Cinema of Puerto Rico

Romance Tropical the first Puerto Rican film with sound and the second Spanish-speaking film in the world

The history of the Cinema industry in Puerto Rico begins with the US invasion of the island in 1898. At that time, the American soldiers brought cameras to record what they saw. It was not until the 1912 that Puerto Ricans would begin to produce their own films.

After this, Puerto Rican cinema has developed at a slow pace. Despite this, the industry has produced several actors and actresses and one Academy Award nominated film (see List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees).

Starting in the late 1990s the Puerto Rican film industry saw significant growth and the number of local productions has been on the increase every year.

Early years: 1912-1950

Juan Emilio Viguié Cajas, pioneer in Puerto Rico's film industry

After the early images recorded by the American soldiers in 1898, most of the films produced in the island were documentaries. It wasn't until 1912 that Rafael Colorado D'Assoy recorded the first non-documentary film titled Un drama en Puerto Rico. After that, Colorado and Antonio Capella Martínez created the Film Industrial Society of Puerto Rico in 1916, producing their first film titled Por la hembra y el gallo. Other film companies formed during the time were the Tropical Film Company (1917) and the Porto Rico Photoplays (1919).

The Tropical Film Company was founded by two intellectuals in the National Independence Movement and a veteran filmmaker that immigrated to Puerto Rico from Spain. Even though it is known that this company had produced four films, none of them have been retrieved. This however does not negate the founding base of the Tropical Film Company in Puerto Rican Cinema. It was through Tropical Film Company that the first discourses of educational, cultural, and economic aims were made within the limitations of financial and infrastructural resources that existed then, and still persist, for locally grounded cinematic production, distribution and exhibition in Puerto Rico.

In 1934, Juan Emilio Viguié Cajas produced and directed the first Puerto Rican film with sound titled, Romance Tropical. There is little known of the whereabouts of this film or the ones mentioned above.

The 1950s to 1970s

External videos
1953's movie Los Peloteros on YouTube
Una Gallega en la Habana on YouTube

The first truly Puerto Rican film, 1953's Los Peloteros, featured a Puerto Rican cast and was based on a real story. Ramón Rivero (Diplo) starred as the inspirational coach of a children's baseball team. His impoverished team played with old, broken equipment and longed for uniforms. Known as a comedian, the role enabled Rivero to demonstrate his dramatic abilities. The children in the movie were not professional actors; they actually were poor children cast at the shooting locale. Photographer Jack Delano directed the film for the Puerto Rican government's Division of Community Education. Some consider Los Peloteros to be the best Puerto Rican film ever made.

Several films were shot in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. Two were Puerto Rican, the musical drama El Otro Camino (1955), and the drama/romance Maruja (1958). Axel Anderson was a German ex-patriate who became a star in both Puerto Rican television and film. In Maruja, Anderson played opposite leading lady, Marta Romero, and in El Otro Camino he played opposite Rosaura Andreu, future children's television host. A third movie was the American film noir Man With My Face (1951), a thriller centering on Americans living in Puerto Rico. Producer J. Harold Odell shot three films on the island, Machete, Counterplot and Fiend of Dope Island. In 1956, Modesta, a short film produced within the island's Division of Community Education, won the Best Short Film Award at the Venice Film Festival; in 1998, Modesta became the first Puerto Rican film named to the United States National Film Registry.

Maruja

Within the 1960s, an explosion of filmmaking aroused on the island. About half of the films shot in this period were co-productions between Puerto Rico and Mexico. Mexico also shot a few stand-alone productions, plus a few co-productions with Spain and Venezuela. Puerto Rico hosted a sizable number of U.S. movies throughout the decade, plus one from Argentina and one from the United Kingdom. Although none of the movies from this period received wide critical acclaim, director Leopoldo Torre Nilsson was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on La Chica del Lunes in 1967. Also notable are the Bob Hope comedy The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell in 1968 when Hawaii was unavailable for Department of Defense cooperation and a film adaptation of William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies.

