Alambrista and the U.S.-Mexico Border: Film, Music, and Stories of Undocumented Immigrants

by Cull, Nicholas J.

• ISBN13: 9780826333766
• ISBN10: 0826333761
• Edition: DVD
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-01
• Publisher: Univ of New Mexico Pr

Summary

Book, DVD and CD. Robert M Young's critically acclaimed 110-minute film Alambrista (1977) depicts the harsh realities of Mexican life on both sides of the border. Following the birth of his first child, a young Mexican slips across the border into the United States in search of the American dream for himself and his family. He finds heartbreak, exploitation, and disappointment, but also friendship, affection, and help along the way. When first released, Alambrista received critical praise and a number of awards, including a Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. For the University of New Mexico Press release, a distinguished group of scholars has packaged a new director's cut of the film with a book of essays devoted to immigration and the US-Mexican borderlands. These scholars include Albert Camarillo, Richard Griswold del Castillo, Daniel Groody, Teresa Carrillo, Howie Movshovitz, Bill Ong Hing, José Cuellar, Cordelia Candelaria, and the editors. The director's cut includes new scenes, an improved sound track with a totally new musical score by 'Dr Loco and Los Tiburones del Norte', English subtitles, and interviews with the director and other participants. Also included with the book and DVD is an enhanced CD of the sound track.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Footsteps in the Wind	1	(10)
Nicholas J. Cull
David Carrasco
PART ONE Alambrista Footsteps: Context in History, Politics, and Lived Experience	11	(124)
Alambrista and the Historical Context of Mexican Immigration to the United States in the Twentieth Century	13	(24)
Albert Camarillo
Alambrista's Inspiration: Cesar Chavez and Migrant Farm Workers	37	(22)
Richard Griswold del Castillo
The Drama of Immigration and the Cry of the Poor: The Voices of Alambrista Yesterday and Today	59	(20)
Daniel Groody
Operation Gatekeeper: The War against the Alambristas of the 1990s	79	(24)
Bill Ong Hing
Watching Over Greater Mexico: Recent Mexican Initiatives on Migration and the Alambristas of the New Millennium	103	(22)
Teresa Carrillo
Images from the Movies of Robert M. Young	125	(10)
PART TWO Alambrista Sights and Sounds: Film Criticism and Analysis	135	(88)
Tightrope Walking the Border: Alambrista and the Acrobatics of Mestizo Representation	137	(14)
Cordelia Candelaria
Border Crossings: Alambrista and the Cinema of Robert M. Young	151	(16)
Nicholas J. Cull
Robert M. Young and Alambrista	167	(6)
Howie Movshovitz
Notas en el Viento: The Musical Soundtrack of Alambrista: Director's Cut	173	(30)
Jose B. Cuellar
Dark Walking, Making Food, and Giving Birth to Alambristas: Religious Dimensions in the Film	203	(20)
David Carrasco
About the Contributors	223