil refinery and must cope with its pollution. VHS 1121

Dolores . 1989. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Dramatization of the problem of domestic violence in the Latino community. VHS 3020

Drug wars . 2000. 2 videocassettes (240 min.). Frontline examines America's war on drugs, which has failed to reduce the use of heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Part One reviews the origins of the War on Drugs in the Nixon administration, and the rise and fall of Colombian drug cartels. Part Two looks at Mexico's role in supplying illegal drugs to the United States. VHS 6474

Environment . Inside the global economy. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.). This program looks at the international dimension of environmental problems, focusing on transnational pollution, international property rights, and perceived differences between trade and environmental protection. The U.S.-Mexico agreement on dolphin-safe tuna fishing is explored, as is the transnational implications of pollution along the Rhine River border. VHS 2872

Escaping from history . The Human race. 1994. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Mexico City, the most polluted and fastest growing city on the planet, is a sobering foretaste of what may await us all. Looking at the effects of industrialization on Mexico, and the impact of its development on the rest of the world, this program finds reasons for optimism. But it's a tough equation: for the Third World to have more, the First World will have to get used to having less. VHS 3453

Exchange rates, capital flight, and hyperinflation . Inside the global economy. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.). This program discusses the factors that affect exhange rates. The impact of international capital flows, inflation and trade flows is examined. The concept of capital flight is explored through the case study of Mexico and the money Center Bank. Another case study looks at the problems of hyperinflation in Argentina. VHS 2869

The frescoes of Diego Rivera . Portrait of an artist. 1986. 1 videocassette (35 min.). Explores Rivera's evolution as an artist, his use of the fresco technique and his politics. His frescoes unite themes of nature and revolution, drawing a parallel between the evolution of life and the struggle for human dignity. VHS 2640

Frida Kahlo . Portrait of an artist. 1983. 1 videocassette (62 min.). Profiles Frida Kahlo's work, her interest in politics and her tempestuous relationship with husband Diego Rivera, leader of the Mexican muralist movement. VHS 733

De acá, de este lado = From here, from this side . 1991? 1 videocassette (24 min.). The United States and Mexico, though neighbors, do not always understand one another's culture. The United States developed economically long before the petroleum industry revolutionized the Mexican economy (although the Mexican boom was followed by a bust). The United States economy is centered on military objectives and the struggle with the Soviet Union. But now the entire world faces common economic and environmental problems. VHS 900

Future conditional . 2005. 1 videocassette (55 min.). Investigates the link between environmental change and the future health of the planet, a future conditional on how we cope with the spread of toxic pollution. In the Arctic, animals and humans are suddenly plagued with rising levels of hazardous chemicals: DDT, PCBs, dioxins, and mercury. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, tariff-free factories have been poisoning the soil and air for more than a decade, and local communities in Tijuana struggle with contaminated water while their backyards have become toxic playgrounds for children. In Uzbekistan, the world's fourth largest inland body of water, the Aral Sea, has become the site of what the United Nations calls man's greatest ecological disaster. In the United States, a Latin neighborhood in San Diego celebrates an environmental victory, while only 150 miles away, the people of Palm Springs may be living in the path of a toxic storm of dust. VHS 7804

The gay desperado . The Milestone collection. 2001. 1 videodisc (87 min.). "Pablo Braganza is a Mexican bandit who is inspired by an American gangster film to reorganize his outlaw gang to Chicago standards and practices. Also a music lover, Pablo kidnaps young opera singer Chivo because he likes his voice. Pablo then forces Chivo to capture the son of an American millionaire and his fiancee. When the rich boy escapes solo, the gay desperado serenades the fiery girlfriend amid every sort of chaos."--Container. DVD 685