Filmmaking in the 1970s, slowed down substantially. Among the handful of Puerto Rican pictures (mostly co-productions), only the Jacobo Morales film Dios los Cría (1979) stands out. Morales had a solid background as an actor and writer, going back to the inception of Puerto Rican television in the 1950s. Dios los Cria marked the beginning of his work writing and directing for the big screen. The collection of five comedic tales earned him acclaim.

The U.S. produced more films in Puerto Rico in the 1970s than any other country did. Most of them were schlock movies typical of the time, such as producer Sydney W. Pink's last movie The Man From O.R.G.Y. in 1970. The Woody Allen film Bananas, of 1971, is the only classic American film of the time to be filmed in Puerto Rico. Jacobo Morales played a supporting role on the film.

The 1980s to present

Following up on his previous success, Morales has continued to write and direct his own films. Nicolas y los Demas (1986) and Lo que le Pasó a Santiago (1989) both won audience appreciation. In addition, the latter received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. In 1994, he directed Linda Sara which didn't earn as much respect as his earlier works, although it's generally considered enjoyable. In 2004 he released a sequel to his 1979 hit, Dios los Cria 2.

During the 1980s, Puerto Rican began submitting films for consideration to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Some of the films submitted were La Gran Fiesta and the above-mentioned Lo que le Pasó a Santiago. Despite these efforts, the industry wasn't booming like before.

The early to mid-1990s had Paramount Pictures' A Show of Force, whose cast included Amy Irving, Robert Duvall, Andy García, and Kevin Spacey; La Guagua Aérea, the aforementioned Linda Sara, and El Poder del Shakti as theatrical releases on the island. 1997 brought Robert Zemeckis and his team to the island to shoot sequences for Contact and Steven Spielberg for a 2-day shoot for Amistad. 1998 had theatrical releases for the well-received Héroes de Otra Patria and for the not-as-well-received Mi Día de Suerte, as well as a limited release for The Face at the Window. 1999 had the theatrical premiere, but not a general theatrical release, for the English-language Paging Emma.

In the 2000s (decade), another filmmaking boom began. 12 Horas enjoyed a decent, six-week theatrical run in 2001, and ever since then, the number of films made by Puerto Ricans has increased dramatically. So has the variety, including documentaries, short films, and animation. 2004's Voces inocentes co-produced by Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United States, won several international awards. Both the Puerto Rico Film Commission and the Corporation for the Development of Arts, Science and Film Industry in Puerto Rico promote local and international film making, including loans and financial incentives.

Other recent films that have garnered praise are Celestino y el Vampiro, Ladrones y Mentirosos, Cayo, and Jacobo Morales' Angel. Unfortunately, people in Puerto Rico see most of these films as art house material and they don't get the box office reception as many American mainstream films.

One notable exception to this trend of lukewarm reception at the box office occurred with the film Maldeamores. Starting with its sold-out, one-week Oscar-qualifying run in late 2007, this film became a benchmark in Puerto Rican cinema for its combination of excellent critical reception, decent box office reception, and actual theatrical exhibition in the U.S. Nevertheless, in July 2009 the Puerto Rico Film Commission reported that Maldeamores had only recovered about 50% of its costs.

In 2008, director Steven Soderbergh and actor – producer Benicio del Toro filmed most of the first part of Che on the island; and George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey (working in the island once more) shot The Men Who Stare at Goats. Also in 2008, the film Talento de Barrio, a movie based on the life of "Daddy Yankee", became the first Puerto Rican film to sell more than 300,000 tickets during its theatrical run, even though its critical reception was decidedly on the "rotten" side of the spectrum.

In 2009, Party Time: The Movie, directed by Juan Fernandez-Paris, Miente (Lie), directed and production-designed by Rafi Mercado, and Kabo y Platon directed by Edmundo H. Rodríguez, received theatrical releases. Also, Johnny Depp visited the island to work in The Rum Diary and Joel Silver took advantage of available incentives to shoot most of The Losers.

The year 2010 saw theatrical releases for Que Despelote, directed by Eduardo 'Transfor' Ortiz; Elite, directed by Andres Ramírez Molina, and Caos, directed by Raul García, and also saw the island serve as a production hub for a significant portion of Fast Five.

