La Bamba is a 1987 American biographical film directed and written by Luis Valdez and stars Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Pantoliano, and Lou Diamond Phillips. The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures in the United States on July 24, 1987.
Premise[]
This film follows the life and career of Chicano rock 'n' roll pioneer Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The film depicts the impact Valens's career had on the lives of his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig and the rest of his family.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens
- Esai Morales as Roberto "Bob" Morales, Ritchie's half-brother
- Rosanna DeSoto as Connie Valenzuela, Ritchie's mother
- Elizabeth Peña as Rosie Morales
- Danielle von Zerneck as Donna Ludwig
- Joe Pantoliano as Bob Keane
- Rick Dees as Ted Quillin
- Stephen Lee as The Big Bopper
- Sam Anderson as Mr. Ludwig, Donna's father
Other[]
- Concepcion Valenzuela (the real Connie Valenzuela, Ritchie's mother) as the older woman sitting next to Ritchie at a party
- Daniel Valdez (Luis' brother) as Ritchie's Uncle Lelo
- Brian Setzer has a cameo as Eddie Cochran performing "Summertime Blues" onstage.
- Howard Huntsberry stars as Jackie Wilson in the film, singing a cover of "Lonely Teardrops".
- Marshall Crenshaw plays Buddy Holly performing "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" at the final concert in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Soundtrack[]
The film's eponymous soundtrack was made by various artists released on Warner Bros. Records. It was released on 30 June 1987, before the premiere of the film, and it lasts for a total of 30 minutes and 53 seconds. The various rock subgenres in this soundtrack include pop rock, rock and roll, tex-mex, heartland rock, and rockabilly.
Just one year after, in 1988, a second soundtrack album was released, titled "La Bamba Volume 2 - More Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". This volume consists of 12 songs by the original artists portrayed in the film.
Track listing[]
| # | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | La Mamba | Los Lobos |
| 02 | Come On, Let's Go! | Los Lobos |
| 03 | Ooh My Head | Los Lobos |
| 04 | We Belong Together | Los Lobos |
| 05 | Framed | Los Lobos |
| 06 | Donna | Los Lobos |
| 07 | Lonely Teardrops | Howard Huntsberry |
| 08 | Crying, Waiting, Hoping | Marshall Crenshaw |
| 09 | Summertime Blues | Brian Setzer |
| 10 | Who Do You Love? | Bo Diddley |
| 11 | Charlena | Los Lobos |
| 12 | Goodnight My Love | Los Lobos |
Awards[]
It received the following awards:
- It won the Broadcast Music Incorporated: BMI Film Music Award, Carlos Santana and Miles Goodman; 1988.
- It was nominated for the Golden Globe Award: Best Motion Picture, Drama; 1988.
Trivia[]
- In the Philippines, the filmpremiered on September 10, 1987. In Australia it opened on September 17, 1987.
- In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $5,698,884. La Bamba eventually grossed $52,678,820 in the United States in 12 weeks
- All of Ritchie Valens' songs were performed by Los Lobos, whom the Valenzuela family personally requested be involved in the film.
- The band has a cameo in the film performing in the brothel ballroom in Tijuana.
- In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".