North America, the post-industrial transformation: The geographic dynamic of the Pacific Rim, [Pt.1] . The power of place: world regional geography. 1995. 1 videocassette (58 min.). Oregon, a fight for water, investigates the competition for water resources in Eastern Oregon. U.S. Midwest, spatial innovations examines the incorporation of Japanese production techniques into the midwest U.S. automotive industry. Northern Japan, protecting the harvest concerns rice-farming methods in Tohoku in Northern Japan. Tokyo, anatomy of a mega-city examines the transportation patterns of commuters in Tokyo and its surrounding suburbs. VHS 3761-3762

Global retail markets power and potential Mexico . 1999. 1 videocassette (41 min.). Discusses the economics of food in Mexico under NAFTA, including importing, marketing, and retailing. VHS 6465

Go back to Mexico! 1994. 1 videocassette (57 min.). The story of one woman's attempt illegally to emigrate from Mexico to the United States amidst the background of growing public opposition to illegal immigration, particularly in California. VHS 3108

Going international . 1983. 8 videocassettes (ca. 180 min.). Introduction to the challenges of interacting with people from different cultures. Film from around the world illustrates fundamental concepts of culture, in theory and practice. Bridging the culture gap: Illuminates cultural differences to which Americans must become attuned if they are to be accepted in their new homes. -- Managing the overseas assignment: focuses on business practices in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, India, England, and Mexico as seen in vignettes and through interviews. -- Beyond culture shock: Experts in cross-cultural topics and international living and seasoned travelers discuss the reaction to moving away from home and adjusting to life in a different society. Welcome home stranger: deals with the individuals' personal reactions to returning to the United States and readjusting to American culture. -- Working in the USA: Presents views and experiences of foreign visitors and naturalized citizens on the American-way-of-work to help improve understanding of how Americans and American organizations behave and what it takes to succeed in business.-- Living in the USA: Presents views and experiences of foreign visitors and naturalized citizens on living in America. Designed for the whole family, focusing on the everyday concerns of getting settled in the U.S. and dealing with practical issues such as housing, banking, credit, schools, shopping, driving and making friends. -- Going international--safely: Experts in cross-cultural topics and international living and seasoned travelers discuss the reaction to moving away from home and adjusting to life in a different society. Intended to give travelers good, basic security awareness information. Provides a security philosophy and general principles which apply to most international travel situations. Alerts the traveler to the most likely dangers, shows them how to reduce risk, and what to do in the event of emergency. VHS 3657

H-2 worker . 1990. 1 videocassette (67 min.). Examines the exploitation of Jamaican laborers by the Florida sugar cane industry. VHS 1581

The Highland Maya: A case study in economic anthropology . Faces of culture: revised. 1994. 1 videocassette (28 min.). Explores the complex interweaving of economics and religion known as the "cargo" system, which is found among the Highland Maya of Mexico and Guatemala. VHS 3125

Imagining new worlds . Human geography, people places and change. 1996. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Examines contrasting ways of viewing the city of Cancun, Mexico and Mayan ruins as seen through the eyes of tourists, Mayan descendants, and business investors. VHS 3601

Incidents of travel in Chichen Itza . 1997. 1 videocassette (90 min.). Set during the spring Equinox when a shadow said to represent the Maya serpent-god Kukulkan appears on one temple pyramid, video depicts how New Agers, the Mexican state, tourists and archaeologists all contend to "clear" the site of the Maya city of Chichen Itza in order to produce their own idealized and unobstructed visions of "Maya" while the local Maya themselves struggle to occupy the site as vendors and artisans. Questions whether fieldwork is possible at such a spectacle and questions the status of ethnographic authority as people from the various groups converge on the event. VHS 5557

Juan Rulfo inframundo . Espejo de escritores. 2004? 1 videodisc (57 min.). In an unusual interview with Silvia Fuentes, Juan Rulfo talks about his childhood and family in the context of the Mexican Revolution. In this way he shows the deepest roots and particular of the Mexican people. He tells how the various jobs he had, when he was young, took him from one end of his country to the other, discovering places and people which he later used in his fiction. He gives us the ideas which were the basis for "Pedro Páramo". He reads from that great novel and from his most important story "El llano en llamas". DVD 1800

