El Norte (Criterion Collection) / Blu-ray
£21.99 Delivered
Available Now.
Brother and sister Enrique and Rosa flee persecution at home in Guatemala and journey north, through Mexico and on to the United States, with the dream of starting a new life. It's a story that happens every day, but until Gregory Nava's groundbreaking El Norte (The North), the personal travails of immigrants crossing the border to America had never been shown in the movies with such urgent humanism. A work of social realism imbued with dreamlike imagery, El Norte is a lovingly rendered, heartbreaking story of hope and survival, which critic Roger Ebert called "a Grapes of Wrath for our time."
One of the first films to portray faithfully the plight of Central American political refugees, El Norte is a remarkable fusion of documentary realism and visual poetry. When their father is killed and their mother arrested by the military, Rosa and Enrique flee the coffee fields of Guatemala for el norte, a place they know only from pictures in their godmother Josefita's Better Homes and Gardens magazines. Their trip is often harrowing, taking them through the teeming squalor of Tijuana to the anonymous streets of Los Angeles, but there is time for joy and laughter, too. They learn English in a lively night school, and when Rosa is intimidated by the laundry room in the house she is cleaning at her new job, she washes the clothes by hand and spreads them on the lawn to dry as she used to do at home. Thomas's eloquently crafted characters are brought to vibrant life by Zaide Gutierrez's and David Villalpando's remarkable performances, and the authentic music and James Glennon's moody cinematography create an indelible sense of place.
Features:
New Audio Commentary Featuring Nava
In the Service of the Shadows: The Making of El Norte: New Video Program Featuring Interviews With Nava, Producer And Co - Writer Anna Thomas, Actors Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez And David Villalpando, And Set Designer David Wasco
The Journal Of Diego Rodriguez Silva, Nava’s 1972 Award - Winning Student Film
Gallery of Chiapas Location - Scouting Photographs
Theatrical Trailer
Plus: A booklet featuring An Essay By Novelist Héctor Tobar And Roger Ebert’s 1983 Review Of The Film
More Information
Here are some more details about this product:
| UPC | 715515035125 |
|---|---|
| Studio | Criterion Collection |
| Directed By | Gregory Nava |
| Starring | Larry Cedar / Rodolfo Aleiandre / Sheryl Bernstein / Enrique J. Castillo / Diane Civita |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Region Code | A Region Locked |
| Number of Discs | 1 |
| Running Time | 122 Minutes |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 |
| Rating | NR |
| Theatrical Release | 1983 |
| Release Date | Tuesday, 20th January, 2009 |
