The synopsis for American Pachuco goes something like this: “Lewis Valdez elevates Chicano narratives to cinema through Zoot Suit and La Bamba, overcoming political and Industrial pushback to create Landmark films that broaden and honor America’s cultural story.” Sounds pretty fancy for a documentary about a brilliant man who started in the fields picking fruit with his family in California.
What I like about this documentary is that it is a love letter to the man they call the Chicano Shakespeare, for his prolific output and influence on generations of Chicano artists and audiences. Not only do you get to see his very humble beginnings with his brother Frank, also a brilliant man, you get to see where they parted ways. Frank took education as his way into legitimacy. And Luis chose art. It called to his soul. Luis wasn’t in it for the money; he was in it for the sheer love of creating and giving voice to those who did not have a voice to that point.
He happened to be at the right place at the right time in history. He was there when Cesar Chavez was running the strikes in California to unionize the fruit pickers. His love of using theater to explain to and entertain the masses came in handy during the movement. Luis founded El Teatro Campesino, and it was a huge success. After parting ways with Cesar Chavez, Luis and his team of performers struck out on their own.
Luis Valdez is directly responsible for giving birth to the Chicano theater movement, which is still very much alive today. He is an acclaimed playwright and director. From a young age, he understood the profound impact of seeing one’s own humanity reflected onstage and on screen.
I love the way that this documentary uses the lead narrator from Zoot Suit (voiced by none other than Edward James Olmos) to lead the way into this film with the simple and direct voice-over announcement as follows: “Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that some of you don‘t know the story of Luis Valdez—the man is a living legend.“ That sentiment is what drew the writer-director David Alvarado to create this project. He was unaware of Luis until he spoke at his University in North Texas when he was attending college in 2006.
David is quoted as saying, “Through the course of that lecture, I saw a picture of a Latino who was making art, being successful. He was still working on things, and I was impressed. At the time, I was trying to become a filmmaker, so, for me, as a Mexican-American, to see somebody like that, I was like, maybe this is possible. Maybe I could do this.“ It would take David dealing with COVID lockdowns in 2021 to remember the impact that Luis had on his career. And to begin to put this slick documentary together.
I like the way American Pachuco flows. It is extremely entertaining and educational. That is a tough trick to pull off. I learned a lot about the Zoot Suit riots and the struggle for American-born Mexicans to find their voice and place at the table while watching this film.
I give American Pachuco 4 stars. It’s a much-needed documentary that shines light on the extraordinary legacy of Luis Valdez, a man of humble beginnings and amazing accomplishments. As a proud Chicana, I hope they show this in schools so students are exposed to this great American success story.
Directed by: David Alverado
Written by: David Alverado
Rated: NR
Selig Rating: 4 Stars
Running Time: 1 hr 32 min
Documentary
Release: In theaters July 21st
Starring: Luis Valdez, Edward James Olmos, Cheech Marin, Linda Ronstadt, Delores Huerta, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lupe Valdez
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.