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La Bamba

La Bamba

La Bamba

La Bamba

Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream.

1987•1h 48m•

★7.3(781 ratings)

DramaMusic

Overview

Los Angeles teenager Ritchie Valens becomes an overnight rock 'n' roll success in 1958, thanks to a love ballad called "Donna" that he wrote for his girlfriend. But as his star rises, Valens has conflicts with his jealous brother, Bob, and becomes haunted by a recurring nightmare of a plane crash just as he begins his first national tour alongside Buddy Holly.

Director

Writers

Watchlist

Main Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips

Lou Diamond Phillips

Ritchie Valens

Danielle von Zerneck

Danielle von Zerneck

Donna Ludwig

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña

Rosie Morales

Rosanna DeSoto

Rosanna DeSoto

Connie Valenzuela

Esai Morales

Esai Morales

Bob Morales

Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano

Bob Keane

Marshall Crenshaw

Marshall Crenshaw

Buddy Holly

Brian Setzer

Brian Setzer

Eddie Cochran

Daniel Valdez

Daniel Valdez

Lelo

Howard Huntsberry

Howard Huntsberry

Jackie Wilson

Felipe Cantu

Felipe Cantu

Curandero

Eddie Frias

Eddie Frias

Chino

Full Crew

Direction

Director: Luis Valdez
Script Supervisor: Kerry Lyn McKissick

Writing

Writer: Luis Valdez

Production

Executive Producer: Stuart Benjamin
Producer: Bill Borden
Producer: Taylor Hackford
Associate Producer: Daniel Valdez
Casting: Junie Lowry-Johnson
Unit Production Manager: Alan C. Blomquist

Music & Sound

Original Music Composer: Miles Goodman
Original Music Composer: Carlos Santana

Cinematography

Director of Photography: Adam Greenberg

Editing

Editor: Don Brochu
Editor: Sheldon Kahn

Art Direction

Production Design: Vincent M. Cresciman
Set Decoration: Rosemary Brandenburg
Title Designer: Dan Perri

Costume & Make-Up

Costume Design: Sylvia Vega-Vasquez

Keywords

rock 'n' rollbiographydeathdying youngnostalgicmexican americanmarital rape1950sromantic

Videos

Did You Know?

#1

The film's tagline is: "Born into poverty. Destined for stardom. He lived the American dream."

#2

With a budget of $6.5M, the film grossed $54.2M — a profit of $47.7M (734% ROI).

#3

The runtime is 108 minutes (1h 48m).

#4

The film was directed by Luis Valdez.

#5

The screenplay was written by Luis Valdez.

#6

The score was composed by Miles Goodman.

#7

Cinematography was handled by Adam Greenberg.

#8

This title is listed on IMDb as tt0093378.

Gallery

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Rating

7.3/10

Good

781 votes

Movie Information

Original Title:

La Bamba

Status:

Released

Age Rating:

PG-13

Language:

English, Español

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Budget:

$6,500,000

Revenue:

$54,215,416

Production Companies:

New Visions Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures