The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez (1982) (TV)

Director:

Robert M. Young

Writers:

Américo Paredes (book)
Victor Villaseñor (writer)

Release Date:

29 June 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The true story of one man who made a difference.

Plot:

The retelling of an incident in Gonzales, Texas in 1901 revolving around a stolen horse, mistaken identity and a killing...

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Courtroom | Historical | Man Hunt | Murder

Cast

Edward James Olmos	...	Gregorio Cortez
James Gammon	...	Sheriff Frank Fly
Tom Bower	...	Boone Choate
Bruce McGill	...	Reporter Blakely
Brion James	...	Captain Rogers
Alan Vint	...	Mike Trimmell
Timothy Scott	...	Sheriff Morris
Pepe Serna	...	Romaldo Cortez
Michael McGuire	...	Sheriff Glover
William Sanderson	...	Cowboy
Barry Corbin	...	Abernathy
Jack Kehoe	...	Prosecutor Pferson
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Carlota Muñoz
Buddy Vigil	...	Skin
Zach Porter	...	Fly's Posse

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Cerrillos, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The film was such important a project to Edward James Olmos that he actually ran it in an L.A. theater free of charge to encourage attendance.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In some shots during the courtroom scenes, one of the jurors can be seen to be wearing a modern pair of dark-rimmed spectacles.

Quotes:

Abernathy: Had he stayed, a posse would have come... not thirsting for justice, but thirsting for his blood.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Songs of the Homeland (1995) (TV)

Important "border theory" film.

Based on a true story, this is an important film that teaches us about racism, assumptions, and what can happen when someone's words are not correctly translated from one language to another. The filmmaker deliberately chose not to use subtitles, so if you don't speak Spanish you may feel a little frustrated because the Americans of Mexican descent speak only Spanish in the film. (90% of the dialogue is in English.) However, stick with the film to the end and you will understand why this director did not use subtitles. The story takes place on the border between Mexico and Texas and exposes the racist and violent history of the Texas Rangers. The film also demonstrates how media manipulation can create hysteria. A newspaper reporter accompanies the Texas Rangers on their hunt for fugitive Gregorio Cortez. The reporter interviews witnesses who fabricate a "gang" and "gang leader" when in fact there were none in this case. Edward James Olmos is mesmerizing in his first film role as Cortez. There is an "Old West" authenticity in this production that reminds us that most Hollywood Westerns are based only in a "Manifest Destiny" fantasy, not fact.