Sergio G. Mondelo
When, in 1961, West Side Story hit the screens after conquering Broadway, it was the entire Puerto Rican community of New York, ostracized and deprived of the American dream, that feverishly gained visibility. From Spanish Harlem to the Bronx, where poverty, drugs and gangs are rampant, Latino music and dance will then carry the identity revolution, the barrio setting itself on fire and undulating to Afro-Caribbean rhythms, led by "the king of timbales" Tito Puente. Soon mixed with soul, jazz and blues of the black neighbors, who share suffering and stigma of racism, the genres multiply: mambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha, merengue, boogaloo. All the Hispanics of Central and South America joined the movement.
At the height of her fame in 1954, actress Ava Gardner transplanted herself from Hollywood to the country of Spain. As she lovingly stated in her autobiography, “I don’t know if it was the climate, the men, or the music, but as soon as I set foot in Spain, I had a crush on this country.” In this documentary by Sergio Mondelo, the filmmaker explores the motivations behind this move and contrasts Gardner’s glitz and glam lifestyle with the hardships faced by the Spainish people under Franco’s rule.
When looking at Pedro Almodóvar’s filmography, it becomes evident that women are everywhere; in fact, his work revolves around them. His divas are the best to create a real portrait of Almodóvar and evoke the emotional power of his films. These women are the ideal observers of a cinematic career that, from La Mancha to Hollywood, has changed the image of Spain in the world.