Juchitan queer paradise . 2002. 1 videocassette (64 min.). "This is a fascinating portrait of Juchitan, a small Mexican city near the Guatemalan border. Here homosexuality is fully accepted; gays are simply a third gender. If a boy shows a predisposition to homosexuality his family will rejoice and be thankful for receiving what is considered a blessing. In Juchitan a man who wants to be a woman only has to dress like a woman to be considered and treated as a woman by the entire community. The film profiles three gay people: a teacher, a hairdresser and a shop owner."--Container. VHS 7260

Labor and capital mobility . Inside the global economy. 1994. 1 videocassette (60 min.). This program looks at the international mobility of capital, labor and technology, including the relationship between trade in goods and services, the mobility factors of production and the pressures that drive and inhibit labor migration. Examples include the Netherland's policy toward guest workers and Mexican immigration to the U.S. and the Maquiladora program. VHS 2865

The land and the people . The Age of uncertainty. 1977. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Economist John Kenneth Galbraith discusses some of the ideas and views on economics that are presented is his book entitled "The age of Uncertainty." Focuses on the role of land in determining wealth and poverty and its effect on social and foreign policies. Shot on location in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Pakistan and Singapore, using these countries as examples of those who have had some success in breaking the "equilibrium of poverty." VHS 4200

The last Zapatista . 1996. 1 videocassette (30 min.). Emilio Zapata, southern leader of the 1910-20 Mexican Revolution, inspired millions and his revolution lives on through the stories and myths which surround his memory. Video tells the history of Zapata and the agrarian revolution he led. Includes interviews with members of Zapata's family and with those like Emeterio Pantaleón who rode with Zapata. VHS 5589

Legacy . 1991. 6 videocassettes (57 min. ea.). This six part series explores the influence of ancient culture on our lives today. Host/writer Michael Wood visits the ancient cities and great ports of India and China, the deserts of Egypt and Iraq, the Mexico of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the Greek and Roman monuments of Europe and the jungles of Central America searching for the living legacies of these once great civilizations. The series traces how the institutions that arose with urban civilization 5,000 years ago, such as organized religion, bureaucratic government and international trade are still affecting the political and cultural mindset of many parts of the world today. VHS 1691-1696

Los sures . 1984. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A documentary portrait of one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, the primarily Hispanic community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, known as Los sures. Five residents reveal what life is like for them in Los sures. VHS 6613

Lost kingdoms of the Maya . 1993. 1 videocassette (60 min.). An exploration of the forests of Central America and Mexico on the trail of the ancient Maya. Distinguished scientists unearth artifacts, reconstruct cities and decipher the hieroglyphics of an extraordinary civilization. VHS 2120

The lost world of the Maya . 1974. 1 videocassette (36 min.). For over a thousand years the Mayan civilization grew and flourished in the rain forests of Central America. Discovered and finally destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors, it was lost again until explorers brought it to light in the 19th century. Eric Thompson, an archaeologist who has had a 45 year love affair with the Maya, takes the viewer on a pilgrimage through the Mayan world, visiting, on the way, all the great ruined cities he has known for half a century. Describes ruins existing in such ancient cities as Tikal, Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Quirigna, and re-creates the Mayas' daily life. Concludes with a description of the theories that have been used to explain why Mayan civilization fell. VHS 5676

Maquila: A tale of two Mexicos . 2006? 1 videodisc (60 min.). Examines the maquiladoras, U.S.-owned export factories employing inexpensive Mexican labor. Covers the displacement of peasant farmers who migrate to northern border cities such as Juarez and Tiajuana, where they endure dangerous working conditions in the maquilas for very low wages. Also examines the environmental disasters generated by these factories and the unsafe living conditions of the workers, which have resulted in a series of brutal rapes and murders of young women employees. Examines the violent rural confrontations between the Mexican Army and Mayan peasant farmers as part of the government's efforts to suppress the rebellion. Features interviews with workers, factory managers, government officials, army officers, indigenous peasants, and economists. DVD 2199

