In a record, five of the 25 movies inducted this year into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress feature prominent Latino lead actors and storylines.
These are “Spy Kids,” “Up in Smoke,” “Mi Familia,” “American Me” and “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” the Library of Congress announced on Tuesday.
It’s the most inductions of this kind in a given year, according to Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas, who’s been working to increase the number of Latino films chosen for preservation.
In a statement, Castro said the films “tell complex and sometimes difficult stories, featuring Latinos as heroes and villains, hard-working immigrants and goofballs, space travelers and so much more. Together, these films represent a unique cross-section of Latino contributions to American cinema and showcase the talent Latinos bring to the screen.”
Castro had included all of the films, except for “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” in the annual nominations list he submits to the National Film Registry. In 2021, when he was chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Castro successfully advocated to add late singer Selena Quintanilla’s 1997 biopic “Selena” to the registry. Since then, he’s nominated dozens of films in an effort to increase and improve Latino representation in media and entertainment.
Latinos have accounted for 6% to 7% of main cast and lead roles on television and film over the past few years amid chronic Latino underrepresentation in media.
Castro celebrated the movies’ induction and expressed how pleased he was that the National Film Preservation Board chose to add the 1982 “Star Trek” sequel, since it features the late trailblazing Latino actor Ricardo Montalbán.
‘Spy Kids’
Director Robert Rodríguez is known for incorporating his Mexican American upbringing in Texas into many of his films — and his 2001 movie “Spy Kids” was one of them.
In an interview with NBC News in 2020, Rodríguez said he drew from his “experiences growing up in a family of 10 kids” to make “Spy Kids.” As a child, he remembered fantasizing about all of them being secret spies.
The delightful action-fantasy film follows young siblings Juni and Carmen Cortez as they discover their parents are secret spies, and they themselves become spies as well. The brother-and-sister duo played by actors Daryl Sabara and Alexa PeñaVega, who is Colombian American, are half-Latino.
This allowed Rodríguez to weave in elements of Hispanic culture and values to create an universally entertaining story that authentically showcased Latino heritage. But achieving that was not an easy task.
“It was so difficult to get ‘Spy Kids’ made with Latin leads because there weren’t enough writers who were creating roles like that,” Rodríguez recalled. “You don’t have to be British to enjoy James Bond. By making these characters very specific, they become very universal. That was my argument and that’s what got ‘Spy Kids’ made.”
Rodríguez enlisted Spanish actor Antonio Banderas to play the father of Juni and Carmen, secret spy Gregorio Cortez. The name is a nod to the character’s Hispanic heritage since it’s based on the 1982 film “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,” which is centered on a folkloric figure from a popular early 1900s Mexican corrido, or ballad.
“The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” film was actually inducted into the National Film Registry in 2022, thanks, in part, to Castro’s efforts.
“Spy Kids” marks the second time Rodríguez had one of his movies included in the National Film Registry. The first was his 1992 debut feature film “El Mariachi.”
Other recognizable Latino stars in “Spy Kids” are Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, among others.
“Spy Kids” and “Up in Smoke” are Marin’s first films on the registry.
‘Up in Smoke’
Released in 1978, “Up in Smoke” was an unexpected smash hit that arguably established the “stoner” genre of film.
Marin and actor-comedian Tommy Chong reworked many of their comedy routines to please audiences with goofy, and at times, stupid humor — creating a counterculture film classic watched to this day.
“The level of improv that we brought to those movies is what gave it a spontaneity,” Marin told the Library of Congress in an interview. “And that’s why people thought they were happening for the first time. Because in many instances, it was happening for the first time.”
‘Mi Familia’
This is director Gregory Nava’s third movie inducted to the registry.
All three of them — “Selena,” “El Norte” and “Mi Familia” — are renowned explorations of the U.S. Latino experience.
Nava’s 1995 film “Mi Familia” takes viewers on an deeply emotional ride as they follow the story of a multigenerational Mexican-American family in the U.S., narrated by a second-generation immigrant.
“Their story is told in images of startling beauty and great overflowing energy; it is rare to hear so much laughter from an audience that is also sometimes moved to tears,” film critic Roger Ebert wrote at the time, according to the Library of Congress. “This is the great American story, told again and again, of how our families came to this land and tried to make it better for their children.”
The film features an all-star cast of Latino actors that includes Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Jennifer Lopez, Constance Marie, Jacob Vargas, Benito Martinez and Edward James Olmos.
There are eight films in the registry that feature Olmos as an actor, including “Selena, “Mi Familia” and “American Me.”
‘American Me’
The 1992 film stars Olmos as a fictional Mexican mafia leader as he goes in and out of prison, portraying the dark and brutal realities of Chicano gang life in Los Angeles.
“American Me” was also Olmos’ directorial debut.
The film’s depiction of violence and abuse can sometimes be hard to watch. But Olmos’ choice to loosely base the movie on a real-life story helps bring to reality truths about who controls the drug traffic in prison and on the streets.
“I went for stories that weren’t going to be told by anybody else. Originally, no one wanted to do ‘American Me,’ but I knew it had to be told” Olmos told the Library of Congress in an interview.
The movie was also produced by Jewish-Mexican film producer Lou Adler, who also produced “Up in Smoke.”
Adler has several other films previously added to the registry, such as “Monterey Pop” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
‘Star Trek II’
One of the selections with strong public nominations this year was “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” featuring Mexican American actor Ricardo Montalbán as Khan Noonien Singh, the main antagonist in the film.
The movie is widely considered the best of the six original-cast Star Trek theatrical films, with the epic battle between Khan and main character Kirk engrained in the memories of countless fans of the science fiction franchise.
In addition to his work as an actor, Montalbán fiercely advocated for more and improved Latino representation on TV and films, even founding the advocacy group Nosotros in 1969 to promote more positive depictions of Latinos in the entertainment industry.
‘A collective effort’ to preserve movie heritage
There are now 30 Latino films on the National Film Registry, according to the Library of Congress, about 3.3% of the 900 movies preserved at the registry. Latinos currently represent close to 20% of the nation’s population.
“This is a collective effort in the film community to preserve our cinematic heritage,” librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “Films reflect our nation’s history and culture and must be preserved in our national library for generations to come.”
While not included as one of the 30 Latino films on the National Film Registry, the Library of Congress also inducted the 2007 film “No Country for Old Men” starring Javier Bardem, who, like Antonio Banderas, hails from Spain.
The word “Hispanic,” which emerged in the 1960s, accounts for people who can trace their roots to Spain or Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America or the Caribbean. The word “Latino” emerged three decades later to include other Latin American countries where Spanish is not the dominant language, such as Brazil.
“No Country for Old Men” is based on a novel by author Cormac McCarthy that follows a hunter who stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
This film also received strong support from the public to have it inducted into the National Film Registry, the Library of Congress said.
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