Rita Moreno was born to perform and made it look easy. But she definitely had her struggles.
She was exposed to prejudice as a child migrant from Puerto Rico, and then, after being signed to Hollywood based on her gorgeous looks, found herself restricted to stereotyped, ethnic roles.
She was "looked down-upon, seen as a sex object," we learn. "She made herself into something she wasn't, in order to please people for a very long time."
Ms. Moreno thought so little of herself she let her agent remain her agent even after he sexually assaulted her, she confides. She also had a lot of problems in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando that coincided with an abortion and a suicide attempt. We're not really told what made this such a tumultuous time, and a little more information would have improved this production.
Eventually Ms. Moreno got help. "Finding value in yourself is the only way to live," she says, praising therapy. She married a doctor, who, surprisingly, disliked her "raucous" side, had a daughter with him, and ultimately felt liberated by widowhood: "It's over, and I don't have to answer to anyone anymore."
It's great to observe this dynamic performer doing a mean salsa at age 87. She also allows herself to be filmed without makeup, albeit for just a fraction of this 75-minute production (which, despite its strong points, is too long by half an hour). I like that she's let herself go gray.
In all, an inspiring exploration of a life.
She was exposed to prejudice as a child migrant from Puerto Rico, and then, after being signed to Hollywood based on her gorgeous looks, found herself restricted to stereotyped, ethnic roles.
She was "looked down-upon, seen as a sex object," we learn. "She made herself into something she wasn't, in order to please people for a very long time."
Ms. Moreno thought so little of herself she let her agent remain her agent even after he sexually assaulted her, she confides. She also had a lot of problems in an on-and-off relationship with Marlon Brando that coincided with an abortion and a suicide attempt. We're not really told what made this such a tumultuous time, and a little more information would have improved this production.
Eventually Ms. Moreno got help. "Finding value in yourself is the only way to live," she says, praising therapy. She married a doctor, who, surprisingly, disliked her "raucous" side, had a daughter with him, and ultimately felt liberated by widowhood: "It's over, and I don't have to answer to anyone anymore."
It's great to observe this dynamic performer doing a mean salsa at age 87. She also allows herself to be filmed without makeup, albeit for just a fraction of this 75-minute production (which, despite its strong points, is too long by half an hour). I like that she's let herself go gray.
In all, an inspiring exploration of a life.