Chulas Fronteras
Directed by Les Blank & Chris Strachwitz
USA, 1976, 58 min, DCP - 4K restorations, in English & Spanish with English subtitles
Chulas Fronteras is a zesty introduction to the music and culture of the Texas-Mexican border. From joyous, lively dance tunes to soulful, political work songs, musica Norteña fuses traditional Mexican harmonies with central European dancehall rhythms and a little something extra. Newly restored in 4k, Chulas Fronteras celebrates the famed Mexican-American musicians of the borderlands, the migrant farming communities from which they come, the strong family bonds of Tejanos, and the social protest ethos inscribed in their music. Blank & Strachwitz's film brims with tender affection for its subjects, the vitality of their marvelous music, and the generosity of spirit they show in the face of hardship.
FEATURING: Flaco Jiménez, Lydia Mendoza, Los Alegres de Terán, Narciso Martínez, Santiago Jiménez, Rumel Fuentes, Don Santiago Jiménez, Los Pingüinos del Norte, Ramiro Cavazos and more!
To hear more of this historic music: youtube.com/fronteracollection
Press
Remembering Chulas Fronteras, the San Antonio-shot film that introduced the world to Conjunto Bill Baird, San Antonio CurrantChulas Fronteras is one of the best music documentaries ever made.
Jimmy Centeno, Sounds and ColoursThe documentaries transcend a divide where both ends of the borders overlap each other
Dennis Harvey, 48 HillsBlank’s joyous films celebrated food, music, and life in communities that hitherto had been granted little notice or respect by mainstream America
Les Blank's roots music docs border on the magnificent Kelly Vance, East Bay ExpressSome of the most rousing acoustic dance music on the planet.
Daniel Barnes, Dare Daniel Movie ReviewsMakes every event feel momentous and immediate
Gabe Meline, KQEDBrilliant
RICHARD VON BUSACK, The BohemianChulas Fronteras is a film we need now more than ever.
San Jose Mercury NewsBoth films celebrate the long and rich camaraderie of the people who populate the border between Mexico and U.S.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco ChronicleWhat’s great is that the films illuminate a culture that is rich, vibrant — and American.
Mexican Music Then And Now Felix Contreras, NPRRemains one of the purest documentations of Chicano life here in the U.S.
Kiko Martinez, RemezclaIt’s now also an urgent reminder to Latinos nationwide that the traditions of our past can never be erased, appropriated or walled off without a fight.
Jon Auman, Screen SlatePriceless records of life on the border
Clinton Krute, Film CommentVividly demonstrate the organic flow between music and culture
Indispensable, then and now John DeFore, Hollywood ReporterReminds one of a time when it was possible to think of the Mexican border without wanting to punch many of your fellow Americans in the face.
Blank’s films on norteño music provide typically peppy examples of the director’s immersive, seemingly effortless style. Keith Watson, Slant MagazineBoth films play like mixtape travelogues, bouncing around from beer joints to backyard barbecues
David Sterrit, Films in FocusDelightful