Maquilapolis: City of factories . 2006. 1 videodisc (68 min.). Explores the environmental devastation and urban chaos of Tijuana's assembly factories and the female laborers who have organized themselves for social action. DVD 2248

Mexico . 1988. 3 videocassettes (180 min.). Records the history and political events in Mexico from the Mexican revolution to the 1988 presidential elections through interviews and the use of extensive archival materials. VHS 655-657

Mojados through the night . 2005. 1 videodisc (39 min.). Filmed over the course of ten days, this follows four men into the world of illegal border-crossing from Mexico to the United States. Guapo, Oso, Tigre, Viejo take the 120 mile cross-desert journey that has been traveled innumerable times by nameless immigrants who - like these four from Michoacan, Mexico - all had a simple dream for a better life. Fighting dehydration and exhaustion while evading the U.S. Border Patrol through sub-zero temperature darkness of night, filled with barbed wire, brutal storms and the ever-present confrontation with death, they endure unimaginable hardship that is the reality for tens of thousands of illegals who have made this similar journey. DVD 1545

Murder, money, and Mexico . 1997. 1 videocassette (60 min.). For six years, President Carlos Salinas and his brother Raul ruled Mexico. They convinced Washington, Wall Street and the Mexican people that they had created a new age of freedom and prosperity for Mexico. But in 1994, days after Salinas left office, the Mexican economy collapsed, causing a world financial crisis and revealing scandal, corruption, and murder. VHS 4502

The new Tijuana . 1990. 1 videocassette (58 min.). A brief history shows the development of Tijuana, Mexico, from a very small village to a modern city of more than 2 million population; emphasizes the relatively recent social, economic and political changes. VHS 951

New worlds, new forms . Dancing. 1993. 1 videocassette (57 min.). This program examines the heritage that enslaved Africans brought to North and South America via dance. From the Samba in Rio to the Lindy-hop in Harlem, cultural collisions have shaped the popular dances of today. VHS 2295

Octavio Paz . Lannan literary series. 1989. 1 videocassette (60 min.). "Octavio Paz, the foremost poet of Latin America, reads at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and is interviewed by Lewis MacAdams"--Container. VHS 3207

La ofrenda = The Days of the Dead . 1990. 1 videocassette (50 min.). Documents Mexican and Mexican American observances of Los Dias de Muertos. Emphasizes the enduring meaningfulness of practices and beliefs regarding death which appear pre-Columbian in origin. VHS 1852

One world, one economy . 1990. 1 videocassette (70 min.). Describes three widely differing economies and their relationship to each other and the Internation Monetary Fund. VHS 1321

The Other side = El otro lado . City life: City life (Bullfrog Films, inc.). 2001. 1 videocassette (27 min.). Examines the devastating impact of Mexican-United States migration. The families and communities left behind are disabled, and their languages and cultures are being destroyed. This program looks at villagers who strive to ensure that their children will no longer have to migrate to have a better life. VHS 7189

A place called Chiapas . 1998. 1 videodisc (ca. 92 min.). Documentary on the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas, Mexico filmed over an eight month period. DVD 1312, VHS 6489

Playing with poison . 2001. 1 videocassette (46 min.). Elizabeth Guillette has studied the differences in the children of the Yaqui Valley of Mexico since 1993. The children of the valley towns are far behind those in the foothills in physical coordination, energy, and learning capabilities. The difference she observed was that pesticides have been used in the valley since the 1950s whereas in the foothills, where there is little agricultural industry, there is practically no pesticide use. The program follows Guillette as she meets with scientists for corroboration and possible solutions. VHS 830

The price of freedom . 1995. 1 videocassette (21 min.). Rolando Cruz, who was convicted of raping and murdering a young girl on the basis of perjured testimony and subjected to three trials and ten years on death row, describes his attempt to begin life anew now that he is free. VHS 1894

