The Mambo Kings

The Mambo Kings is a 1992 musical drama film based on the 1989 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos. The film was directed and produced by Arne Glimcher, and stars Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty and Maruschka Detmers. Set in the early 1950s, the story follows Cesar (Assante) and Nestor Castillo (Banderas), brothers and aspiring musicians who find success and stardom after fleeing from Havana, Cuba to New York City to escape danger. The film marks Glimcher's directing debut, and features Banderas in his first English-language role.

Glimcher acquired the film rights one year before the novel was published and hired Cynthia Cidre to write the script. The film was rejected by several studios, and after an unsuccessful pre-production at Universal Pictures, the project moved to Warner Bros. The production was allocated a budget of $15.5 million jointly financed by Warner Bros., Le Studio Canal+ and Regency Enterprises. The film was shot on location in Los Angeles, California, with principal photography beginning in March 1991, and concluding after 50 days.

The Mambo Kings premiered at the Miami International Film Festival on February 7, 1992. It opened in limited release on February 28, 1992, and grossed $6.7 million during its North American theatrical run. Critical reaction was mostly positive, with reviewers praising Glimcher's direction, the story, music and visuals. The film received Oscar, Golden Globe Award and Grammy nominations for its original song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul".

Plot

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. Eventually ending up in New York City, the brothers work at menial jobs while attempting to revive their musical careers. At a nightclub where Cesar briefly crashes the act of mambo star Tito Puente, they make new friends and connections, as well as meeting cigarette girl Lanna Lake, who falls quickly into a love affair with Cesar.

Nestor, in the meantime, remains oblivious to other women while continually composing his ode to his lost Cuban love, Maria Rivera. He writes version after version of the same ballad, "Beautiful Maria of My Soul", until by chance one day he encounters Delores Fuentes, a shy but attentive young woman who wishes to become a schoolteacher. When she becomes pregnant, they decide to get married.

Fate intervenes one night at a club, where the Castillo brothers have a part-time job. 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. 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.

Fame does not last, however. Nestor is not as ambitious as his brother and desires nothing more than to own his own small club. He is in love with Delores, but lacks the passion he felt for his beloved Maria back home. Cesar suppresses his true feelings, believing that a woman like Delores would actually be perfect for him. He reveals to Nestor that Maria left him for a Cuban mobster Luis Fajardo in exchange for cancelling a contract hit against Nestor. One snowy night, the Castillo brothers' car veers off the road and into a tree. Cesar, in the back seat of the vehicle, is barely hurt, but Nestor, who was driving the vehicle, is killed. To honor his brother's memory, a devastated Cesar opens his own small club. Delores pays him a visit and asks him to sing "Beautiful Maria of My Soul".

Production

Development

Arne Glimcher, an art dealer based in New York City and a fan of mambo music, learned that his longtime friend Oscar Hijuelos was writing a novel relating to the latter subject. After reading a manuscript of Hijuelos's novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, Glimcher purchased the film rights in 1988, one year before the book was published.<ref name="NYTimes2" /><ref name="TCM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="HotNewMovie1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also appointed himself as director, believing that he was the only person capable of successfully adapting the book to film.<ref name="WellConnected1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Glimcher later hired Cuban-born screenwriter Cynthia Cidre to write the film adaptation.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> Cidre spent eighteen months working on the screenplay, and after 24 drafts, she had stripped the story down to cover only half of Hijuelos's 407-page book.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> While the book spans several decades, events in the film take place from 1952 to 1955.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="HotNewMovie1" />

Various studios rejected the film, resulting in Glimcher paying the crew's salaries with his own money. 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. Before production could begin, Pollock insisted that footage from the television series I Love Lucy be a key part of the film.<ref name="NYTimes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following Lucille Ball's death in 1989, Glimcher contacted her children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr., requesting the rights to use footage from the television series, but was denied by the two siblings.<ref name="AFINotes" /> Shortly after, Universal dropped the film due to budget disputes.<ref name="NYTimes" /> In 1990, Glimcher wrote a letter to Arnaz, Jr., asking that he reconsider, and the two men reached an agreement.<ref name="AFINotes"/> The project was picked up by Warner Bros. after Glimcher met with the studio's president Terry Semel. Semel then introduced Glimcher to producer Arnon Milchan, whose production company Regency Enterprises agreed to co-finance the film with Warner Bros. and France's Le Studio Canal+,<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="NYTimes" /> with the German-based studio Alcor Films enlisted as a co-producer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Casting

Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas were Glimcher's ideal choices for the roles of Cesar and Nestor Castillo. Assante had appeared in a number of films but had not yet broken out as a major star. Banderas, an established Spanish actor, had moved to Los Angeles, California,<ref name="DailyBeast" /> hoping to make an international debut with his first English speaking role. Warner Bros. wanted to cast Jeremy Irons as Cesar and Ray Liotta as Nestor.<ref name="TCM" /> 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.<ref name="TCM" /> Through a translator, Glimcher told Banderas to work on improving his English for one month before performing a screen test opposite Irons. Banderas learned his lines phonetically and worked with a dialect coach during pre-production and filming.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="DailyBeast">Template:Cite news</ref> Although Warner Bros. loved Irons's screen test, Glimcher thought he was wrong for the part and insisted on Assante. The director felt that Assante had brought both charm and seductiveness to the role of Cesar, and the studio relented.<ref name="TCM" />

Cathy Moriarty was the only actress that Glimcher considered for the role of Lanna Lake, based on her performance in Raging Bull (1980),<ref name="TCM" /><ref name="Spotlight">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> where he explained that decision: "I wanted a woman rather than a girl. I wanted a character who had lived, who had scars, who had beauty and dignity. I thought of Cathy's life, and I thought of how it worked for the character as well".<ref name="Spotlight" /> Annabella Sciorra was originally cast as Delores Fuentes, but left the production due to a scheduling conflict. The role then went to Dutch actress Maruschka Detmers, who was cast just two weeks prior to filming. Detmers appears in her American film debut.<ref name="TCM" /><ref name="HotNewMovie2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In securing the rights to use footage from I Love Lucy, Glimcher convinced Desi Arnaz, Jr. to portray his late father Desi Arnaz.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="TCM" /> 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. It was more about getting his essence and mannerisms".<ref name="TCM" /> In an effort to re-create the mambo world of the 1950s, Glimcher cast musicians Tito Puente and Celia Cruz in supporting roles.<ref name="TCM" />

Filming

Principal photography commenced on March 18, 1991. The film was made with a budget of $15.5 million, and shot on location in Los Angeles, California, which doubled for scenes set in a 1950s-era New York City.<ref name="NYTimes2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cinematographer Michael Ballhaus shot the film using Arriflex 535 cameras.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For the film's visual style, production designer Stuart Wurtzel was influenced by 1950s photographs and the 1955 film Mambo Madness.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> Costume designer Ann Roth used vintage textiles to create the custom-made wardrobe.<ref name="Goodwin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The production first shot scenes at Ren-Mar Studios, the former site of Desilu Productions.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="CTribune">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The location was used to recreate the living room and Tropicana nightclub sets from I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball's appearance from the 1952 episode "Cuban Pals" was intercut with the newly shot footage.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="TCM" /> The Ambassador Hotel was used to recreate the Palladium Ballroom, a former New York City concert hall.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> The Embassy Theatre in downtown Los Angeles depicted a nightclub known as Club Babalu, while the Tower Theatre doubled for scenes set in the fictional Empire Ballroom.<ref name="AFINotes" /> A meat-packaging plant in Vernon was used for scenes set in the Castillo brothers' workplace. The filmmakers also shot scenes in San Marino, where Lacy Park doubled for scenes set in New York City's Central Park. Scenes set in Mexico were shot on location in Westward Beach in Malibu.<ref name="AFINotes" /> Principal photography concluded after 50 days of filming.<ref name="WellConnected3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music and soundtrack

Template:See also Assante and Banderas did their own singing, and studied to master the instruments their characters use in the film.<ref name="TCM" /> Assante practiced on drums, preparing for a scene in which his character plays a musical number with Tito Puente. Banderas worked to mimic the correct posture and finger placements for his character's trumpet performances, while the actual playing was performed by Arturo Sandoval.<ref name="TCM" /> Executive music producer Robert Kraft used existing music from the 1950s, all of which had to be re-recorded, as they were originally recorded in mono sound.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> The song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" was written for the film, with lyrics by Glimcher and music composed by Kraft.<ref name="NYTimes2" />

The original soundtrack album was released in 1991 by Elektra Records. It features a number of original master recordings, re-recorded tracks and mambo-themed songs performed by Sandoval, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz.<ref name="NYTimes2" /> The soundtrack was re-released on February 1, 2000, and features a remix of the Puente song "Ran Kan Kan" performed by Olga Tañón. and an alternate version of "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" performed by Banderas and Compay Segundo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A remastered version of the soundtrack was released on June 30, 2017, by the record label Varèse Sarabande.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> AllMusic's Al Campbell awarded the soundtrack four stars out of five and praised it for "providing an excellent introduction to Latin music".<ref name="AllMusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Release

Warner Bros. originally planned a theatrical release on December 25, 1991<ref name ="Barrios">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but it was pushed back due to post-production delays.<ref name="AFINotes" /> The Mambo Kings premiered at the Miami International Film Festival on February 7, 1992<ref name="DeseretNews">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> before opening in limited release on February 28, 1992.<ref name="AFINotes" /><ref name="BOMojo1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The film expanded to 185 screens on March 13, 1992.<ref name="AFINotes" /> By the end of its theatrical run, The Mambo Kings grossed $6,742,168 in North America,<ref name="BOMojo1" /> well below its $15.5 million budget.<ref name="NYTimes" /> The film was released on VHS and laserdisc on September 2, 1992,<ref name="Timesvideo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Homevideo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and on DVD on August 17, 2005.<ref name ="DVD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The DVD includes an unrated version of the film that restores a deleted scene. Other features include a behind-the-scenes featurette and an audio commentary by Glimcher.<ref name ="IGN">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical response

The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes sampled 29 reviews, and gave the film a score of 79%, with an average score of 6.6 out of 10.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The film received mostly positive reviews.<ref name="TCM" /> Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that the film "runs on pure emotion", and "celebrates the mysterious power of a music that can make you feel like dancing and bring you to your knees".<ref name ="Rolling Stone">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref name="RogerEbert">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ebert and his colleague, Gene Siskel, gave the film a "Two Thumbs Up" rating on their syndicated television program, Siskel and Ebert and the Movies.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> Rita Kempley of The Washington Post praised the film's director, writing that "Glimcher shows an epicure's taste in his choice of both cast and crew. The look of The Mambo Kings is doubtless richer than the text, which is, however, strengthened by Glimcher's nostalgia for the teenage, eager America of the 1950s".<ref name ="KempleyPost">Template:Cite news</ref> Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The Mambo Kings is most fun when it practically dares you to swoon. It's a movie you don't have to believe to enjoy".<ref name ="EWeekly">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Betty Goodwin of the Los Angeles Times praised the film's visual style: "The innocence of the pre-MTV '50s mambo scene is expressed through meticulously real details and honest styling".<ref name ="Goodwin" />

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".<ref name ="HowePost">Template:Cite news</ref> 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. Scenes unravel without dramatic point. No amount of breathless editing and fancy graphics can disguise the amateur nature of the enterprise".<ref name ="CanbyTimes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In The Philadelphia Inquirer, Roger E. Hernandez criticized the film for its portrayal of Cubans. Hernandez wrote: "The main problem here was the accents. The characters were supposed to be Cuban, but, with the exception of salsa star Celia Cruz, none sounded it".<ref name ="Philly">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times criticized Glimcher's direction, writing in his review, "...when it comes to directing dramatic sequences, he is on his own and lacking in resources to make what drama there is come to a coherent or meaningful point".<ref name ="Turan">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Desi Arnaz Jr. voiced his support of the film, stating that he and his sister Lucie Arnaz, "loved the story being told in this movie". Arnaz, Jr. said: "It is an amazing saga of people in search of the American dream. It is my father's story. It is the story of many people who came to this country with hopes and dreams".<ref name="CTribune" /> Tito Puente praised the film prior to its theatrical release: "I've seen the movie twice, and I loved it the second time. The first time I couldn't get into it. I was watching for too many details, I guess. But now I've seen it a second time, and I think it's great".<ref name ="ElRey">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Accolades

The song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" received a Best Original Song nomination at the 65th Academy Awards.<ref name="Oscars1993">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also nominated at the 50th Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song,<ref name="GoldenGlobes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television category. The film received a second Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television for the song "Mambo Caliente" which was composed by Arturo Sandoval.<ref name ="LATimesMusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
35th Grammy Awards<ref name ="LATimesMusic" />	Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television	Arne Glimcher and Robert Kraft for "Beautiful Maria of My Soul"	Template:Nom
	Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television	Arturo Sandoval for "Mambo Caliente"	Template:Nom
50th Golden Globe Awards<ref name="GoldenGlobes" />	Best Original Song	Arne Glimcher and Robert Kraft for "Beautiful Maria of My Soul"	Template:Nom
65th Academy Awards<ref name="Oscars1993" />	Best Original Song	Arne Glimcher and Robert Kraft for "Beautiful Maria of My Soul"	Template:Nom

Stage play

The Mambo Kings inspired a musical stage play of the same name in 2005. It was produced by Daryl Roth and Jordan Roth, with lyrics by Arne Glimcher and music by Carlos Franzetti.<ref name="Playbill">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Mambo Kings premiered at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, California, opening on May 31, 2005.<ref name ="Playbill" /> The stage version featured Esai Morales and Jaime Camil as Cesar and Nestor Castillo, with supporting performers including Christiane Noll, David Alan Grier, Cote de Pablo, Albita and Justina Machado. The production cancelled plans to open on Broadway after a critically panned tryout engagement in San Francisco.<ref name ="NYBid">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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