''Chulas Fronteras'' is a 1976 American
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...
which tells the story of the
norteño or
conjunto
The term ''conjunto'' (, literally 'group', 'ensemble') refers to several types of small musical ensembles present in different Latin American musical traditions, mainly in Mexico and Cuba. While Mexican conjuntos play styles such as '' norteño' ...
music which is played on both sides of the Mexico–
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
border. It was directed by
Les Blank
Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians.
Life and career
Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935 in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...
. A
CD soundtrack of the music played in the film is also available, under the same title.
In 1993, this film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...
by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
References
External links
*''Chulas Fronteras'' essa
by David Wilt at National Film Registry
*''Chulas Fronteras'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 735-73
*
Rotten TomatoesOfficial website
{{Authority control
1976 films
1976 documentary films
American documentary films
Documentary films about music and musicians
Films directed by Les Blank
Regional styles of Mexican music
Norteño (music)
1970s Spanish-language films
United States National Film Registry films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films