La Bamba

An account of Ritchie Valens's short life. Valens is the child of a farm labouring family in California. At seventeen he signs with a record company and becomes known quickly. He is asked to change his name; his surname Valenzuela is shortened so that his Mexican origin will not be obvious on the radio. The song that gives the film its title is a traditional Mexican piece. Valens records it in a rock arrangement and sings it in Spanish; not knowing the language, he learns the words phonetically. The second line is his relationship with his brother Bob, who both supports and envies his success, and that tension carries the film's dramatic spine. Valens was killed on 3 February 1959 when the plane he boarded with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper came down. He was seventeen and his career in music had lasted eight months. Los Lobos re-recorded the songs for the film, and the soundtrack went high in the charts. Lou Diamond Phillips plays Valens and Esai Morales his brother. An affecting example for anyone who likes music biography and the history of late-1950s rock. For a viewer expecting a detailed examination of the music, the film weights the family story.