El Mariachi (1992)
Synopsis: A young traveling musician/mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) arrives in small mob-run town looking for work. Unfortunately, he is mistaken for a drug dealer who is at war with his ex-partner, and finds himself involved in gang-warfare, guns, vengeance, mistaken identity and love.
The film was shot in two weeks at the Mexican border town of Ciudad Acuña in 1991. And made on an astonishingly low sum of 7,000 dollars. El Mariachi initially was intended to be sold to the Mexican home video market. But Columbia Pictures found it, bought it and signed Robert Rodriguez to a two-year directing deal. It became one of the great success stories of modern independent cinema in the process.
CREDITS:
Columbia Pictures / Los Hooligans Productions
Producers: Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez
Cinematography and Editing: Robert Rodriguez
Special Effects: Robert Rodriguez, Carlos Gallardo
Cast: Carlos Gallardo (El Mariachi), Consuelo Gomez (Domino), Jaime de Hoyos (Bigoton), Peter Marquardt (Mauricio “Moco”), Reinol Martinez (Azul), Ramiro Gomez (Cantinero), Jesús López (Old Clerk), Luis Baró (Domino’s assistant), Oscar Fabila (El Niño, the boy), Poncho Ramón (Azul’s rat), Fernando Martinez (Azul’s rat), Manuel Acosta (bodyguard), Walter Vargas (prisoner), Roberto Martínez (prisoner), Virgen Delgado (female bodyguard), Juanita Vargas (female bodyguard), Yolanda Puga (female bodyguard), Jaime R. Rodríguez (Moco’s man), Luis Cadena (Moco’s man), Afredo Martínez (Moco’s man), Gerardo Jaquez (Moco’s man), Mario Mata (Moco’s man), Daniel Delgado (Moco’s man), Rosendo Ortiz (Moco’s man), César Cadena (Moco’s man), José Salinas (Moco’s man), Robert Santoyo (Moco’s man), Sabas Pérez (Moco’s man), Guadencio Martín (Moco’s man), Juan Garcia (Moco’s man), Máximo Martín (Moco’s man), DiFonso Quezada (Moco’s man), Manuel Vejor (Moco’s man) , Alfredo Cisneros (keyboardist), Alejandro Peña (Piña), Israel Reyes (Taco), Alejandro Peña (Loco), Clara Scott (Moco’s manicurist), María Castillo (jail guard), Samuel Quiroz (jail guard), Roberto Delgado (jail guard), Fermín Barrón (school bus driver), H.b. (pitbull), ‘La Tortuga’ (Tito Tortuga).
Color, 81 minutes
You can watch the film trailer on www.youtube.com/RobertRodriguezHD our Youtube channel.
El Mariachi won in 1993 the coveted Sundance Film Festival “Audience Award for best dramatic film” and other international awards.
In 2011, the film was inducted into the Library of Congress to be preserved as part of its National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
“It goes without saying,” prophesied the New York Times’ Janet Maslin, “that Mr. Rodriguez, having made such a clever and inventive debut, is prepared for a big future of his own.”
Get the BluRay: From Amazon.com (El Mariachi/Desperado double), | From Amazon.co.uk | From Amazon.de
Get the DVD: From Amazon.com, Mexico Trilogy, El Mariachi/Desperado double | From Amazon.co.uk | From Amazon.de
Photo Gallery:
Robert Rodriguez directing Carlos Gallardo (1991).
Shooting “El Mariachi” in Ciudad Acuña, State of Coahuila, located in Northeastern Mexico, circa 1991. (Source: Book “Rebel Without A Crew”).
Robert Rodriguez while filming “El Mariachi”, circa 1991. (Source: Book “Rebel Without A Crew”).
The Austin Film Society, AMD and El Rey Network presents: “El Mariachi – 20th anniversary Reunion” in Austin, Texas featuring Robert Rodriguez and Chingón (Poster).
Director Robert Rodriguez at the 1993 Atlanta Film Festival with his breakthrough debut “El Mariachi”. (Source: Wikipedia)
