University of Connecticut | Latin America Studies Videotapes
This is an annotated list of videotapes for Latin American Studies in the Culpeper Media Library of the Homer Babbidge Library. Videotapes circulate for 14 days to teaching staff and graduate students. Individuals may also view videos in the Culpeper Library on Level 3. For more information on circulation of videos or to schedule large screen showings in the Library Video Theaters, please contact the Culpeper Media Library, or call 486-2375.
Compiled by Darlene H. Waller with assistance from Jose Crespo. Revised February 1999.Note: Recent video additions are marked with an asterisk *.
| A-J | K-P | Q-Z |
Agueda Martinez
(1994, 16 min.) (Video E 184 .M5 .A69)
Explores the history, life and values of a 77 year old New Mexico woman of Navajo Mexican descent. She explains how she makes her living with her work as a farmer and weaver and she describes her fundamental values: self-sufficiency, family solidarity, religious commitment, and cooperation with the land and nature.
Amazon Family
(1972, 19 min.) (Video HQ 684 .A43)
Depiction of daily life in a remote village of rubber gathers on the upper Amazon.
American Me
(1992, 125 min.) (Video PN 1997 .O466 A44)
Inspired by a true story, this is the story of a vicious Latino gang leader, doomed by his past to a life of harsh, unforgiving violence after his release from jail.
Americas
(1993, 10 cass., 57 min. each) (Video F 1408 .A64)
This intimate look at contemporary Latin America examines issues confronting the entire region by focusing on individual communities.
Cass. 1, The Garden of forking paths: dilemmas of national development (Argentina); Cass. 2, Capital sins: authoritarianism and democratization (Brazil); Cass. 3, Continent on the move: migration and urbanization (Mexico); Cass. 4, Mirrors of the heart: race and identity (Bolivia, Haiti, the Dominican Republic); Cass. 5, In women's hands: the changing roles of women (Chile); Cass. 6, Miracles are not enough: continuity and change in religion (Brazil, Nicaragua); Cass. 7, Builders of images: Latin American cultural identity (Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina); Cass. 8, Get up, stand up: problems of sovereignty (Colombia, Jamaica, Panama); Cass. 9, Fire in the mind: revolutions and revolutionaries (El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua); Cass. 10, The Americans: the Latin American and Caribbean presence in the U.S.
Americas in Transition
(1982, 28 min.) (Video F 1418 .A43)
This film discusses U.S.-Latin American relations and explores the political history and current situation in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Chile, and El Salvador.
Amor, Mujeres y Flores
(1988, 58 min.) (Video HD 8039 .F682 C65) In Spanish with English subtitles.
Describes the lives and working conditions of workers in the flower industry in Bogota, Colombia. Stresses its health hazards, particularly for women.
Ancient Peruvians
(1972, 29 min.) (Video F 3429 .A52)
Describes the ancient civilizations and cultures of Peru through an examination of such artifacts as textiles, pottery, and art.
Bahia, Africa in the Americas
(1988, 58 min.) (Video F 2551 .B34)
Elements of African culture are powerfully expressed in the food, art, dance, and most importantly, the Candomble (Umbanda) religion of the Afro-Brazilian majority of the state of Bahia.
La Bamba
(1987, 105 min.) (Video ML 420 .H24 B36)
Dramatization of the brief career that catapulted 17 year old Ritchie Valens to rock 'n' roll stardom.
Battle for El Salvador see Crisis in Central America (Frontline Series)
Born in East L.A.
(1988, 85 min.) (Video PN 1997.M37 B67)
Cheech Martin is accidentally deported to Mexico without I.D. or knowledge of Spanish, and cannot convince U.S. officials to let him back into the U.S. again.
Brincando el Charco
(1994, 55 min.) (Video E184.P85 B75)
Examines Puerto Rican lesbians living in the United States using a fictionalized first-person narrative of a woman trying to make sense of her life, past, and heritage.
Buried Mirror
(1991, 5 videos, ca. 59 min ea.) (Video DP 96 .F84 B87)
Written and presented by Carlos Fuentes, the best-selling Mexican author, who looks for his forebears in the mix of peoples that created Latin America: Spanish, Arab, Jewish, Indian, and African. He asks what is unique in their culture that is cause for celebration in the 500th anniversary year of Columbus.
Los Caminos de la Resistencia
(1994, 30 min.) (Video F 1220 .C36)
At a time when others were celebrating the Columbus Quincentenary, representatives of indigenous peoples from throughout Mexico gathered to let the world know about their history of five hundred years of resistance to efforts to destroy their cultural identity, and to demand justice. This film chronicles their march to Mexico City.
Captive in El Salvador
(1984, 60 min.) (Video F 1488 .3 .C36) (WGBH Frontline)
An examination of United States involvement in El Salvador. Which people and policies benefit from U.S. support? Do our allies share our goals? Is the United States in control of the situation in El Salvador, or is it a captive of policies it does not fully understand?
Castro's Challenge see Crisis in Central America (Frontline Series)
*Celebration: A Caribbean Festival
(1988, 30 min.) (Video E 184. C27 C454)
Portrays the color, music and pride of the annual Carnival in America’s largest Caribbean community, in New York City. Captures the thoughts and feelings of expatriate West Indians, as they are interviewed during preparations leading up to the Carnival.