Remember the alamo . 2004. 1 videodisc (60 min.). In the early 1830s Texas was about to explode. Although under Mexican rule, the region was home to more than 20,000 U.S. settlers agitated by what they saw as restrictive Mexican policies. Mexican officials, concerned with illegal trading and immigration with Texas, were prepared to fight hard to keep the province under their control. In the area were 4,000 Mexican Texans or Tejanos, who were forced to choose a side. The conflict pitted brother against brother and devastated the community. This film shows the Tejano gamble for a more prosperous future in an independent Texas proved tragic. DVD 1173

Sacred games: Ritual warfare in a Maya village . 1988. 1 videocassette (60 min.). Presents how the Maya people see the world and how their symbolic world is renewed in the annual carnival celebrations. VHS 889

Salsa: Latin music of New York and Puerto Rico . Beats of the heart. 1988. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Latin music especially the hot New York-based dance music known as Salsa, has anchored the Latino communities of the eastern U.S and the Caribbean by providing a focal point for a colorful, distinctively Latin way of walking, talking and daqncing. Includes performances, interviews and recording sessions with Salsa musicians. VHS 3273

Señorita extraviada = Missing young woman . 2001. 1 videocassette (76 min.). Over 250 young women were kidnapped, raped and murdered from the city of Juárez, Mexico. The perpetuators of these crimes have not been apprehended, even though these crimes have been occurring regularly since 1993. VHS 7306

Sentinels of silence . 1990. 1 videocassette (18 min.). Aerial views of seven archeological sites in Mexico. Shows stone palaces, deserted temples, pyramid mounds, and elaborate carvings. VHS 1077

South of the border . 1989. 1 videocassette (63 min.). Surveys protest music in Central America, from Mexico City to Managua, where popular music has become a forum for social commentary and political protest. VHS 3702

The status of Latina women . Heritage. 1993. 1 videocassette (26 min.). This program looks at the differences betwen the U.S. Latina and her Latin American and American counterparts. Examines how Latino men regard successful Latina women, and the myths and mystique of machismo. VHS 3258

Tex-Mex music of the Texas Mexican borderlands . Beats of the heart. 1990. 1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.). Tex-Mex music is an exuberant style with a Mexican soul and a rock'n'roll heart. It combines styles of corrida, norteno and others, is full of joy and energy, but carries significance through its lyrics about social problems. Flaco Jimenez, Lydia Mendoza, Frank Rodarte, Little Joe Hernandez and many others are shown in performance and conversation. VHS 3266

Uneasy neighbors . 1989. 1 videocassette (35 min.). Uses dialog, interviews and narration to show the living conditions, hopes and fears of Mexican migrant labor families living in camps in north San Diego County. More than 150 camps have been closed since 1985, as residential subdivisions for the affluent are established in these once isolated areas. VHS 958

U.S.-Mexican War, 1846-1848 . PBS Video database of America's history & culture. 1998. 4 videocassettes (227 min.). This documentary tells the dramatic story of a war in which Mexico lost almost half of its national territory to the United States. Although the war lasted only two years, its outcome not only transformed the boundaries of these neighboring countries, but it also shifted the balance of world powers and shaped the destinies of each nation. This series explores the events surrounding the conflict between the two neighboring nations struggling for land, power and identity. The educational package covers the dramatic sweep of the war from the multiple perspectives of Americans, Mexicans, and Native Americans, examining the social, cultural, and economic forces that shaped each country and its peoples during that crucial era. The war's events, personalities and themes are explored in a binational, multicultural context. VHS 5571-5574

Vela tradition and change in Juchitán . 1986. 1 videocassette (36 min.). Although the Zapotec Indians of Mexico have adjusted to urban life and modern economic pressures, they continue to preserve their cultural traditions. The film focuses on the association Angelica Pipi for the preservation of the vela tradition. VHS 1520

