Product Description El Cantante (DVD) (WS)Superstars Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony headline a film as emotional, powerful and driving as the man and music whose story it tells, Héctor Lavoe and the Salsa his voice brought to the world -- El Cantante. It's the 1970s, and Salsa is exploding on the world with a Nuyorican sound from the streets of Spanish Harlem that blends Latin, Jazz and African American rhythms and harmonies. Riding the rocket of sudden stardom, Lavoe (Anthony) becomes the voice of the new sound, even as he struggles with personal demons and addictions. Only Lavoe's wife, Puchi (Lopez--Selena), whose devotion has put Lavoe on the path to superstardom may be able keep him from self-destruction in the face sudden fame.]]> .com Though they don't look much alike, slight actor-singer Marc Anthony was born to play robust salsa sensation Héctor Lavoe. In addition to similar ancestry and vocal skills, Anthony has been building a respectable cinematic resume with roles in Big Night and Martin Scorsese's Bringing out the Dead. The title of El Cantante comes from a number Rubén Blades wrote for The Singer. Lavoe would make it his signature song. In the film, Anthony's wife, producer Jennifer Lopez, plays Puchi, the Nuyorican beauty who won Lavoe's heart. She narrates their story from the perspective of 2002 (the real-life Puchi passed away shortly afterwards). Leon Ichaso (Piñero) contrasts Lavoe's rise from Puerto Rican street singer to New York superstar with his fall from innocent immigrant to heroin-addicted ladies man. By the mid-1980s, Lavoe's popularity hit its peak, and Ichaso spends the rest of the time ticking off the tragedies of his final years: the break with trombonist Willie Colón (John Ortiz), stay in a mental ward, etc. It's a dynamic portrait, and Anthony and Lopez work well together, but despite the urban setting and Latin-flavored soundtrack, El Cantante follows virtually the same trajectory as Ray and Walk the Line (Ichaso has also directed biopics of Jimi Hendrix and Muhammad Ali). His movie looks and sounds authentic, but Lavoe's story might've been better served as nonfiction. There's a sense that there was more to the man than what appears on screen. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
K**G
Excellent Movie! Many Thoughts....
I felt El Cantante was excellent. It was not a typical music themed biopic. It had me thinking about it long after I'd finished watching it, which is unusual for me. As an African-American woman born in the late 60's, I literally listened to all types of music growing up from the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Andrae Crouch, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter Frampton, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash, Jose Feliciano, Billy Preston, Jimmy Smith, Burt Bacharach, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Charlie Pride, and the list goes on. My father is a musician and has all of these and other artists on vinyl records. I remember listening to Miles Davis at six years old and just getting in a zone; understanding just by listening to his music the dissonance vs consonance in Jazz. While I definitely agree that the movie focused alot on Lavoe's drug usage, it did give me a sense of the type of pressure he had to keep up with the rise of success. This movie showed the silent, yet common problem that crosses all genres and that's the inability to cope with the rapid movement of success and the peer pressure that goes along with it; the inability to say 'no' to drugs because that's what you do when you can't cope. The oxymoron of the successful failures that come with being a superstar. I would have liked to learn more about his contribution to the genre and more about the music as well and how Lavoe took Salsa to a higher level of awareness. I love Salsa. Marc Anthony actually is my favorite singer of the genre. I thought he and JLo did an excellent job of acting.My final thought is that the story is about Hector Lavoe. Perhaps, the reason why they focused so much on his addiction to drugs is because that's the story. He self-imploded before he could really take Salsa to the next level. He had two strong ladies in his life. He loved one more than the other. They were both companions. They were both by his side. They were both competing for his attention. They were both strong willed, but neither was his music! The drugs were metaphorical, in my opinion. They provided him with a sense of fulfillment that he didn't have in his family, his marriage, or his music. So, overall, I think this is definitely one of my favorite movies. I like the concept of how the story was told. I rented it first but now having seen the movie, I am going to purchase it. I hope this helps.
