La Bamba Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

La Bamba Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 21, 2023

Luis Valdez's "La Bamba" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Luis Valdez; two archival audio commentaries; featurette with clips from archival interviews; restored trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The bulk of the events that are chronicled in La Bamba are real, but Hollywood’s desire to tell a perfect story with a proper dose of sugary melodrama is also on full display. The end result is a colorful but disappointingly overpolished film that is more about Lou Diamond Phillips’ looks than Ritchie Valens’ life and legacy.

The film opens up as Ritchie’s older brother, Bob (Esai Morales), arrives in a migrant camp somewhere in Northern California and vows to help the family escape the misery that it has been forced to endure. He has saved some money while selling drugs and he plans to make even more after he hooks up with some big local dealers. But this is exactly the type of ‘planning’ that his mother Connie (Rosanna DeSoto) does not want corrupting Ritchie’s mind, and when Bob offers her some cash she instantly makes it clear how she feels about his ‘earnings’. While hanging out with Bob, Ritchie also confesses that his only passion in life is music and that he is determined to work hard so that one day their mother will no longer have to work as a slave to put food on the table. Soon after, Ritchie joins a small local band and gets a chance to impress at a cheap bar – only to be told by the leader of the band that unless he learns to follow he can head right back to where he came from. Around the same time, however, a small record producer (Joe Pantoliano) decides to take a risk with Ritchie and invites him to his tiny studio. When the song the two record becomes a local hit, Ritchie’s life suddenly veers off in an entirely new direction. While working with the producer to get his new name established -- it is the producer that has the vision to change his real name, Ricardo Valenzuela, to the much more attractive and sellable Ritchie Valens -- Ritchie attempts to preserve his relationship with his high-school girlfriend Donna (Danielle von Zerneck), but her parents repeatedly reject him because he does not meet their lofty expectations. An impromptu trip to Tijuana then inspires Ritchie to record “La Bamba”, and soon after he is invited to perform at a big show on the East Coast. Soon after, Ritchie’s career takes off and he begins touring, but on a cold and windy night in Iowa, a horrible nightmare becomes reality.

Luis Valdez’s La Bamba is like a big chocolate cake that someone ordered for a special occasion that was created by a rookie chef who completely screwed up its ingredients. It looks decent, but by the time its final credits roll its artificial sweetness can make one feel seriously sick.

The Valens family and Valdez worked closely together to tell Ritchie’s true story, but aside from Los Lobos’ great recordings of his hits, the entire film functions like a modern variation of one of those pulpy comedies that Frankie Avalon routinely popped up in during the early ‘60s. Instead of a real person, Ritchie looks like an actor who knows exactly what to say and when to say it so that everything goes according to a script that was carefully scrutinized and then endorsed by some prominent producers with very deep pockets. (Only in this case it was undoubtedly the Valens family that had the final say on it). Frankly, the entire film is loaded up with so many clichés that it is absolutely impossible to take seriously.

The most disappointing material is with Morales, who sticks out like a sore thumb and has zero credibility as Ritchie’s hot-headed brother. There is one rather long sequence in particular where he is drunk and threatens to hurt his pregnant girlfriend (the late Elizabeth Pena) that has such amateurish outbursts it is simply astonishing to see that it made it through the editing process.

La Bamba Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, La Bamba arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following information appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this release:

"La Bamba was restored in 4K by Sony Pictures Entertainment. Scanning was done in 4K on a Scannity film scanner at Colorworks in Culver City, California, from the 35mm original camera negative. Digital image resotration was completed by Prasad Corporation in Chennai, India. HDR color grading was completed by Christian Lamie at Colorworks. The audio resotration and 5.1 upmix were completed at Chace Audio in Burbank, California, and sourced from the 35mm original (restored) LCRS DME magnetic tracks. The restoration was supervised by Bill Karydes for Sony Pictures Entertainment, with final color approval by director Luis Valdez."

I have one other release of La Bamba in my library. It is this Region-B release which was produced by Eureka Entertainment in 2017. I like the master that was used to prepare it a lot, but there were some anomalies with the technical presentation of the film.

On this upcoming release, the film looks gorgeous. Some of the outdoor footage, for instance, is as stunning as the lush footage that Frankie Avalon's classic beach comedies produce. To be honest, even with a superior color gamut, I do not think that a native 4K presentation could look a lot better. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either excellent or outstanding, so I cannot see where substantial improvements can be made. Density levels can be strengthened, and if they are fluidity will surely benefit as well, but on this release, a lot of different areas are already optimized. Image stability is excellent. On the previous release, I noticed some very unusual macroblocking patches. The most obvious ones would usually appear during indoor footage. This release does not have them. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

La Bamba Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The 5.1 track is excellent. I picked a couple of areas to compare with the 2.0 track from the Region-B release of La Bamba I have in my library and, to be honest, I think that both tracks are very solid. During some of the stage performances, it feels like the crowd noise is bigger, but if you are focused on the music and film you could very easily miss the difference. There are other similar areas where such improvements are present as well. I did not encounter any anomalies to report in our review.

La Bamba Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Luis Valdez - in this exclusive new program, director Luis Valdez discusses his background, his passion for cinema, and the conception and production of La Bamba. The program was produced for Criterion in 2023. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Two Audio Commentaries - the two audio commentaries that are listed below initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of La Bamba that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment produced in 1999. The bulk of the information pertains to the production history of the film and Ritchie Valens' tragically short life. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Audio commentary with Producers Taylor Hackford and Daniel Valdez. Recorded in 1998.
  2. Audio commentary with Director, Producer and Cast members. Recorded in 1998.

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for La Bamba. Restored. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• The Director's Chair - in this archival program, Robert Rodriguez and Luis Valdez discuss cinema as an art and business. A good portion of the program is dedicated to the production -- and specifically the casting choices -- of La Bamba. The program was produced in 2015 for the El Rey Network. In English, not subtitled. (43 min).

• Remembering Ritchie - this archival program focuses on the production history of La Bamba and Ritchie Valens' small but lasting legacy. Included in it are comments from Luis Valdez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Esai Morales, producer Taylor Hackford, members of Los Lobos and Carlos Santana, amongst others. The program was produced in 1987. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Audition Tapes - presented here are select audition tapes from 1986. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Lou Diamond Phillips and Esai Morales. (14 min).
  2. Elizabeth Pena and Rosana Desoto. (7 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Yolanda Machado as well as technical credits.

La Bamba Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I do not dislike La Bamba but I cannot like it as the type of film it was conceived to be. It is colorful and full of great music, often quite hilarious too, but it does not work as an authentic film about Ritchie Valens' tragically short life. It seems a lot more credible as a modern variation of one of those pulpy comedies Frankie Avalon routinely popped up in during the early 1960s. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release offers an excellent presentation of La Bamda with a good selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features. RECOMMENDED to the fans.