Bosque Film Society hosts free-to-the-public double feature screening “Stand & Deliver” and “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” for 4th Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration at The Cliftex Theatre May 5
By SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
Bosque Film Society Founder Board Member
The Anniversary of the Battle of Puebla is celebrated in parts of Mexico and the United States marking the historical significance of a symbolically important military victory in 1862 over the French forces of Napoleon III. Much better known as Cinco de Mayo, it is a day of food, drink, parades and dancing, and has become a day of celebration of Hispanic heritage and culture.
To honor the heritage and culture of the many Hispanic residents making up nearly 19 percent of the population in Bosque County, the Bosque Film Society and the historic Cliftex Theater will host the Fourth Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration by presenting the 1988’s biographical comedy-drama “STAND AND DELIVER” based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante played by Edward James Olmos at 6 p.m. Monday, May 5, followed by the double feature “THE BALLAD OF GREGORIO CORTEZ” (1981), at 8 p.m. also starring Edward James Olmos and sponsored by Philip Vasquez.
With Bosque Film Society founder and board president Brett Voss serving as host, the movie will be introduced by Clifton High School Spanish teacher Fatima Cathcart and her Spanish class students prior to show time at 6 p.m. Admission will be free to the public on a first-come, first serve basis, and the usual Cliftex concessions will be available for purchase.
Sponsored by Brett and Simone Voss of Southern Cross Creative, “Stand and Deliver” is based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante, played by Edward James Olmos, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 61st Academy Awards.
Directed by Ramón Menéndez, written by Menéndez and Tom Musca, “Stand and Deliver” won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature in 1988 with the story of a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
As a mathematics teacher in a school in a Hispanic neighborhood, Escalante remained convinced that his students had potential and adopts unconventional teaching methods to help gang members and no-hopers pass the rigorous Advanced Placement exam in calculus. In 2011, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Sponsored by Bosque Film Society board members Philip and Luci Vasquez, the 1982 Western crime film “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” is based on the book “With His Pistol in His Hand” by Americo Paredes and set in Gonzales, Texas in 1901.
Directed by Robert M. Young and starring Edward James Olmos as Gregorio Cortez, “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” is the retelling of an incident revolving around a stolen horse, mistaken identity and a killing. An unusual story of the all too usual exploitation of the powerless in Texas history.
The entire cause of the problem evolves from the use of a deputy to translate. His command of Spanish is inadequate and he mistranslates what a witness tells the sheriff as to whether the real perpetrator of the crime is riding a mare (yegua) or a male horse (caballo). This error results in destroying a family and the death of an innocent man.
In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”