''The Children of Sanchez'' is a 1978 Mexican-American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

based on the book with the same title by

Oscar Lewis Oscar Lewis, born Lefkowitz (December 25, 1914 – December 16, 1970) was an American anthropologist. He is best known for his vivid depictions of the lives of slum dwellers and his argument that a cross-generational culture of poverty transcends ...

. The film was entered into the

11th Moscow International Film Festival The 11th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 14 to 28 August 1979. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian-French film '' Christ Stopped at Eboli'' directed by Francesco Rosi, the Spanish film '' Siete días de enero'' directed ...

. The movie's well-known soundtrack, titled '' Children of Sanchez'', was created by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician

Chuck Mangione Charles Frank Mangione ( ; born November 29, 1940) is an American flugelhorn player, voice actor, trumpeter and composer. He came to prominence as a member of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, and later co-led the Jazz Brothers with his brother, ...

. Its opening song won the

Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...

for that year.

Plot

The film chronicles the life of Mr. Sanchez (

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

) and his struggles with the

culture of poverty The culture of poverty is a concept in social theory that asserts that the values of people experiencing poverty play a significant role in perpetuating their impoverished condition, sustaining a cycle of poverty across generations. It attracted ...

around him. A

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

ed farmer, he cares for his family in a marginal area of

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. While being a hard worker who feels the duty to financially support his family, he is still an aggressive, domineering man and a

womanizer Womanizer may refer to: * "Womanizer" (term), a promiscuous heterosexual man * "Womanizer" (song), a 2008 song by Britney Spears * "Womanizer", a 1977 song by Blood, Sweat & Tears from '' Brand New Day'' * ''Womanizer'', a 2004 album by Absolute ...

. His main conflict is with his daughter, Consuelo (

Lupita Ferrer Lupita Ferrer (born December 6, 1947) is a Venezuelan theater, film and television actress. She is known as a "Queen" of telenovelas and one of the most famous Spanish speaking telenovela actresses of all time. Biography Ferrer was born as Yola ...

), a rebellious girl who attempts to break free from her father. She strives to escape her role of dutiful daughter and pursue her own dreams. Consuelo likes to talk with her

grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetics, ge ...

(

Dolores del Río María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete (3 August 1904 – 11 April 1983), known professionally as Dolores del Río (), was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin Am ...

), who secretly advises her to find a man and get married. This is the only way that she, an uneducated poor woman, can escape her father.

Reception

Among those in attendance at the film's American premiere, which was held on November 16, 1978, were

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

and

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; née Smith; born August 18, 1927) is an American writer and activist who served as First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981 as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. For decades, she has been a leading advocate ...

, both of whom were greeted by performers Ferrer and Quinn as well as director Bartlett. Quinn himself escorted the President and the First Lady to their seats. All proceeds went to the

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national non-profit civil rights organization formed in 1968 by Jack Greenberg to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States."MALDEF" entry in ''Los Angeles A to Z: An E ...

. The musical score for the film was written by

and won a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

. The film's title song was also written by Mangione and earned him a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Cast

as Jesús Sánchez *

as Grandma Paquita *

Katy Jurado María Cristina Estela Marcela Jurado García (16 January 1924 – 5 July 2002), known professionally as Katy Jurado, was a Mexican actress. Jurado began her acting career in Mexico during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. In 1951, she was rec ...

as Chata *

as Consuelo Sánchez *

Lucia Mendez Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...

as Martha Sanchez *

Josefina Echanove Josefina is a female name, a feminine form of Joseph. It may refer to: *Josefina Passadori, Argentine writer * Josefina Lopez, Chicana playwright * Josefina Pla, Spanish poet, playwright, art critic, painter and journalist *Josefina Ayerza, writer ...

as Lupe *

Patricia Reyes Spindola Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United State ...

as Paula's sister *

Stathis Giallelis Stathis Giallelis ( el, Στάθης Γιαλελής; born January 21, 1941) is a Greek actor. He won brief international renown in the early 1960s as the star of Elia Kazan's Academy Award-nominated epic ''America America'', a role which broug ...

as Roberto *

Sergio Calderón Sergio Calderón (July 21, 1945 – May 31, 2023) was a Mexican-born American actor known for his roles in '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'', ''Men in Black'', and '' The Ruins''. Biography Calderón was born in Coatlán del Río, ...

as Alberto

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Children of Sanchez, The 1978 films 1978 drama films American drama films Mexican drama films Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Hall Bartlett 1970s English-language films 1970s American films 1970s Mexican films

Plot

Reception

Cast

See also

References

External links