Cineculture : The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

September 20: The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1983, new release) 

Discussant: Dr. Robert Maldonado

A new release of a classic film, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez narrates the story of Mexican-American farmer Gregorio Cortez who is forced to flee from the Texas rangers and evades a massive manhunt on horseback for days, after a heated misunderstanding leading to the death of one of their own. Renowned Edward James Olmos is the producer and the star of the film.  Together with director Robert M. Young, a longtime practitioner of socially engaged realism, they created this trailblazing film which became a landmark of Chicano cinema and shed a new light on a historical event that had been enshrined in a corrido folk song. In a shifting perspective between the pursuers and the pursued, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez  is a thrilling chase movie as well as a highly-nuanced procedural that peels away the layers of prejudice and myth surrounding Cortex and uncovers the true story of an ordinary man persecuted by the law and transfigured by legend. In Spanish and English with English subtitles. 106 minutes. https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/08/best-of-criterions-new-releases-august-2018.html