2011 was a somewhat tumultuous year for the film industry in Puerto Rico. It included a decision from the Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences which eliminated Puerto Rico's participation in the race for the Academy Award for Best Film in a Foreign Language. Nevertheless, it did yield two theatrical releases: Que Joyitas, directed by Eduardo 'Transfor' Ortiz, which ultimately grossed over $700,000 at the box office, and Mi verano con Amanda 2, written and directed by Benjamin 'Benji' López. Other releases included The Caller (2011 film) and The Witness (El Testigo).

In 2012, the short film Mi santa mirada, directed by Alvaro Aponte Centeno, became the first Puerto Rican short film to compete for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Locally, 2012 marked the two-week theatrical release of the film Los Condenados and the seven-month theatrical release of Broche de oro, directed by Raul Marchand.

Partial list of Puerto Rican films

Main article: List of Puerto Rican films

Film	Year	Comment
12 Horas	2001
29 de mayo		Short Film
¿Y si Cristóbal despierta?	2001	TV
A life of sin	1979
Actores trabajando	2006
Adiós, New York, adiós	1973
Agua con sal	2005
Al compás de un sentimiento	1996
Alicia Alonso y el Ballet Nacional de Cuba	1979
Amnesia	2006
Amor perdóname	1967
Amores como todos los demás	1999	TV
Ángel	2007
Angelito mío	1998
Angeles perdidos	2005	TV
Antes de las 11	2007
Antesala de la silla eléctrica	1968
Archipiélago	2003
Arocho y Clemente	1970
Ayer amargo	1959
Bala perdida	2003	TV
Barricada	2008
Barrios: El bailao de Julia y Berto	2004	TV
Barrios: El rumbón de Fepe	2004	TV
Barrios: La familia del camello	2004	TV
Bello amanecer	1968
Candido	1975
Cannabis Cannibal II: Exodus	2009
Caña brava	1965
Casi Casi	2006
Cayo	2005
Celestino y el vampiro	2003
Chiquito pero Juguetón: The Muvi	2008
Christian y Cristal	2009
Complot	1999
Con los pies descalzos	1961
Conciencia	2008
Conexión Caribe	1984
Contrabandistas del Caribe	1966
Contraseña	2008
Correa Cotto: ¡Así me llaman!	1968
Cuando lo pequeño se hace grande	2000	Short film
Cuando quiere un borincano	1967
Cuentos de Abelardo	1991
Cuentos para despertar	1998
De espaldas al sol	1975
De la mano de un ángel	2002	TV
Desamores	2004
Después de la muerte	2006
Diario Vietnam	2004
Dios los cría...	1979
Dios los cría 2	2005
Doña Ana	2003
Eco	2008
Encuentros	2003	TV
El alcalde de Machuchal	1964
El anillo	2004	Short film
El beso que me diste	2000
El clown	2007
El cielo de los ratones	2009	Short film [1]
El cimarrón	2007
El cuerpo del delito	2005	TV
El curandero del pueblo	1969
El derecho de comer	1968
El fugitivo de Puerto Rico	1975
El hijo de Ángela Maria	1974
El jibarito Rafael	1967
El jibaro millonario	1966
El lenguaje de la guerra	2009
El milagro de la virgen	1917
El otro	2010	Short Film
El otro camino	1955
El poder del Shakti	1996
El ruiseñor y la rosa	1997
El septimo ángel	2000
El sueño del regreso	2006
El tesoro de Cofresí	1919
En mi viejo San Juan	1966
Elite	2010
Entre Dios y el hombre	1960
Entre el cielo y tú	2007
Entremedio	2006
Flight of Fancy	2000
Fray dollar	1970
Fuego en el alma	2002	TV
Fuera de tinieblas	2009
Hay hombres para todas	2008	TV
Héroe de Guerra	2007	Short Film
Héroes de otra patria	1998
Heroína	1967
Historia de un ganster	1968
Huellas	1961
Ilusión	2001	TV
Iraq en mí	2008
Juventud sin frenos	1965