Chancay, the Forgotten Art
(198-?, 17 min.) (Video F 3429 .1 .C47 C4713)
Examines the famous pre-Colombian art of the 11th - 15th centuries found in the Chancay River Valley, Peru.
Chicana
(1990, 23 min.) (Video E 184 .M5 C42)
Employs Mexican murals, rare photographs, prints, and documentary footage to trace the traditional and emerging roles of Mexican Chicanas from pre-Columbian times to the present, showing how women have made important contributions (as workers, mothers, activists, educators, leaders and numerous other ways) despite their generally oppressed status in the Latino culture.
Chile: Hasta Cuando?
(1985, 57 min.) (Video F 3100 .C34)
Expose of Pinochet's regime of terror in Chile, including interviews with people who have been terrorized by the government. Describes how student protesters were tortured and killed by government police.
Chile: the New Victims
(198-?, 20 min.) (Video HV 6322.3.C4 C55) Narration in Spanish with English subtitles.
Discussion of violation of human rights in Chile. Includes testimony of victims.
*Chulas Fronteras
(1976, 58 min) (Video F395.M5 C48)
Features the music and culture of Mexican-Americans living in southern Texas, showing food preparation, family life, dances, fieldwork, and other social activities.
*Chutney in Yuh Soca: A Multicultural Mix
(1997, 35 min.) (Video GN 495.6 .C488)
Three short films showing the vitality of ethnic identity which blends with the prevailing culture, yet keeps its own spirit.
Cocolos y Rockeros
(1992, 46 min.) (Video ML 3486 P9 C63)
Explores the racial and class variables that contribute to some Latinos favoring "Black" music while others are influenced by "White" rock music.
Cousteau Amazon
(1991, 3 cass., 98 min. ea.) (Video QH 541 .5 .R27 C68)
Follows Cousteau's Calypso expedition on the Amazon River into the Amazon rain forest, the largest liquid kingdom on earth. Examines the vast array of life forms in the rain forest, its ecosystem, and man's interaction with it. Emphasizes the link between water, land, and life.
Crisis in Central America
(1985, 4 parts - 60 min each) (Video F 1436 .C74) (Frontline Series)
[Cass. 1] The Yankee Years -- [Cass. 2] Castro's Challenge -- [Cass. 3] Revolution in Nicaragua -- [Cass. 4] Battle in El Salvador. Reviews Central America's long and violent history of dictatorships, revolutions, class struggles, human rights abuses, and foreign intervention. Draws on specially compiled interviews with political leaders, soldiers and civilians of Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, France, and the U.S. Features archival footage from the film libraries of these countries as well as those of private individuals.
Cuba: In the Shadow of Doubt
(1986, 58 min.) (Video F 1788 .C82)
An exclusive look at Cuba, its achievements and disappointments, as voiced by the people in the streets and Fidel Castro himself. Places the Cuban revolution in historical perspective.
The Cuban Missile Crisis: Back From the Brink (1962)
(1988, 20 min.) (Video E 841 .C843)
Deals with the history of relations between the United States and Cuba up to the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union regarding Russian missile sites in Cuba.
The Dark Light of Dawn
(1986, 28 min.) (Video U-539)
Discussion of military oppression in Guatemala.
Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish
(1992, 52 progs. on 26 videos, 28 min. ea. prog.) (Video PC 4128 .D4)
Uses the telenovela to present Spanish vocabulary, structures and functions in a natural, conversational way, emphasizing comprehension through context and actions. Illustrates the cultural and linguistic diversity of Spanish through lively discussions of history, geography, local foods and customs.
*Dirty Secrets
(1998, 56 min.) (Video F 1466.7. E84 D57)
Follows the efforts of Jennifer Harbury, an American woman, to find the truth about her husband Everardo, a Guatemalan peasant revolutionary who "disappeared" after capture by Guatemalan government forces. Facts reveal involvement by the CIA and other American governmental bodies in Guatemala.
Los Dos Mundos de Angelita
(1983, 72 min.) (Video PS 3561 .E668 D67) In Spanish with English subtitles.
A story about a nine year old girl who moved from her home in Puerto Rico to New York City and finds fitting into a new school overwhelming.
The Double Day
(198-?, 56 min.) (Video HQ 1460 .5 .D68)
Considers the condition of women in Latin America. Shows how women in countries such as Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, and Venezuela are objecting to their traditional roles as wives and mothers and are striving for more control over their lives. (Narration in English; interviews in Spanish with English voice-over translations or subtitles.)
Faces of Slavery
(1990, 27 min.) (Video HT 1048 .F33)
The institution of slavery in the United States and Brazil is seen through photographs of the time.
Favelas
(Betw. 1986 and 1991, 50 min.) (Video HN 290 .S33 F38)
Documentary film explores the squatter settlement slum areas, or favelas, of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Discusses the factors leading to their creation and their subculture. Interviews with social service workers and inhabitants of the favelas are interspersed with poetic narrative commentary on and photographic observation of life in the favelas.
*Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary
(1997, 53 min.) (Video JV 6926.L67 F43)
Documentary by Los Angeles teacher Laura Angelica Simón which explores the impact of California's Proposition 187 on the immigrant community. Analyses Hoover Street Elementary School, where Simón candidly explores the attitudes and emotions of teachers, students and parents, focusing on a ten year old Salvadorian girl.
*Flowers For Gaudalupe
(1995, 57 min.) (Video HQ 1393 .F56)
Explores the importance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as a liberating symbol for Mexican women today.
*Fresa y Chocolate
(1995, 104 min.) (Video PQ 7390 .P3942 F74)
A young college student meets a writer and a passionate woman who teaches him the things that aren’t taught in school.
*Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(1998, 43 min.) (Video PQ 8180. 17.A73 Z4645)
In this interview with Silvia Lemus, Gabriel Garcia Marquez discusses his life and work from a highly personal plane.
*Geronimo: His Story
(1995, 28 min.) (Video JV 6278.G47)
Examines the life that Geronimo Mendoza Sanchez leads as an "illegal alien" in the United States. Portrays Geronimo as a hard working young man who is attempting to educate himself in order to return to the Mexican village of his childhood and improve the living conditions of the residents.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez : Magic and Reality
(1982, 57 min.) (Video PQ 8180 .17 .A73 G33)
Presents a literary biography of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Colombian novelist and Nobel Prize winner, through conversations with the author, his friends, and his critics. Examines the course of Garcia Marquez's life, the sources of his plots and characters, and the forces that have engendered his narrative style. Traces his so-called magical realism, a blending of the real and the fantastic, to the cultural diversity of the Caribbean. Explores the history of Colombia.
The Global Assembly Line
(1986, 56 min.) (Video HD 6336 .G563)
Portrays the lives of working men and women in the "free trade zones" of developing countries and North America, as U.S. industries close their factories to search the globe for lower-wage work forces. Depicts the international division of labor and the growing importance of women in the industrial workforce, especially in the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The Gringo in Mananaland
(1995, 61 min.) (Video PN 1995 .9 .L37 G75)
A montage of U.S. produced films about Latin America, from silent films through 1995 television news, including corporate videos, around themes of U.S. discovery of a tropical paradise with friendly native women, of money to be made, of local bandits and the need for U.S. troops.
Guazapa: The Face of War in El Salvador
(1984, 36 min.) (Video F 1488 .3 .G83)
A documentary on life in rebel-controlled areas of El Salvador, a revealing, first-hand report on how rebel soldiers and civilians support each other against incredible odds.
Guns, Drugs and the CIA
(1987, 58 min.) (Video HV 5801 .G86) (Frontline Series)
The CIA and its role in international drug dealings.
*The Harder They Come
(1991, 93 min.) (Video PN 1997. H469 H37)
Based on a true story, Jimmy Cliff portrays a superstar reggae singer turned notorious criminal in Kingston, Jamaica.
I Am Joaquin
(1995, 20 min.) (Video PS 3513 .O47 I23)
A dramatization of the Chicano poem about the Mexican-American experience from Cortes to the current farm workers' struggle, emphasizing the problems of the oppressed and the exploited.
I Like It Like That
(1995, 106 min.) (Video PN 1997 .M378 I25)
When her husband is arrested, a young Brooklyn mother secures a job to support her family. She gains in self-confidence, and becomes involved romantically with her new boss. When husband learns of this and confronts her, he is also forced to acknowledge his wife's new strength and importance to the family.
The Incas
(1988, 58 min.) (Video F 3429 .I53)
Examines the work of three archeologists currently excavating in Peru for clues to the Inca way of life. Details the history, culture, and technological achievements of the Incan empire.
Juarez
(1991, 123 min.) (Video PT 2647 .E77 J83)
A revolutionary leader causes the downfall of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
The JVC video Anthology of World Music and Dance : The Americas
(1990, 111 min.) (Music Video MVT WMD v.27-28)
Presents examples of music and dance from the Americas documented by text.
Kayapo: Out of the Forest
(1987, 58 min.) (Video F 2520 .1 .C45 K39) (Disappearing World Series)
Film about the Kayapo Indians of central Brazil and how the destruction of the Amazonian rain forest threatens their existence.
*The King Does Not Lie
(1992, 50 min.) (Video BL 2532. S5 K56)
Documentary showing the ritual and ceremony associated with the initiation of a priest of Shango, the Thundergod of the traditional Yoruba religion. Takes place in a contemporary Puerto Rican community among New World practicioners of the ancient religion, Santeria.
*Kiss of the Spider Woman
(1985, 120 min.) (Video PQ 7798. 26.U4 K57)
Flamboyant Molina and political prisoner Valentin share a prison cell in an unnamed Latin American dictatorship. To pass the time, Molina entertains Valentin with narratives from old movies.
*Labor and Capital Mobility (Inside the Global Economy, Series, pt. 5)
(1994, 60 min.) (Video HF1351 .I579)
Discusses the U.S.-Mexico maquiladora program. Discusses trend towards increased international economic integration and economic interdependence. Includes case studies and panel discussions.
The Last Supper (La Ultima Cena)
(1989, 110 min.) (Video HT 1076 .U48)
Historical drama based on an incident from the late 18th century Cuban history in which a slave owner, in effort to instruct his slaves of the tenets of Christianity, invites twelve slaves to a re-enactment of the Last Supper.
Little Injustices
(1981, 59 min.) (Video K 2100 .L57)
Laura Nader, a professor of anthropology, specializing in legal affairs, compares how legal systems in Mexico and America settle disputes and consumer complaints. Drawing upon her fieldwork in a small Zapotec village in Mexico, where transactions take place between producer and consumer face to face, Nader contrasts the procedure used in the village courts for settling disputes and the resolution of consumer complaints in American courts.
*Living in America: 100 years of Ybor City
(1988, 53 min.) (Video F 319. T2 L58)
Documents the rich tradition of Latin culture of Ybor City, Florida which was founded in the 1880s and flourished until World War II when the effects of assimilation, urban renewal and the decline in the cigar industry led to its demise.
Lost World of the Maya
(1974, 36 min.) (Video F 1435 .L67) (BBC-TV)
Follows Eric Thompson, an authority on Mayan civilization, as he embarks on a pilgrimage through Central America. Describes ruins existing in such ancient cities as Tikal, Palenque, Yaxchilan, and Quirigna, and re-creates the Mayas' daily life. Concludes with a description of the theories that have been used to explain why Mayan civilization fell.
Magical Death
(1993, 29 min.) (Video F 2520 .1 .Y3 M34)
A vivid portrayal of shamanic activity, as well as an exploration of the close connection between politics and shamanism in Yanomamo culture.
Mambo Kings
(1992, 104 min.) (Video PS 3558 .I376 M362)
Relates the story of two brothers who dream of becoming famous in show business once they come to America.
A Man Called Bee
(1987, 42 min.) (Video F 2520 .1 .Y3 M36)
Follows anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon as he collects anthropological field data among the Yanomamo Indians of southern Venezuela.
Manos a La Obra
(1983, 60 min.) (Video HC 154 .5 .M36)
A documentary on Puerto Rico's "Operation Bootstrap," an economic development plan undertaken in the 1950s designed to attract U.S. capital and serve as a model for the Americas. Using newsreels, archival photographs and excerpts from government propaganda films, examines the background and many problematic issues posed by the plan.
*El Mariachi
(1993, 81 min.) (Video PN 1997 .R63 M37)
All he wants to be is a mariachi, like his father, his grandfather and his great grand father before him. But the town he thinks will bring him luck brings only a curse of deadly, mistaken identity. Forced to trade his guitar for a gun, the mariachi is playing for his life.
Maria's Story
(1990, 53 min.) (Video F 1488.3 .M37)
Documentary based on life and work of Maria Serrano, leader in the guerrilla movement in El Salvador. Shows Maria teaching guerrillas, and planning and carrying out military attacks on government positions.
Martin Chambi and the Heirs of the Incas
(1986, 60 min.) (Video TR 140 .C44 M37) Narration in English; includes segments in Spanish and Quechua with English subtitles.
Surveys the work of Martin Chambi, a Peruvian Indian photographer who documented the lives of Peruvian Indians in the Cuzco region and the lifestyles of the European ruling class of Peru for over fifty years. Features numerous photographs by Chambi as well as interviews and scenes of contemporary Peruvian Indian life that explore the gains and setbacks the Indians have experienced in preserving their culture and participating in the affairs of modern Peru.
Maya in Exile
(1985, 30 min.) (Video F 1465 .2 .K36 B873) In English; some interviews in Spanish with English over-translation.
Discusses the effects of the Guatemalan Civil War on the Guatemalan Mayan people of the village of San Miguel in the western highlands of Guatemala. Describes their lives as refugees in the town of Indiantown, Florida.
Maya Lords of the Jungle
(1981, 60 min.) (Video F 1435 .M46) (Odyssey Series)
Visits ancient sites on the Yucatan Peninsula where new findings are forcing a reappraisal of the past of the Mayans. Researchers display and interpret their findings.
Maya: The Blood Kings
(1995, 50 min.) (Video F 1435 .M39)
Researchers explore ruins in the jungles of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala in an effort to understand a people both sophisticated and bloodthirsty and a society that collapsed with mysterious speed.
Mayan Mystery
(1985, 18 min.) (Video F 1435 M49)
Raises questions concerning the mystery of the decline of the Mayas. Lists as possible explanations natural catastrophe, invasion, over-population, and peasant revolt. Includes photographs of the major Mayan cities in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
Mayordomia: Ritual, Gender, and Cultural Identity in A Zapotec Community
(1991, 20 min.) (Video F 1221 .Z3 M39)
Uses the Mayordomia, an annual religious festival, to study the life styles and culture in a southern Mexican Zapotec town.
Media War in El Salvador
(1989, 23 min.) (Video HE 8700 .76 .S2 M43)
Examines the use and influence of the media during elections in El Salvador.
