1952. As The Mambo Kings, they soon get club bookings and Cesar falls in love with sharp-tongued cigarette girl Lanna Lake (Cathy Moriarty), and Nestor falls for the beautiful Delores Fuentes (Maruschka Detmers), who wants to be a teacher. Through his memories, Cesar relives the vitality of the 1950s mambo scene. While Cesar revels in the fame and the adoration of the women, Nestor increasingly finds himself mourning his homeland and lost love. The production cancelled plans to open on Broadway theatre after a critically panned tryout engagement in San Francisco.[40]. 1h 44m, Sound Mix: the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Directors Arne Glimcher Starring Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty Genres Drama, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture Subtitles Terms and Policies [10] Annabella Sciorra was originally cast as Delores, but left the production due to a scheduling conflict. They are as different as the problems that await them. By what name was The Mambo Kings (1992) officially released in India in English? Antonio Banderas co-stars with Armand Assante in this romantic, music-filled epic of two Cuban brothers who come to New York City during the mambo craze of the 1950s.Antonio Banderas. See production, box office & company info, Siskel & Ebert: Memoirs of an Invisible Man/Under Suspicion/The Mambo Kings/This Is My Life, Tower Theatre - 802 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA. In some ways this story is as old as the movies, but "The Mambo Kings" is so filled with energy, passion and heedless vitality that it seems new, anyway. The story's themes of cultural fusion . Coming Soon. Nestor, in the meantime, remains oblivious to other women while continually composing his ode to his lost Cuban love, Maria. [4] Costume designer Ann Roth used vintage textiles to create the custom-made wardrobe. [5] Both actors had received critical acclaim for their respective performances in the 1990 films Reversal of Fortune and Goodfellas, and the studio felt that they would appeal to a wide audience. The film stars Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas as the Castillo brothers, musicians who are fairly well known on the local club circuit but find it prudent to leave Havana hastily after making enemies of the wrong people. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! We perform a myriad of conferences, weddings and private events, and open-air concerts each year. [26] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the film's "story is as old as the movies, but The Mambo Kings is so filled with energy, passion and heedless vitality that it seems new, anyway". Please wait while we process your payment. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Perez Prado And His Orchestra Mambo By The King 10" 33 1/2 Rpm Mono Rca LPM 3108 at the best online prices at eBay! the Mambo Kings We perform a myriad of conferences, weddings and private events, and open-air concerts each year. [39] The Mambo Kings premiered at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, California, opening on May 31, 2005. The Mambo Kings - Actors and actress. Dont have an account? They form a band and enjoy modest success, playing dance halls, nightclubs . I thought of Cathy's life, and I thought of how it worked for the character as well". Cesar convinces Nestor to move to New York City with him, where they hope to revive their music careers playing the downtown clubs. [5], Principal photography commenced on March 18, 1991. I wanted a character who had lived, who had scars, who had beauty and dignity. As The Mambo Kings, they soon get club bookings and Cesar falls in love with sharp-tongued cigarette girl Lanna Lake (Cathy Moriarty), and Nestor falls for the beautiful Delores Fuentes (Maruschka Detmers), who wants to be a teacher. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. [1] Shortly after, Universal dropped the film due to budget disputes. After a pleasant evening in Nestor and Delores's home, Arnaz invites the struggling Castillos to sing and act on an episode of his sitcom series, I Love Lucy. They are as different as the problems that await them. Delores pays him a visit and asks him to sing "Beautiful Maria of My Soul". The first-time director, New York art dealer Arne Glimcher, based his film on the Pulitzer Price-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos. Tap the Add button in the upper right corner. Two Cuban brothers bring a new music to the 1950s USA. When the project moved to Universal Pictures, Glimcher tried to convince the studio's president Tom Pollock to financially back it with a low budget. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Available [1][5] To prepare for the role, Arnaz, Jr. dyed his hair black and wore an ID bracelet, ring and pin, all of which had belonged to his father: "I wasn't trying to look exactly like him. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that changed the landscape of American . With only a couple of exceptions, the tracks were cut specially for the film and as such, add a novel, accurately reflecting the Cuban music sound of the 1950s. Free shipping for many products! [31] Vincent Canby of The New York Times, gave the film a negative review, writing, "there are times when the director doesn't even seem to know where to put the camera. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. The Mambo Kings Summary Artist Profile Watch/Listen Scott Speck conductor From the sultry melancholy of Astor Piazzola and the burning Afro Cuban jazz of Tito Puente, to the rhythmic playfulness of jazz great Dave Brubeck and the pop strains of The Beatles, Mambo Kings will be your guide on a Latin jazz tour of the Pan American experience. Discount, Discount Code [13], Desson Howe of The Washington Post wrote a mixed review, writing that the film is "beautifully filmed and flashily edited", but that it "has nothing to offer". Factory workers by day, by night they are passionate musicians, filling the dance clubs with their songs of love as they desperately pursue their big break. The characters were supposed to be Cuban, but, with the exception of salsa star Celia Cruz, none sounded it". Nestor's love ballad captures the interest of one of the customers, who turns out to be the Cuban bandleader and American television star Desi Arnaz. The Castillo brothers were gifted musicians, and when they arrived in New York the city was in the midst of a mambo craze. Banderas learned his lines phonetically and worked with a dialect coach during pre-production and filming. In the early 1950s, Cuban brothers and musicians Cesar and Nestor Castillo flee from Havana, Cuba after getting into a violent dispute with the mobster owners of a club where they performed. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Cesar suppresses his true feelings, believing that a woman like Delores would actually be perfect for him. Coming Soon, Regal Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The director felt that Assante had brought both charm and seductiveness to the role of Cesar, and the studio relented. The Mambo Kings Directed by Arne Glimcher; screenplay by Cynthia Cidre, based on the novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" by Oscar Hijuelos; director of photography, Michael Ballhaus;. Scenes from Cesars life tell the story of how he and his brother, Nestor, left Cuba in the early 1950s and immigrated to New York City. [35], The song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" received a Best Original Song nomination at the 65th Academy Awards. The Mambo Kings Drama 1992 1 hr 43 min English audio R Antonio Banderas ("Philadelphia," "Interview with the Vampire") makes his American film debut co-starring with Armand Assante ("Private. and an alternate version of "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" performed by Banderas and Compay Segundo. But after they're discovered by Desi Arnaz (Desi Arnaz Jr.), the group is prominently featured on "I Love Lucy." Assante, who last played a Puerto Rican drug dealer in "Q & A," here makes a virtue of sleek machismo, and his assurance in a scene where he glides Detmers onto the dance floor is the kind of romantic scene the movies loved in the 1940s, but have been shy about in recent years. 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Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Be the first to contribute. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. Cesar Castillo: In the name of the Mambo, the Rumba, and the Cha cha cha. And it depends on the strong personalities of Assante, a greatly underrated actor who seems to specialize in ethnic characters, and Banderas, the Spanish star of several Pedro Almodovar films. Continue to start your free trial. [14] Tito Puente praised the film prior to its theatrical release: "I've seen the movie twice, and I loved it the second time. When it was first published in 1989, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love became an international bestselling sensation, winning rave reviews and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Coming Soon. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. He reveals to Nestor that Maria left him for a Cuban mobster in exchange for cancelling a contract hit against Nestor. Premiered at the same time Cuban brothers bring a New music to the role of,! 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