Cinema of Puerto Rico
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The history of film in Puerto Rico begins with a silent documentary from 1918, After Twenty Years: Porto Rico. But until the 1950s, only one other film was shot there, both produced by the United States. While U.S. productions have continued strong to the present day, the pool of talent in Puerto Rico has created its own film industry.
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[edit] The 1950s to 1970s
The first truly Puerto Rican film, 1953's Los Peloteros, featured a Puerto Rican cast and was based on a real story. Ramón Rivero (a.k.a. Diplo) starred as the inspirational coach of a children's baseball team. His impoverished team played with old, broken equipment and longed for uniforms. Known as a comedian, the role enabled Rivera to demonstrate his dramatic abilities. The children in the movie were not professional actors; they actually were poor children cast at the shooting locale. American photographer Jack Delano directed the film, his only foray into moving pictures. Some consider Los Peloteros to be the best Puerto Rican film ever made.
Three films were shot in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Two were Puerto Rican, the musical drama El Camino Otro (1955) and the drama/romance Maruja (1959). Axel Anderson, a German ex-patriate who became a star in both Puerto Rican television and film, played lead roles in both pictures. Other actors and actresses in the films also built successful careers, including future children's television host Rosaura Andreu. The third movie was the American film noir Man With My Face (1951), a thriller centering on Americans living in Puerto Rico.
With the 1960s came an explosion of filmmaking on the island. About half of the films shot in this period were co-productions between Puerto Rico and Mexico. Mexico also shot a few stand-alone productions, plus a few co-productions with Spain and Venezuela. Puerto Rico hosted a sizeable number of U.S. movies throughout the decade, plus one Argentinian and one UK picture. Although none of the movies from this period received wide critical acclaim, director Leopoldo Torre Nilsson was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on La Chica del Lunes (1967). Also notable are the Bob Hope comedy The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell (1968) and a film adaptation of William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies.
Filmmaking in the 1970s slowed substantially. Among the handful of Puerto Rican pictures (mostly co-productions), only the Jacobo Morales film Dios los Cria... (1979) stands out as exceptional. Morales had a solid background as an actor and writer, going back to the inception of Puerto Rican television in the 1950s. Dios los Cria... marked the beginning of his work writing and directing for the big screen. The collection of five comedic tales earned him acclaim.
The U.S. produced more films in Puerto Rico in the 1970s than any other country did. Most of them were schlock movies typical of the time, such as producer Sydney W. Pink's last movie The Man From O.R.G.Y. (1970). The Woody Allen film Bananas (1971) is the only classic American film of the time. Jacobo Morales played a supporting role.
[edit] The 1980s to present
Following up on his previous success, Morales has continued to write and direct his own films. Nicolas y los Demas (1986) and Lo que le Pasó a Santiago (1989) both won audience appreciation. In addition, Lo Que le Paso a Santiago received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. Linda Sara (1994) didn't earn as much respect as his earlier works, though it's generally considered enjoyable. His latest release was 2004's sequel Dios los Cria 2.
The number of films produced in the 1980s remained fairly low. Of the American movies filmed there, Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge (1986) is probably the best known.
In the 1990s, another filmmaking boom began and it hasn't slowed yet. The number of films made by Puerto Ricans has increased dramatically. So has the variety, including documentaries, short films, and animation. 2004's Voces Inocentes, co-produced by Mexico/Puerto Rico/U.S., won a slew of international awards. Both the Puerto Rico Film Commission and the Corporation for the Development of Arts, Science and Film Industry in Puerto Rico promote local and international filmmaking, including loans and financial incentives.