Memorias del Subdesarollo
(198-?, 97 min.) (Video PQ 7390 .D45 M46) In Spanish with English subtitles
A study of Cuban society before and after the revolution as seen through the eyes of a man who is a landlord and self-styled writer.
*Memorias Do Carcere
(1986, 135 min.) (Video PQ 9697 .R254 Z59)
Graciliano Ramos, under suspicion of extreme left-wing views, was imprisoned on a penal isle near Rio de Janeiro from 1936-1937 during a period of political repression. Story is adapted from his vivid recollections of prison life.
Mexico
(1988, 3 cass., 59 min. each) (Video F 1226 .M49) (WGBH Video)
Using archival film and interviews with prominent politicians, writers, historians and other leaders, this program looks at the Mexican revolution of 1910 and the people and events that shaped Mexico's history in the first part of the 20th century (Cass. 1, Revolution, 1910-1940); Mexico's rising prosperity and economic problems from 1940-1982 (Cass. 2, From Boom to Bust, 1940-1982); and the period 1982-1988 when Mexican leaders faced a crippling foreign debt, an economy in shambles, a devastating earthquake in Mexico City, and a people whose trust had been eroded by years of mismanagement (Cass. 3, End of an Era, 1982-1988).
Mexico: the Frozen Revolution
(197-?, 75 min., 2 parts) (Video F 1234 .M49)
Blends archival footage of the events and personalities of the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1917 with contemporary documentary scenes presenting a comprehensive socio-historical analysis of Mexico. The film discusses the economic problems Mexico has had to deal with as a result of the government's failure to live up to the promises of the revolution. (English version of the 1971 film, Mexico, la revolución congelada.)
Mi Vida Loca
(1994, 100 min.) (Video PN 1997 .A529 M5)
The members of a rival gang in Los Angeles are feuding, and the girlfriends are trying to survive by keeping clear from these power struggles.
Militarization of Central America
(1987, 29 min.) (Video F 1436.5 M55) (America's Defense Monitor, CS.4)
Discusses the influence of the military in Central American politics and life.
The Mission
(1987, 125 min.) (Video PR 6052 .O39 M57)
A powerful epic about a man of the sword and a man of the cloth who unite to shield the Guaraní people from brutal subjugation by 18th century colonial empires.
*Moko Jumbie
(1991, 15 min.) (Video GV 1099 .M65)
Shows the art, craft, dance and history of the traditional stilt walkers. Includes background into the costume and dance movements, and its origins in West Africa.
*Mundo Milagroso
(1995, 27 min.) (Video F 392. R5 M86)
An Exploration of the Mixture of Spanish Catholicism and Indian mysticism found in Texan communities along the Rio Grande River, and the miracles alleged to occur there.
Museum of Modern Art of Latin America
(1983, 20 min.) (Video N 6490 .M87)
Discusses the creation of the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in Washington, DC. Provides a brief survey of important Latin American artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Nicaragua 1979: scenes from the revolution
(1980, 30 min.) (Video F 1528 .N53)
With a combination of historical footage and footage taken under fire, the film portrays the Nicaraguan Revolution from the inception of sandinismo to the 1979 strike called by the sandinistas against the Somoza regime. Shows problems the victorious sandinistas have with running a country which is economically and physically devastated and whose population is undernourished and largely illiterate.
*The Night of San Lazaro
(1997, 35 min.) (Video BL 2532.L39 N63)
Examines the observance of the Night of San Lazaro as an example of the revival of religious freedom in Cuba. For some "San Lazaro" is a healer saint, for others an African divinity. This program neither interprets nor analyzes this religious event, but simply observes and presents it.
Nine Nations of North America: MexAmerica
(1987, 60 min.) (Video E 38 .N56)
Presenting a regionalized view of political geography, this program focuses on the people of the fastest growing nation in America, the region that stretches from Los Angeles to Houston and from Pueblo, Colorado, to San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
*No Habrá Más Penas Ni Olvido = Funny Dirty Little War
(1996, 80 min.) (Video PQ 7798.29.O58 N69)
Satire about the eruption of a civil war in a quiet Argentine village when a local Peronist politician claims a municipal clerk is a Communist.
The Noriega Connection
(1990, 58 min.) (Video E 183.8 .P2 N675)
Outlines the long Noriega-U.S. relationship, focusing on the Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations. Shows how these administrations used Noriega to further their own political goals, ignoring or concealing his criminal activity. Explains the break with Noriega, concluding that the U.S. decision to prosecute him on drug charges may result in Noriega's use of this relationship as a defense.
El Norte
(1984, 141 min.) (Video PN 1997 .N667) In Spanish with English subtitles.
Traces the journey of a brother and sister from the jungles of Guatemala to the U.S. to seek a better life in the North. Reaching "El Norte," they are beset by new problems as illegals submerged in an alien culture.
La Ofrenda
(1989, 50 min.) (Video GT 3214 .A2 O37)
Presents a non-traditional look at the ceremonies and rituals observed in Mexican culture, in both Mexico and the U.S., to celebrate the Days of the Dead (Nov. 1 and 2).
La Operación
(1985, 40 min.) (Video RG 138 .O63) Primarily in Spanish with English subtitles.
