El Norte [Special Edition] [WS] [Blu-ray] [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

El Norte is a realistic picture of both the Guatemalan government's oppression of the Quiche Indians and the hard life of illegal immigrants in the United States. After the Guatemalan army destroys their village of San Pedro, two teenage Quiche Mayan Indian siblings journey north (hence El Norte) through Mexico to the United States to start a new life. The film opens with the destruction of the village and the peasants' pointless appeals to the authorities for justice. Realizing that the government is seizing their land, Enrique and Rosa make the difficult decision to leave their people behind. As they journey through Mexico, the siblings encounter a number of helpful individuals who direct them towards the U.S./Mexican border. There they find a "coyote" (a professional human smuggler) and make the frightening run across border. Once across, Enrique and Rosa are introduced to the impossible realities of life as an illegal immigrant in Los Angeles. Living in constant fear of deportation, they struggle to survive as they are exploited by a series of employers. Eventually, their luck takes a turn for the better when the manager of their motel offers Enrique a job. ~ Brian Whitener, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: PCM Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Subtitle: Eng
• Features:
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Gregory Nava, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • New audio commentary featuring Nava
  • In the Service of Shadows: The Making of "El Norte"
  • The Journal of Diego Rodriguez Silva
  • Gallery of Chiapas location-scouting photographs
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Plus: A booklet featuring a new essay by novelist Hector Tobar and critic Roger Ebert's 1983 review

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 1984 (Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas)

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1994

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1983

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Zaide Silvia Gutierrez - Rosa Xuncax
       David Villalpando - Enrique Xuncax
       Ernesto Gomez Cruz - Arturo Xuncax
       Alicia del Lago - Lupe Xuncax
       Eraclio Zepeda - Pedro
       Stella Quan - Josefita
       Emilio del Haro - Truck Driver
       Rodrigo Puebla - Puma
       Trinidad Silva - Monty
       Abel Franco - Raimundo
       Mike Gomez - Jaime
       Lupe Ontiveros - Nacha
       Larry Cedar - Bruce
       Sheryl Bernstein - Karen
       Tony Plana - Carlos
       Diane Civita - Alice
       Jorge Moreno - Man in Bus
       Enrique J. Castillo - Jorge

• Director:

  Gregory Nava

• Producer:

  Anna Thomas

• Screenwriter:

  Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas

• Book Author:

  Anna Thomas

• Cinematographer:

  James Glennon

• Featured Music:

  Samuel Barber, Gustav Mahler, Giuseppe Verdi

• Editor:

  Betsy Blankett

• Set Designer:

  David Wasco

REVIEW:

• While any number of films have been made about plucky immigrants who come to the United States, few possess the plain-spoken honesty and simple emotional power of Gregory Nava's El Norte, at once a moving testimony to the thirst for freedom and a sobering look at the tragic consequences that the search for a better life can sometimes bring. Director Nava draws strikingly naturalistic performances from his entire cast (especially Zaide Silvia Gutierrez and David Villalpando), and his eloquently straightforward narrative style tells this story with few frills but a remarkable emotional impact. Blending humor, drama, suspense, and eventually tragedy, there are few films that say more about what America truly means than El Norte, which shows (for good and ill) how important this country is to those who left the land of their birth to live in this nation of immigrants. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi