60 years ago today, the music world was in mourning over the sudden and tragic deaths of Buddy Holly, JP Richardson, and Ritchie Valens, just hours after a performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
February 3, 1959 is historically referred to as “The Day the Music Died,” and is represented in the final scene of the 1987 biographical piece “La Bamba.”
Filmmaker Luis Valdez wanted to tell the story of the short life of Ritchie Valens, the Mexican-American rock star (born Ricardo Valenzuela) who had a historically fast rise to the top of the music charts in the summer of 1958 and an equally sad end to his promising career just eight months later.
In his debut starring role, Lou Diamond Phillips plays the iconic musician, and does so in a way that seems true to the real life Valens (with no actual comparison being present). In the decades before smart phones, the internet, and universal camera and video use, names like Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly are almost mythical characters.
What we know is that Valens loved making music, plain and simple. He was a true artist, opting to choose his own style over friends and money. He came from an impoverished family, and Phillips demonstrates the innocence of the man in a perfect way.
Luis Valdez mixes the musical aspect of the story with Valens’ family relationships, in particular the bond he shares with his older half-brother, Bob (Esai Morales). The scenes between the brothers are some of the best parts of the film, with Bob envious of younger Ritchie’s success at times, but always being the loving older brother. It gives the right amount of humanity to the character, making him an actual person other than just some guy who sings songs we all know.
At its onset, Ritchie is just a typical high school student. He falls for a classmate (Danielle von Zerneck) who becomes the fodder for his hit song ‘Donna’ to his chilling fear of flying. An eerie scene towards the beginning of the story sees Ritchie seated in front of a calendar; the date is October 1957. We know what is coming and when. It’s a countdown til the end and reminds us just how amazing it is that Valens went from a high school student, to the writer of hits like ‘Come on Let’s Go’ and the titular ‘La Bamba’ in less than a year. From a carefree kid, to a national tour alongside Buddy Holly and his untimely death – a few months before turning 18. “I’m going to be a star.” He tells Donna with a smile on his face. “And stars don’t fall from the sky.”
“La Bamba” is a simple movie from a simpler era of film. It doesn’t have the theatrics of the recent musical biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” but that’s okay. Its simplicity relates more to the era of the 1950s in which the story occurs. The cast is completed with thespian Joe Pantoliano as Ritchie’s producer and manager, Bob Keane, and Rosanna DeSota as his mom Connie.
While their music lives on, their actual lives are something of lore. “La Bamba” does a great job of giving insight to the far-too short life of a musical great.
by – Matt DeCristo
