Villalpando said: Fifteen years ago, the indigenous people in Guatemala were living a cruel extermination that forced them to flee toward Mexico and the United States. It is a Grapes of Wrath for our time. Because of his attempts to form a labor union among the workers, Arturo and the other organizers are attacked and murdered by government troops when a co-worker is bribed to betray them—Arturo's severed head is seen hanging from a tree. ... Enrique. One day, men with machine guns took over the set. The movie was first presented at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983, and its wide release was in January 1984.[2]. "[24], The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 86% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 21 reviews.[25]. The Criterion Collection released El Norte in DVD and Blu-ray format on January 20, 2009.[29][30]. El Norte: In the final part of the film Rosa and Enrique discover the difficulties of living in the U.S. without official documentation. 8. "[7], Although Enrique is temporarily employed once again, he is distracted by haunting daydreams about his sister's lost desires for a better life. [19] The film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017. The drama features Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando, in their first film roles, as two indigenous youths who flee Guatemala due to the ethnic and political persecution of the Guatemalan Civil War. When Enrique finally decides to take the position, Rosa becomes gravely ill with typhus contracted from the rat bites she received during their border crossing. Enrique and Rosa thus escape capture, only to learn that many of their fellow villagers have been rounded up by soldiers. Anonymous. The screenplay was written by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas, based on Nava's story. Music Disc web site. The movie broadens and strengthens the narrative with the incorporation of some particularly striking fantasy sequences and … Turns them in to the migration police. In our own research, we came across a community of Mayans from Guatemala—5,000 from one village—now in Los Angeles. Capital Community College. Alicia del Lago. Add to folder Flag. This was the germ of the story.[10]. In California, it's just a fence: on one side are the Tijuana slums, on the other side—San Diego. When the father Arturo inadvertently kills a soldier, for example, a ladino screams: And, when Rosa and Enrique reach their destination in Mexico, a passenger screams at the timid Maya youngsters: We have arrived to Tijuana, you damn Indians. When a group of Mayan Indians decides to organize a labor union to improve conditions in their village, their community is violently destroyed by the Guatemalan army. This section includes various comic scenes relating to mutual stereotyping among different ethnic groups; the two attempt to pass themselves off as indigenous Mexicans, failing to convince one Mexican truck driver after naming the wrong destination, but later succeeding in convincing a U.S. Border Patrol officer by copiously peppering their responses with the Mexican word for "fuck", which a neighbor had suggested was how all Mexicans speak. 1 by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, the latter of which is used twice. According to Nava, "There are hundreds of thousands of refugees from Central America in Los Angeles alone. [28] Adagio for Strings, by the American composer Samuel Barber, was featured at two different points in the film. Nobody knows the exact number, but a recent television inquiry estimated 300,000-400,000. The original village, which is now dead, had 15,000."[10]. Nava, who is of Mexican-Basque ancestry and who grew up in San Diego, is a U.C.L.A. The movie was first presented at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983, and its wide release was in January 1984. However, Canby did find the acting top-rate and noted the realism they bring to their tasks. The film was released in Scotland on October 11, 1983. Young coyote, … Don Ramon: Friend of Arturo's family, familiar with the North, gives Rosa and Enrique some tips to get there safetly, shows them a coyote (Raimundo) Josefita: Godmother of Enrique and Rosa. (Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez), “El Norte” (1983) reveals that be-hind every immigrant is an en-tire history of a people. El Norte portrays an Amerindian point-of-view and this is exemplified by the religion they follow. It was screened in the un certain regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. This short clip is provided by the movie, El Norte released in 1983. Nava came from a border family and has relatives on the other side in Tijuana, Baja California. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Tanner All Time Favorites (In no particular order), first assistant camera: USA / second assistant camera: Mexico, additional director of photography / camera operator: principal photography (uncredited), music performers: original and traditional music (as Los Folkloristas), composer: original harp music / music performer: original and traditional harp music, music recordist: Guatemalan music / music researcher: Guatemalan music, music arranger: mariachi music (as Mariachi Nuevo Uclatlan) / music performer: mariachi music (as Mariachi Nuevo Uclatlan). I use it in class to help students develop critical thinking skills and understand that people will do anything for a better life. Throughout El Norte young Rosa and Enrique and their family are subjected to many epithets, hatred, and bigotry due to their indigenous heritage. ... Arturo. el norte characters; El Norte Characters. It's so graphic! Teenage siblings, Rosa (Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez) and Enrique (David Villalpando) manage to escape the massacre and decide to start a new life in El Norte -- the USA. This is the story of their efforts to find safety and a better life in “El Norte.” SELECTED AWARDS & CAST Selected Awards: 1985 Academy Awards Nominations: Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for … The screenplay was written by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas, based on Nava's story. And here in the north, we aren't accepted. Ernesto Gómez Cruz. Teenage siblings, Rosa (Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez) and Enrique (David Villalpando) manage to escape the massacre and decide to start a new life in El Norte -- the USA. Last accessed: December 11, 2007. I use it in class to help students develop critical thinking skills and understand that people will do anything for a better life. "[16], Nava tells the story that, at one point, Mexican police kidnapped their accountant and held him for ransom, while, at the same time, his parents had to pose as tourists in order to smuggle exposed film out of the country in their suitcases.[17]. The album was produced by Gregory Nava and Danny Holloway. Add to Folders Close. In Mexico, there is only poverty. Their journey begins in a small village and ends in Los Angeles, and their dream is the American Dream. Previous Cast Members More Cast Members. But El Norte was his breakout film: It became the first independent movie to be nominated for a best-original-screenplay Oscar, and had significant influence … View All Photos (1) El Norte Quotes. An example is when Rosa Xuncax sings the eulogy at the funeral of her father and its Native American Maya religious theme. ENG202-7 2018: Introduction to Film Studies Class Cornell College. Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez. The origins of El Norte are the director's experiences in San Diego, California, as he grew up. A soundtrack for the film was produced in France by Island/Phono-Gram. We can't make a home there either. [15], When Nava and his production crew were, more or less, kicked out of Mexico during the film shoot, he had to re-create a Mexican village in California. by ninabug12, Feb. 2014. [4], The film was shown by Fathom Events on September 15, 2019 to commemorate its 35th anniversary, and featured new interviews with director Gregory Nava and the film's two stars, Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando. Coyote: During the second part of the film the two teenagers flee Guatemala, travel through Mexico, and meet a Mexican coyote who guides them across the border. Students are to write descriptions about the characters. Gregory Nava and Thomas believe that much of what makes El Norte special would have been jeopardized if a major studio had been involved in the filmmaking process. Annette Insdorf, writing for The New York Times, said Nava discussed the singular nature of the US-Mexico border. | They head north and travel through Mexico to the United States, arriving in Los Angeles, California, after an arduous journey. [8][11][12] The Washington Post writer Ann Hornaday said: El Norte was seminal, both for its graceful blend of classical narrative and magic realism, and the power with which it brought an otherwise invisible world to life."[13]. Arturo explains to his son, Enrique, his world view and how the indio fares in Guatemalan life, noting that, "to the rich, the peasant is just a pair of strong arms". Enrique and Rosa play the protagonist of these specific characters, and through their experience… Ironically, in the United States our extras were real Mayan refugees. 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