S**U
Awesome Movie
This is one of the best movies ever made is a true story and I can’t stop watching it
D**N
Good
Good
L**W
My favorite movie
I wish jlo and Marc were together but I absolutely love watching this movie. Sales king 🤴 viva hector lavoe
L**Z
A Great Piece of Work
This film is truley the best kept secret. Jenifer Lopez completely steps out of her comfort zone in this role and delivers a heartfelt performance that will blow you away! Marc Anthony kills it as the famous Puerto Rican singer Hector Lavoe. The film is real and gritty and tells a not so pretty story. Whats cool is that it shows the dark side of Lavoe and his wife Puchi 's relationship. I sincerely think this film has stayed somewhat underground because many just dont know who Lavoe is. Bottom line, it doesnt matter the film is good. JLo showed her talent as an actress with more range than you might think, and Marc Anthony is a 100 percent pure talent. Together they crush it! Directed by Leon Ichaso 2007.
M**D
A Gringo’s Perspective
As a mid-western Gringo, Salsa music was not something I heard a lot of. In addition, I was not aware of the variety of cultures and genres in 1970’s New York City. This 2006 biopic is effective in showing the rise of Latin based music, specifically from Puerto Rico by way of Hector Lavoe (1946-1993). As much a project featuring Jennifer Lopez, together with Marc Anthony they effectively convey the life and career of Hector Lavoe, and his wife, Nilda “Puchi” Roman.In addition to their commendable performances, the other “star” of this movie is the music. Many of Hector’s hits are featured, often with convincing “live” concert performances. Salsa is a unique blend of other music genres, as well as instruments and this is authentically presented.The music and acting keep this movie afloat as the “plot” is a story all too familiar to those who watch a lot of music related biopics. Basically, Hector’s success leads to overindulgences which then leads to a career slide and death. It seems many current biopics choose to focus on stories with tragic endings. It’s difficult to find one with an encouraging or uplifting conclusion. I guess train wrecks are more exciting to watch than on-time arrivals.Regardless of the predictable story arc, the biopic is both educational – in terms of learning about 1970’s New York, as well as the rise in popularity of Salsa music – and entertaining. Maybe not a movie I would watch multiple times, but this Gringo did enjoy his first viewing.
S**E
Love the passion
This movie was very affordable. The chemistry between Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez is amazing ! (Obviously, they were married for a time) I love the story, PERIOD. The quality of this DVD is very high and the shipper did not disappoint. I highly recommend buying this heartfelt and raw movie if You love latin music.
S**E
LOVE IT!
Now I don't care what you say JLO is NOT so good @ acting! Yes I said it she should have never went off the grid& starting actingbut the only other movie I did like was Selena & she was very good in that !I love this movie cause her & Marc played the parts very well I don't care what you sayI have read in the past others saying this movie was not that good well they are wrong!In my Opinion this maybe ONE of the BEST movies ever made maybe in the Underground world instead of Hollywood.Which by the way if I can remember correctly Hollywood did not give this movie very good reviewsSo it's plan to see they know NADA about the Latin community
J**A
Awesome movie
For every fanatics of Salsa and Hector Lavoe this is a must watch movie. The product itself as expected, good quality and sound.
C**N
Viene sólo en inglés!!!
La he devuelto, en la descripción dice claramente que viene en español e inglés y en realidad en español no tiene ni subtítulos...
G**O
Consigliato agli appassionati di salsa :D
Bel film per chi ama la salsa e in generale i balli caraibici! Me l'ha consigliato il mio maestro di ballo (di Santo Domingo) in seguito alle mie numerose domande su origini di salsa e bachata e cultura caraibica più in generale. Sicuramente non risponde a moltissime domande ma nel raccontare la storia di Hector Lavoe riesce a far capire quanto è stato travolgente il movimento "salsa" . Marc Anthony in alcune delle diverse scene "in concerto" mi ha coinvolto al punto da ballare di fronte al televisore :DVe lo consiglio per rilassarvi e divertirvi!Aguaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
H**Y
Good film if you speak Spanish
If you are a J-Lo fan, you'll love this film. If you are a salsa fan, you'll love it even more. I bought this as used - vgc. It arrived before time, well packed and was as described by the seller, so I have no hesitation in recommending them to you.
A**
IL Cantante film dvd.
Bellissimo Film, ottimo rapporto Qualita'prezzo, consegna velocissima, grazie Amazon.
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