Discusses the experiments of the sterilization of women as a form of birth control in Puerto Rico.
Other Side of the Border
(1987, 60 min.) (Video JV 6450 .O84) (PBS Video)
Documentary on illegal entry from Mexico. Discusses new immigration reform law.
Our Forgotten War
(1988, 58 min.) (Video F 1488.3 .O97) (PBS Video)
A portrait of the country of El Salvador and the impact of American programs and policies on the country, people, and war.
Out of the Past
(1993, 8 cass., 60 min. ea.) (Video CC 165 .O98)
Stacy Keach, with the help of field archaeologists, introduces us to the work and thought of archaeology.
Panama: the Canal and the Country
(1988, 29 min.) (Video F 1566 .4 .U6 P36) (America's Defense Monitor, CS. 10)
Reveals the history of our role in Panama and looks forward.
La Patagonia Rebelde
(198-?, 102 min.) (Video HD 6604 .A29 P38)
Film based on actual historical events involving the brutal military suppression of a series of strikes by rural workers in the southernmost province of Argentina in the early 1920s.
Peru: Inca Heritage
(1972, 17 min.) (Video F 3429 .P47)
Explores the contemporary life of the Inca Indians.
*Photo Album
(1985, 14 min.) (Video E184.C97 P56)
Tells the story of a young Cuban-born man who tries to become an American while his family tries to make him keep their old traditions.
Plena is Work, Plena is Song
(1990, 29 min. ) (Video ML 3558 .P54)
Brings to life the culture and political history of Puerto Rican plena, a blend of African and Spanish musical idioms.
Political Communication in Revolutionary Nicaragua
(1985, 28 min.) (Video P 95 .82 .N52 P64)
Discusses the political uses of mass media (radio, television, newspaper, murals, and posters) in revolutionary Nicaragua and includes excerpts from the Sandinista Television System, SSTV.
Popol Vuh : Sacred Book of the Quiche Maya
(1988, 60 min.) (Video F 1465 .P8385)
Portrays the creation myth of the Quiche Maya of ancient Guatemala. Gives life to the mystic history and art of the Maya, using animated drawings taken directly from classic Maya pottery.
Puerto Rico: Our Right to Decide
(1981, 28 min.) (Video F 1958 .P846)
Utilizes interviews, historical footage, and stills to examine Puerto Rico today, with an emphasis on how its past shaped its present.
Puerto Rico: Paradise Invaded
(1977, 30 min.) (Video F 1958 .P847) Spanish dialog with English subtitles.
Examines the historical and present-day relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S., the impact of industrialization on the island, the historical background of the independence movement, and Puerto Rican life in New York City.
Puerto Rico Libre
(1975, 29 min.) (Video F 1976 .P84) (Public Television Library)
Discusses whether Puerto Rico should remain a commonwealth or become independent, and whether it could sustain itself economically. Among the persons whose views are presented are author Gordon Lewis, Professor Robert Gandara, Puerto Rican Socialist Party leader Juan Mari Bras and Raquel Robeldo, a woman born in Puerto Rico.
Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon
(198-?, 20 min.) (Video F 1219 .1 .T27 P97)
Filmed on location at Teotihuacan and at the Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City, anthropologists examine the art of ancient Mexico.
Q'eros: Shape of Survival
(1980, 53 min.) (Video F 3430 .1 .Q43 Q47)
Describes life and hardships of the Andean nomads called the Q'eros. Film describes their means of subsistence, their rituals and beliefs, and the pattern of discrimination they have endured.
Quilombo
(1991, 114 min.) (Video HT 1126 .Q55) In Portuguese with English subtitles.
A dramatization which chronicles the Palmares Quilombo, the most famous of the 17th century Brazilian groups of runaway Black slaves. Shows how this self-governing community flourished for several decades under the reign of the legendary chieftain Ganga Zumba.
Recuerdos de mi Barrio
(199-?, 41 min.) (Video F 2291 .C15 R4)
Discusses land settlements and population growth issues in Cali, Colombia, using the barrio El Vergel as a case study.
*Retrato de una Travesia
(1997, 27 min.)
Retrospective documentary history of the photographic work of Jack Delano.
Return to Aguacayo
(1987, 15 min.) (Video HV 640.5 .S24 R48)
Describes Operation Phoenix, a U.S.-aided attack by the Salvadoran army on the civilians of the countryside. Documents the attempt of these civilians to return to their land from refugee camps in San Salvador with the aide of delegates from the U.S. and the National Repopulation Committee.
Revolution in Nicaragua see Crisis in Central America (Frontline Series)
*Rumblings of the Earth: Wifredo Lam, his Work and Words
(1993, 23 min.) (Video ND 305.L3 R86)
Follows Wifredo Lam, an artist from Cuba who was a leader in the Negritude movement and a friend of Picasso, from his student days in Havana through his development as an artist in Europe. Also includes his writings and interviews with authorities on art and Caribbean culture.
Salt of the Earth
(1987, 93 min.) (Video PN 1997 .B533 S25)
Drama depicting the attempt of a New Mexican mining company to break a union strike of underprivileged Mexican and American workers who endeavor to prevent their wives from participation on an equal basis in the strike.
