It used to be that any major motion picture produced in the United States was in English only, even when its characters should have been speaking some other language. That's still true, but there is some hope we might hear more foreign languages in upcoming films. The prevalent use of Spanish a few years ago didn't hurt Traffic (reviewed here), and this spring's blockbuster, The Passion of the Christ, was performed in Latin and Aramaic. Now today, there's another major film being released in the United States that has a fair amount of Spanish in it: The Alamo.
The Alamo, of course, is based on a historical event, and the producers chose to have some of its key dialog in Spanish in order to add realism. Although the story is told from a mostly American point of view, the Mexicans aren't ignored. The role of Géneral Antonio López de Santa Anna is played by Emilio Echavarría, well known in his native Mexico. He has appeared in about a dozen Mexican films, including two that found some success in the U.S. art-film circuit: Amores perros and Y tu mamá también.
By the way, it is unknown why the general spelled the last part of his name Anna instead of Ana, which would be the normal Spanish spelling. In Mexico these days, the name is seen spelled both ways.
The film was also released in Mexico this week. Press reports said the film was getting uneven reaction, as many moviegoers were saying they didn't feel that Santa Anna and some other Mexican characters were portrayed fairly.
The Alamo, of course, is based on a historical event, and the producers chose to have some of its key dialog in Spanish in order to add realism. Although the story is told from a mostly American point of view, the Mexicans aren't ignored. The role of Géneral Antonio López de Santa Anna is played by Emilio Echavarría, well known in his native Mexico. He has appeared in about a dozen Mexican films, including two that found some success in the U.S. art-film circuit: Amores perros and Y tu mamá también.
By the way, it is unknown why the general spelled the last part of his name Anna instead of Ana, which would be the normal Spanish spelling. In Mexico these days, the name is seen spelled both ways.
The film was also released in Mexico this week. Press reports said the film was getting uneven reaction, as many moviegoers were saying they didn't feel that Santa Anna and some other Mexican characters were portrayed fairly.
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