Cinema of Puerto Rico
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The history of film in Puerto Rico begins with the US invasion of the island in 1898. At that time, the American soldiers brought cameras to record what they saw. It wasn't until the 1912 that Puerto Ricans would begin to produce their own films.
After this, Puerto Rican cinema has developed at a slow pace. Despite this, the industry has produced several renowned actors and actresses, and so far one Academy Award nominated film (see List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees).
In the late 90s and during the new millennium, the Puerto Rican film industry has seen a significant growth with the amount of local productions increasing each year.
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[edit] Early years: 1912-1950
After the early images recorded by the American soldiers in 1898, most of the films produced in the island were documentaries. It wasn't until 1912 that Rafael Colorado D'Assoy recorded the first non-documentary film titled Un drama en Puerto Rico. After that, Colorado and Antonio Capella Martínez created the Film Industrial Society of Puerto Rico in 1916, producing their first film titled Por la hembra y el gallo. Other film companies formed during the time were the Tropical Film Company (1917) and the Porto Rico Photoplays (1919).
In 1934, Juan Viguié Cajas produced and directed the first Puerto Rican film with sound titled, Romance Tropical. There is little known of the whereabouts of this film or the ones mentioned above.
[edit] The 1950s to 1970s
The first truly Puerto Rican film, 1953's Los Peloteros, featured a Puerto Rican cast and was based on a real story. Ramón Rivero (a.k.a. Diplo) starred as the inspirational coach of a children's baseball team. His impoverished team played with old, broken equipment and longed for uniforms. Known as a comedian, the role enabled Rivera to demonstrate his dramatic abilities. The children in the movie were not professional actors; they actually were poor children cast at the shooting locale. Photographer Jack Delano directed the film for the Puerto Rican government's Division of Community Education. Some consider Los Peloteros to be the best Puerto Rican film ever made.
Three films were shot in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Two were Puerto Rican, the musical drama El Otro Camino (1955), and the drama/romance Maruja (1958). Axel Anderson, a German ex-patriate who became a star in both Puerto Rican television and film. In Maruja, Anderson played opposite leading lady, Marta Romero, and in El Otro Camino he played opposite Rosaura Andreu, future children's television host. The third movie was the American film noir Man With My Face (1951), a thriller centering on Americans living in Puerto Rico.
Within the 1960s, an explosion of filmmaking aroused on the island. About half of the films shot in this period were co-productions between Puerto Rico and Mexico. Mexico also shot a few stand-alone productions, plus a few co-productions with Spain and Venezuela. Puerto Rico hosted a sizable number of U.S. movies throughout the decade, plus one from Argentina and one from the United Kingdom. Although none of the movies from this period received wide critical acclaim, director Leopoldo Torre Nilsson was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on La Chica del Lunes in 1967. Also notable are the Bob Hope comedy The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell in 1968 and a film adaptation of William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies.
Filmmaking in the 1970s, slowed down substantially. Among the handful of Puerto Rican pictures (mostly co-productions), only the Jacobo Morales film Dios los Cría (1979) stands out. Morales had a solid background as an actor and writer, going back to the inception of Puerto Rican television in the 1950s. Dios los Cria marked the beginning of his work writing and directing for the big screen. The collection of five comedic tales earned him acclaim.
The U.S. produced more films in Puerto Rico in the 1970s than any other country did. Most of them were schlock movies typical of the time, such as producer Sydney W. Pink's last movie The Man From O.R.G.Y. in 1970. The Woody Allen film Bananas, of 1971, is the only classic American film of the time. Jacobo Morales played a supporting role on the film.
[edit] The 1980s to present
Following up on his previous success, Morales has continued to write and direct his own films. Nicolas y los Demas (1986) and Lo que le Pasó a Santiago (1989) both won audience appreciation. In addition, the latter received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. In 1994, he directed Linda Sara which didn't earn as much respect as his earlier works, although it's generally considered enjoyable. In 2004 he released a sequel to his 1979 hit, Dios los Cria 2.
During the 80s, Puerto Rican began submitting films for consideration to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Some of the films submitted were La Gran Fiesta and the above mentioned Lo que le Pasó a Santiago. Despite this efforts, the industry wasn't booming like before.
In the 1990s, another filmmaking boom began. The number of films made by Puerto Ricans has increased dramatically. So has the variety, including documentaries, short films, and animation. 2004's Voces Inocentes, co-produced by Mexico/Puerto Rico/U.S., won several international awards. Both the Puerto Rico Film Commission and the Corporation for the Development of Arts, Science and Film Industry in Puerto Rico promote local and international film making, including loans and financial incentives. Unfortunately people in Puerto Rico see these films as Art House material and they don't get the Box Office reception as many American mainstream films.
Other recent films that have garnered praise are Héroes de Otra Patria, Cayo, Jacobo Morales' Angel, and Maldeamores.
[edit] Partial list of Puerto Rican films
- Absolution, The (1998)
- Adios, New York, adios (1973)
- Agua con sal (2005)
- Al compas de un sentimiento (1996)
- Alicia Alonso y El Ballet Nacional de Cuba (1979)
- Alien Predator (1987)
- Aljuriya (2004)
- Amores como todos los demas (1999) (TV)
- Ángel (2007)
- Angelito mío (1998)
- Anillo, El (2004)
- Antesala de la silla eléctrica (1968)
- Archipiélago (2003)
- Una Aventura Llamada Menudo (1982)
- Casi Casi (2006)
- El Clown (2006)
- Conexión Caribe (1984)
- Paging Emma (1999)
- Ladrones y Mentirosos (2006)
- Maldeamores (2007)
[edit] See also
- List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of Puerto Ricans
- List of films set in Puerto Rico
- List of Caribbean films