*Le Sang du Condor
(1994, 80 min.) (Video F 2230. 2. K4 S26) In Spanish and Quechua with French subtitles.
A dramatization of an actual incident which involved charges of sterilization of Quechuan Indian women without their consent as part of a birth control program administered by the United States Peace Corps.
School of Assassins
(1994, 18 min.) (On Order)
Documents the work of the U.S. Army's School of the Americas that trains Latin American military officers. Using rarely-seen footage, the program shows how school graduates have been guilty of deaths of tens of thousands of people, including Archbishop Romero of El Salvador. The camera reveals the hidden work of the school and the work of church people, activists, and members of Congress to close down what they call the "School of Assassins."
*Scraps of Life
(1991, 28 min.) (Video HQ 1236.5 C5 S37)
This video presents stories from the mothers, sisters and wives of persons "detained-disappeared" in Chile under President Pinochet. They sew murals out of scraps of fabrics (arpilleras) that record Chile's bloody history.
Sentinels of Silence
(1990, 18 min.) (Video F 1219 .S49)
Shows aerial views of seven archeological sites in Mexico, including stone palaces, deserted temples, pyramid mounds, and elaborate carvings.
*The Silence of Neto
(1998, 106 min.) (Video PN 1997 A456 S55)
Produced entirely in Guatemala and filmed in the colonial city of Antigua, this film tells the story of a young boy's coming of age while his country struggles to preserve democracy amidst CIA cold-war propaganda. Through the eyes of young Neto, the viewer is given an authentic insider's look at the diverse people of Guatemala and the historical events in the mid-1950's that have shaped their destiny.
Sixteenth Century Perceptions of Latin America
(1988, 27 min.) (Video F 1411 .S64)
A revisionist presentation about the encounter of the European and Latin American civilizations. Re-examines the story of the discovery of America from an alternative perspective, attempting to show how perceptions and value judgments contribute to the way a particular situation or event is viewed, and how these biased perceptions can persist for centuries.
A Skirt Full of Butterflies
(1993, 16 min.) (Video F 1221 .Z3 S55)
Tells of five women whose stories are interlaced with scenes of work and the resplendent festivities, music, poetry, and paintings of the Oaxacan region. Shows the value of economic independence, community, friendship, cultural pride, and respect for women's contributions.
*The Spirit of Kuna Yala
(1991, 59 min.) (Video F 1565.2 C8 S65)
Documentary portrait of a native people attempting to survive the encroachment of the western world. Features the Kuna Indians of Panama's San Blas Islands, their traditions, and their rainforest homeland, Kuna Yala.
Stand and Deliver
(1988, 103 min.) (Video LD 7501 .L73 S73)
Story of Jaime Escalante, a math teacher at East Los Angeles Garfield High School, who refuses to write off his inner city students as losers. Escalante pushes and inspires 18 struggling students to become math whizzes.
Standoff in Mexico
(1986, 60 min.) (Video JL 1298 .A5 P37) (PBS Frontline)
Examines the two political parties in Mexico, the PAN and the PRI.
El Super
(1989, 80 min.) (Video PQ 7390 .A264 S87)
A tale of Cuban exiles living in a basement apartment during a snowy winter in New York. El Super is Roberto, a superintendent, who dreams of his warm and friendly homeland and stubbornly refuses to assimilate into the new culture.
Sweet Fresh Water
(1984, 55 min.) (Video F 2546 .S93)
The world's largest river system, the Amazon, is followed by David Attenborough from its source in the Peruvian Andes to its huge coastal delta in Brazil.
*That Old Gang of Mine: El Barrio Remembered
(1996, 56 min.) (Video F 128.9 P85 T43)
Documentary program on growing up in New York city's El Barrio in the late 1940's and 1950's, set against that neighborhood as it exists today.
Todos Santos: the Survivors
(1989, 58 min.) (Video F 1465 .3 .S6 T63) In English and Spanish with English voice-over translation and subtitles.
Documents the changes wrought by guerrilla warfare and government reprisal in the Indian village of Todos Santos Cuchumatan, in the Guatemalan highlands, since the documentary of that name was made in 1979.
Transnational Fiesta
(1992, 60 min.) (Video E 184 .P47 T73)
Documents the experiences of a family of Peruvian Andean immigrants living in Washington, DC, who return to Peru to sponsor the annual patron saint fiesta. Examines the complexities of the culture, religious syncretism, inter-ethnic marriages, migration and racism. Also follows the immigrants back to the U.S. where they constantly "discover" and reinvent their plural identities (Cabaneno, Andean, Peruvian, Latino and American) in their daily lives as nannies, janitors, college students, etc., and in special events sponsored by the Cabaneno.
Tres Mujeres
(1975, 29 min.) (Video F 128 .9 .P85 T74) (Public Television Library)
A documentary on the lives of three generations of Puerto Rican women in New York. The focus is on the mother-daughter relationship and how it deeply touches all women.