Kabo y Platón	2009
Kamaleon	2003
La caja de problemas	2004	TV
La criada malcriada	1969
La entrega	2007	Short Film
La fiebre del deseo	1964
La fuga	2010
La gran fiesta	1985
La guagua aérea	1993
La jaula	1999	Short film
La leyenda de Toño bicicleta	1975
La mala	2008
La mujer del cura	1967
La palomilla	1971
La Pandilla en apuros	1977
La piel desnuda	1964
La venganza de Correa Cotto	1969
La virgen de la calle	1965
La viudita se quiere casar	1917
Ladrones y mentirosos	2006
Lamento borincano	1963
Las combatientes	2004	TV
Las pecadoras	1967
Libertad para la juventud	1970
Linda Sara	1994
Lo que le pasó a Santiago	1989
Los Condenados	2012
Los cuentos de Abelardo	1990
Los días de Doris	1998
Los dos mundos de Angelita	1982
Los expatriados	1963
Los misterios de Cofresí	1917
Los panas	2005	Short Film
Los peloteros	1953
Los que nunca amaron	1965
Los unos y los otros	2009	Short Film
Lucía, Ignacio y otras historias	2008
Luisa	1970
Luna de miel en Puerto Rico	1967
Machuchal agente 0	1966
Mafia en puerta de tierra	1917
Maldeamores	2007
Mami	1967
Manuela y Manuel	2008
Maruja	1958
Mas allá del capitolio	1963
Menudo:La Pelicula	1981
Meteoro	2007
Mi Borinquen querída	1965
Mi día de suerte	1998
Mi santa mirada	2012	Short Film
Mi verano con Amanda	2008
Miente	2009
Mientras Puerto Rico duerme	1964
Mio	2010	Short Film
Misión: Incomprensible	2004
Mónica	1994	Short Film
Mr. Dollar	1964
Muerte en el paraíso	2008
Mulato	1967
Naco	2009	Short Film
Natas es Satán	1971
Nicolás y los demás	1986
Not Even The Devil	2008
Nuestro regimiento	1966
Nuestro regimiento	1975
Obsesión	1961
Ocho puertas	2003
Operación alacrán	1976
Operación tiburón	1965
Organización criminal	1968
Paging Emma	1999
Palés y la rumba de esquina	2009
Paloma del monte	1917
Palmer a muerto	1961
Party Time: The Movie	2009
Pasaporte a la fama	2006
Pasiones Infernales	1969
Plaza vacante	2002
Por la hembra y el gallo	1916
Prohibído amar en Nueva York	1982
Punto 45	2006
Que bravas son las solteras	1976
Que Despelote	2010
Que familia mas normal	2004	TV
Que familia mas normal 2	2004	TV
Que familia mas normal 3	2004	TV
Que Joyitas	2011
Raíces	2001
Revolución en el infierno	2005
Romance en Puerto Rico	1961
Romance tropical	1934
Rosa la tequilera	1968
Ruido	2007
Ruptura	1997	Short film
Sabo	2004
Santa Cristal	2004
Seguros de vida	2004	Short film
Seva vive	2008
Sudor amargo	2002	TV
Sueños a precios de descuento	2006
Talento de barrio	2008
Taínos: La última tríbu	2005
Tango Bar	1988
Tesoros	1987
The Absolution	1998	Short film
The disappearance of García Lorca	1997
The face at the window	1997
The machos	1975
The tents of Allah	1922
The Witness (El Testigo)	2011
The woman who fooled herself	1922
Todos tenemos un ángel	2005
Toño bicicleta	1975
Traicioneros	2007	Short Film
Tres puertorriqueñas y un deseo	1961
Tropical love	1921
Tú mi amor	1972
Un amanta anda suelto	1970
Un drama en Puerto Rico	1912
Una aventura llamada Menudo	1983
Una historia común	2004
Una mujer sin precio	1965
Una puertorriqueña en Acapulco	1968
Vampiros	2004
Vendedora de amor	1964
Victoria	2006
Virgenes a go-go	1964
What I tell the wind	2008
Yellow	2007

See also

• Cinema of the world
• List of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of films set in Puerto Rico
• List of Caribbean films
• List of Puerto Rican films

External links

• Cuarenta años de cine puertorriqueño