When will our turn come?: The urban poor of Oaxaca . 1982. 1 videocassette (53 min.). Following a background report on the economic history of Oaxaca, Michael Higgins, anthropologist at the University of Northern Colorado who has lived in Oaxaca since 1968, interviews a number of low-wage and occasional laborers and a few professionals about their lives, jobs and aspirations. The film shows how the changing social structure affects sex roles, cultural relations, economic conditions, and religious practices. VHS 1519

Yo, la peor de todas = I, the worst of all . 1990. 1 videocassette (108 min.). This historical drama tells the story of Juana Inéz de la Cruz, one of the greatest poets of the Spanish Siglo de Oro and her intimate relationship with the vicereine of her convent at the time of the Inquisition. DVD 1162, VHS 3195

Feature Films

A day without a Mexican . 2004. 1 videodisc (ca. 95 min.). California awakens one day to discover that one third of its population has vanished. A peculiar pink fog surrounds the state and communication outside its boundaries has completely shut down. As the day progresses, it becomes apparent the sole characteristic linking the missing 14 million is their Hispanic heritage. DVD 1008

The ballad of Gregorio Cortez . 1984. 1 videocassette (105 min.). Based on a true story, told from several points of view. On June 12, 1901, Gregorio Cortez, a young Mexican family man, shoots and kills a sheriff in self-defense. For the next 11 days, he eludes an inflamed posse of 600 Texas Rangers in a 450 mile chase across Texas. His manhunt captures the nation's interest and his eventual trial is tainted by the extreme emotions of the country. VHS 375

Born in East L.A . 1988. 1 videocassette (85 min.). Rudy (Cheech Marin) is accidentally deported to Mexico without any I.D. or knowledge of Spanish. He can't convince U.S. officials to let him back in and must make repeated comic attempts to get back home. VHS 2576

Como agua para chocolate = Like water for chocolate . 2000. 1 videodisc (105 min.). Tita and Pedro are in love, but cannot marry because of a family tradition. To be near Tita, Pedro marries her sister and Tita, as the family cook, expresses her passion through preparing delectable dishes. DVD 1164, VHS 2993

Danzón . 1993. 1 videocassette (103 min.). A surprising love story about a woman who finally discovers the passion that has been missing from her life. VHS 3959

El jardín del Edén = The garden of Eden . 2001. 1 videodisc (104 min.). Three border-crossing stories are intertwined on the contemporary U.S.-Mexican border at Tijuana: those of a young Mexican mother with three children, seeking to start a new life after her husband's death; of a gringa adventurer looking for her whale-watching brother and for a Chicana friend in search of her roots; and of a campesino seeking to cross the border for better living conditions. DVD 416

A fistful of dynamite . 1987. 1 videocassette (138 min.). Set during the Mexican Revolution of 1913. An Irish terrorist (Coburn) and a Mexican peasant turned revolutionary (Steiger) stage a daring break-in to liberate political prisoners and risk their lives on a train filled with explosives. VHS 3581

El mariachi = The Mariachi . 1993. 1 videocassette (ca. 81 min.). All he wants is to be a mariachi, like his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather before him. But the town he thinks will bring him luck brings only a curse--of deadly mistaken identity. A stranger enters a small town in Mexico. Dressed in black and carrying a guitar, he is a singer named El Mariachi looking for a gig. Also in town is a revenge-crazed drug lord named Azul, who also wears black and carries a guitar and who is at war with his ex-partner Moco. El Mariachi is mistaken for Azul and has to dodge Moco's thugs. Looking for a job, he meets and falls in love with Domino, but she is a favorite of Moco. To defend himself, El Mariachi has to trade in his guitar for a gun. DVD 1892, VHS 2947

El norte = The North . 1984. 1 videocassette (141 min.). Film looks at the plight of illegal aliens in the U.S. Beginning in the remote mountain jungles of Guatemala, this highly-acclaimed drama about a brother and sister seeking a better life centers on two young Indians. When their father is killed by government soldiers and their mother taken away, they set out for the "promised land" to the north--El Norte. VHS 154