*Trinkets & Beads
(1996, 53 min.) (Video F 3722.1 H83 T75)
Documents the lives of the Huaorani, a small tribe of Ecuadorian Indians who, after twenty years of pressure from foreign oil companies, agreed to allow oil drilling on their land. Focuses on the introduction of massive environmental pollution and cultural exchange, and the tribe’s subsequent efforts to regain control of their lives and lands.
* The U.S. - Mexican War, 1846 - 1848
(1998, 4 hrs on 2 videocassettes) (Video E404 .U653 & E404 .U654)
What began as a territorial dispute between two neighbors ultimately grew into a war that changed the destinies of both nations forever. This landmark documentary series brings to life the stories of the U.S.-Mexican War, its causes, its people and its legacy. After 16 months of fierce fighting, the U.S.gained almost half of Mexico's land, what is today the Southwest from Texas to California. This series, one of the first comprehensive documentaries to examine this very significant conflict, marks the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Mexican War.
Uncommon Poet : Octavio Paz
(1978, 29 min.) (Video PQ 7297 .P285 U53)
An interview with Paz that sheds light on his life as a poet and political activist for Mexico. Paz explains his philosophy and the influences that helped shape his poetry.
Under the Volcano
(1985, 112 min.) (Video PR 6093 .O96 U5)
Based on the novel by Malcolm Lowry. A drama, set in pre-World War II Mexico, about a dissolute Consul who misses his wife and drowns his sorrow in tequila. In spite of his drunkenness, he is all too aware of the threat of Nazism that is about to explode.
Villa El Salvador
(1989, 50 min.) (Video HN 350 .V55 V55)
Tells the story of Peru's Villa El Salvador, one of Latin America's best organized squatter settlements.
Viva Zapata
(1988, 114 min.) (Video PN 1997 .K39 V58)
Emiliano Zapata, an ally of Pancho Villa, leads the Mexican peasants in a bloody revolt against an oppressive government.
Voice of the Amazon
(1989, 57 min.) (Video SD 418.3 .B73)
Through interviews and documentary footage, examines the grass-roots environmental movement in Brazil. Focuses on Chico Mendes, a rubber tapper and environmentalist who was assassinated in 1988 for trying to protect the rain forest.
The War in El Cedro
(1987, 50 min.) (Video F 1528 .W368)
Ten members of the Veterans Peace Action Team go to the village of El Cedro, Nicaragua, in June 1987 to help rebuild a health clinic destroyed by the Contras. The documentary shows their struggles to come to grips with their own conflicts about patriotism, American foreign policy, and memories of their own participation in war.
War on Nicaragua
(1987, 58 min.) (Video F 1528 .W37) (PBS Frontline)
Discusses America's policies that led to the trail of arms and money to support the war in Nicaragua. Shows the effect of the war on the people, their views and the attitude of the Nicaraguan government towards the war. Also comments on events that led to the Iran Contra Affair.
Will War End in Central America?
(1987, 29 min.) (Video F 1439 .5 .W55) (America's Defense Monitor, CS. 7)
Discusses wars in Central America and how they might be concluded.
Witness to War
(1985, 30 min.) (Video R 154 .C54 W58)
Documents the career of Charlie Clements, an Air Force pilot whose Vietnamese War experiences convinced him that he had to build a new career as a physician, so that he could heal instead of kill. Focuses particularly on his work as a doctor in El Salvador during that country's conflict with Honduras in 1969.
*Women of Latin America
(1997, 60 min.) (Video HQ 1460.5 W629)
This series looks at Latin America through its women. Some of them transport drugs across borders, fight in rebel armies, bear children in poverty, search for sons and daughters who have vanished during political oppression, and generally bear the burden of living a third-world existence. Other women, teachers, engineers, deputies, ministers and even a president, contribute their stories. But it also shows the struggle against great odds to survive racial and class discrimination, revolution, political injustice and chronic economic instability.
World of a Primitive Painter: Jose Antonio Valasquez
(1972, 20 min.) (Video ND 281 .V45 W67)
This program examines the work of Jose Antonio Velasquez, a Honduran primitive painter, placing his art against the background of the town in which he lives and works.
The Yankee Years see Crisis in Central America (Frontline Series)
*Yo soy hechicero
(1997, 48 min.) (Video BF 1573 Y6)
Shows Juan Eduardo Nuñuz, a Cuban refugee who leads a religious congregation in a backyard garden shed in a subdivision near Atlantic City, New Jersey. His neopagan religious cult deals in spirit possession, animal sacrifice, mythic storytelling and physical healing. Juan Eduardo's wife, a Pentecostal, claims that her husband is an instrument of Satan.
Yo Soy Pablo Neruda
(1967, 30 min.) (Video PQ 8097 .N4 Y55) In English, with some lines of poetry read in Spanish by Neruda.
Examines the career and literary output of Pablo Neruda, who made his home at Isla Negra on the coast of Chile. Includes views of Neruda reading his poems in the locales which inspired them.
Zoot Suit
(1991, 104 min.) (Video PS 3572 .A387 Z34)
A group of Mexican-Americans are unjustly sent to San Quentin for the death of a man at Sleepy Lagoon. Based on an actual case and zoot suit riots of the 1940s in Los Angeles.
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