Sparks: The Price of Passion (1990) (TV)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Richard A. Colla

Writers (WGA):

Bill Svanoe (story)
John Robert Bensink (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

25 February 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A female mayor (Victoria Principal) of Albuquerque gets embroiled in a fight over the development of a new economic center...

Plot Keywords:

Mayor | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Victoria Principal	...	Patricia Sparks
Ted Wass	...	Steve Warner
Hector Elizondo	...	Vic Ramos
William Lucking	...	Cam Wilson
Gary Farmer	...	Pete
Thomas Callaway
Gracie Harrison	...	Cathy, T.V. Reporter
Elaine Stritch	...	Marti Sparks
Ralph Waite	...	Orville Lemon
Radha Delamarter	...	Elinor Cummings
Steven Tyler	...	Craig Stone
Lois Geary	...	Daisy McMahon
Tory Polone	...	Cheryl Becker
Patricia Van Ingen	...	Gloria Aguilar
Joseph Andrade	...	Mike Delgadillo

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

King Phoenix Entertainment

Soundtrack:

MAGDELENA

Ok, let's play "Spot the Latino"!

I'm not native to Albuquerque, but I've lived here for eight years. The poor story and imbecillic plot contivances notwithstanding, I watched part of this a few days ago and wondered, "what happened to all the hispanic people?". I haven't seen a scene so white since the last time I opened a loaf of Wonder bread! Not to mention the utter implausibility of a non-corrupt New Mexico politician...

There's more faux western wear on display here than a Friday night at the Roundup. And what's with the cowboy lingo and hats? It looks and sounds like an Ann Richards campaign ad on steroids. If you are a New Mexican, you know what the waiter always asks after you order food: "red or green?". Does the mayor like red chile or green chile? She never says! The people want to know!

The area was settled by Spain, and first inhabited by Native Americans. White people came much later, but from this TV movie, you'd assume that we're the only ones who have been here. If the writing wasn't so bad, I'd call the misrepresentation of racial demographic to be the worst part of the film. Albuquerque is merely a backdrop, and a poorly represented one at that, for Victoria's faux-cultured silliness. When the FBI agent refers to a building as "the biggest lump of stucco", she corrects him by telling him that it's not stucco, it's "adob-ay". No, honey. It's "adob-ee". Sort of like hearing an actress do a fake southern drawl and give herself away by saying "you all", rather than the commonly used "y'all", the backdrop becomes meaningless and laughable. They should have used the more generic-looking Denver.

There's actually more drama in a week at the Albuquerque city council than in this movie. It's too bad that they didn't film THAT! And by the way Victoria, it really IS a lump of stucco...do you know what real adobe construction costs these days?