Jul 27 2011
Wexler Releases Director’s Cut of 1985 film, Latino: America’s Secret War In Nicaragua
In 1985, celebrated film maker Haskell Wexler released his feature film on the secret U.S. war in Nicaragua called simply Latino. The film’s plot was centered around a character named Eddie Guerrero, played by Robert Beltran, who ends his tour of duty in the Vietnam war, only to find himself in Central America, training U.S.-backed counter-revolutionaries or Contras. The film dramatized one of various covert American efforts to destabilize Latin American governments at the time. While Latino didn’t result in a box office hit for Wexler, it typified the kind of work the Hollywood veteran became known for in challenging conventional wisdom, particularly the impacts of U.S. militarism. Latino was chosen to screen at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival where it won a prestigious award (Un Certain Regard). More than a quarter of a century after its original release, Haskell Wexler has just released the Director’s Cut of Latino on DVD, distributed by Cinema Libre.
GUEST: Haskell Wexler is best known for his ground breaking films in the 60s and 70s such as Medium Cool which he directed, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, In the Heat of the Night, Bound for Glory, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Coming Home which he was the cinematographer for. He has also made a number of documentaries about issues like the Vietnam war, Chile, the School of the Americas, Nicaragua and more. He made Latino, with the help of his mother, George Lucas, and his own personal funds. The film was produced by Benjamin Berg.
DVD copies of the Director’s Cut of Latino are available here: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/HaskellWexlersLatino/index.html
One Response to “Wexler Releases Director’s Cut of 1985 film, Latino: America’s Secret War In Nicaragua”
I was in this movie.. i was only 11 years old.. good memoriesi
I was wondering if some one can tell my the name o of the pueblo where this film was made in nicaragua.i will like to visit it.. and the hotel full of conchas and the beach …thankyou i miss all the group..i was just a litter girl..hope some one can tell me ..