Fresa y chocolate = Strawberry & chocolate . 1995. 1 videocassette (104 min.). David, a student at Havana University, is devastated when his girlfriend marries someone else. When he meets a gay artist, Diego, he is drawn to his cultured lifestyle and a friendship forms between them. DVD 1163, VHS 3612

Hable con ella = Talk to Her . 2003. 1 videodisc (ca. 114 min.). In a private clinic Barco and Benigno strike up a friendship while caring for comatose women. DVD 2447

Maria Candelaria . Alter's Collection. 2004. 1 videodisc (ca. 97 min.). Del Rio plays Maria, a girl who has a hard time being accepted in society because of her mother's poor reputation. She is forced to work and save her money to be able to marry the man she loves. Intensa historia de maor, pobreza y desesperaciâon, es sin duda una las grandes joyas del cine nacional. DVD 1467

The Milagro beanfield war . Spotlight series. 2005. 1 videodisc (ca. 118 min.). A small Mexican village threatened by development and how a single act of rebellion rekindles its pride and strength of spirit. DVD 2167, VHS 1020

Los olvidados = The young and the damned . 1989. 1 videocassette (88 min.). Buñuel's study of street gangs set in the outskirts of Mexico City; a good boy is contaminated by young thugs in the slums, and both he and his tormentor die violently. Film treats its characters as morally responsible human beings and resists conventional solutions to juvenile delinquency and poverty as it dramatizes the need for more radical solutions. VHS 1320

Salt of the earth . 1987? 1 videocassette (ca. 94 min.). Dramatization of a mine worker's strike in New Mexico in the 1950s where the issue was one of equality between the Anglo and Mexican-American workers. Depicts the attempt of a New Mexican mining company to break the strike. The strike ultimately succeeds because the wives of the miners take over the picket line after their husbands are enjoined by the court from picketing. VHS 2736

Viridiana . 1981? 1 videocassette (90 min.). A powerful film widely considered to one of Buñuel's most important works. Viridiana, about to take final religious vows, visits her uncle at his country estate. He drugs her and attempts rape, finds he cannot go through with it, and hangs himself, leaving the estate to Viridiana and his illegitimate son, Jorge. While Jorge pursues plans to modernize the estate, Viridiana attempts to convert it into a haven for derelicts. Left alone, the beggars take over the house for a feast which becomes an orgy; one of the beggars rapes Viridiana when she and Jorge return home. After the beggars are dispersed by police, Viridiana assumes more modern dress and joins in a card game with Jorge and his mistress. VHS 16

Viva Zapata! 1988. 1 videocassette (112 min.). Emiliano Zapata, an ally of Pancho Villa, leads the Mexican peasants in a bloody revolt against an oppressive government and overthrows the cruel dictator President Diaz. However, each successive leader is no better than Diaz. Even Zapata himself ultimately fails as he tragically experiences the corruption of power, the deceit of politicians, and the consuming greed that can bring down the best of men. VHS 1352

Who the hell is Juliette? 2000. 1 videodisc (91 min.). A look at the lives and thoughts of some young people in Havana in the 1990's as seen through the making of a film,"The story of Yuliet Ortega & Fabiola Quiroz as filmed by Carlos Marcovich.". Sigue las vidas de la gente joven en Cuba. Home Use Collection VHS 291

Y tu mamá también = And Your Mother Too . 2002. 1 videodisc (ca. 105 min.). Two teens set off on a wild cross-country trip with seductive, 28-year-old Luisa. Lisa schools them in the finer points of passion, but will their mutual desire for her destroy their friendship forever? DVD 454

Zoot suit . 1991. 1 videocassette (104 min.). A group of Mexican-Americans are sent to San Quentin unjustly for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. Based on the actual case and zoot suit riots of 1940s Los Angeles. VHS 3907