La Bamba (film)

La Bamba
La Bamba
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Luis Valdez
Written by	Luis Valdez
Based on	Ritchie Valens; The Day the Music Died;
Produced by	Taylor Hackford; Bill Borden
Starring	Esai Morales; Rosanna DeSoto; Elizabeth Peña; Joe Pantoliano; Lou Diamond Phillips;
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg
Edited by	Sheldon Kahn; Don Brochu
Music by	Carlos Santana; Miles Goodman
Production; company	New Visions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	July 24, 1987 (United States);
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6.5 million
Box office	$54.2 million

La Bamba is a 1987 American biographical drama film written and directed by Luis Valdez. The film follows the life and short-lived musical career of American Chicano rock and roll star Ritchie Valens.^[1]^[2]^[3] The film stars Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens, Esai Morales, Rosanna DeSoto, Elizabeth Peña, Danielle von Zerneck and Joe Pantoliano. The film also covers the effect that Valens' career had on the lives of his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig, and the rest of his family. The film is titled after a traditional Mexican folk song of the same name, which Valens transformed into a rock and roll rendition in 1958.

In 2017, La Bamba was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures added to the National Film Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and recommended for preservation.^[4]^[5]

^ Machado, Yolanda (May 3, 2021). "'La Bamba' and the Lives It Changed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ "Revisiting La Bamba, the Ritchie Valens Biopic That Underscores the Myth of the American Dream". Pitchfork. August 27, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ "How true is the movie La Bamba?". Cement Answers. September 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
^ "2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

[1] Machado, Yolanda (May 3, 2021). "'La Bamba' and the Lives It Changed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 9, 2022.

[2] "Revisiting La Bamba, the Ritchie Valens Biopic That Underscores the Myth of the American Dream". Pitchfork. August 27, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2022.

[3] "How true is the movie La Bamba?". Cement Answers. September 9, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2022.

[4] "2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

[5] "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.

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