A pre-Hollywood cinema
As early as 1898, cinema was invited to the island of Puerto Rico through the American soldiers, who documented the invasion campaign. A documentary tradition that will continue until the first Puerto Rican fiction film was made in 1912 by filmmaker Rafael Colorado D'Assoy. A drama in Puerto Rico is an idyllic discovery of this paradise island and its inhabitants. You can already recognize the Parque Boriquen, as well as the most beautiful corners of San Juan. In the 1920s, several production companies took over the national market, while Hollywood began to use the island as a film location. In 1934, the film Tropical Romance
, adapted from a script by the poet Luis Pales Matos, became the second Spanish-language feature film in history. It was released at the height of the golden age of Puerto Rican cinema, when actresses such as Blanca de Castejón were filming in Hollywood and Mexico, where they gained fame and made the national seventh art shine.In the second half of the twentieth century, the number of productions increased and the country attracted more and more international films. The film Los Peloteros (1953) is probably the most significant of this period. Based on a true story, it features comic actor Ramon Rivero, well known to Puerto Ricans, in his first dramatic role as a baseball coach for underprivileged youth. Internationally, José Ferrer won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1950 for his portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac, becoming the first Hispanic actor to receive such an award. At the same time, Rita Moreno began her career in Singing in the Rain (1952), before becoming the star of West Side Story
(1961). A story that will follow her throughout her career, since she also has an important role in the remake of Steven Spielberg, made in 2021. This international openness is characteristic of Puerto Rican cinema since the 1960s. The Latin American markets, although not necessarily at the rendezvous, remain the target of producers for several decades. Today, although the number of films coming out of local studios has diminished, there is still an active industry on the island, thanks to co-productions and the hosting of major Hollywood shoots. Not to mention an ever-present craze for musical and colourful stories revolving around the local heritage.Hollywood under the sunlights of the tropics
A territory with close ties to the United States, Puerto Rico quickly became one of Hollywood's favorite filming spots, whether for action and adventure blockbusters or for more intimate films. In the late 1960s, the island was the setting for Che! one of the first biopics on the Cuban revolutionary, directed by Richard Fleischer. A real disaster both financially and cinematographically, the film is nevertheless interesting to discover for the splendid performance of Omar Sharif as Che Guevara, and for the Cuban scenes shot in Ponce. At the same time, in a completely different style and with a completely different budget, the filmmaker Roger Corman shot several B movies on the island. This "Puerto Rican trilogy", composed of the films Last Woman on Earth, Battle of Blood Island and Creature of the Haunted Sea (all three released in 1960), constitutes one of the most crunchy passages of the career of this monument of pop cinema. The first one is now in the public domain, and is now available for free streaming. A discovery that will not leave you indifferent. For the connoisseurs, make a stop at the Caribe Hilton, sip a pina colada in the lobby, and immerse yourself in the strange atmosphere of this funny movie.
In 1995, it is the James Bond franchise that invites itself on the island, in the grandiose GoldenEye by Martin Campbell. With Pierce Brosnan in the title role, Sean Bean as Bond's former antagonist, and other big names like Judi Dench, Robbie Coltrane and Izabella Scorupco, the film is one of the most memorable episodes of the saga. And this, thanks to grandiose settings like theArecibo Observatory, located on the north coast of Puerto Rico. An amazing site, created in the early 1960s and now reopened after its reconstruction following its collapse. Among other important filming locations, the Cienaga de Cibuco in the Vega Baja region, the beach of the Laguna Tortuguero, as well as the village of Manati also appear in the final scenes of this opus of the 007 saga.
Since then, other prestigious films have been shot in the exotic settings of the island. Among these films are actioners like Bad Boys II (2003), where Puerto Rico takes the place of Cuba, but also the5th episode of the Fast and Furious series (2011), with Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Elsa Pataky in the main roles. More recently, Puerto Rico also starred as Nigeria in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where you can distinctly recognize the Milla de Oro, the central avenue of the financial district of San Juan.
Finally, Puerto Rico also shines on the screens through animated films and musicals, although the filming did not necessarily take place there. Thus, due to his Puerto Rican heritage, composer Lin-Manuel Miranda has highlighted Puerto Rico several times through his creations such as Where We Come From (2021), or via his sung performances in Vivo (2021), and in the musical Hamilton (2014). A hip-hop history of the founding fathers of the United States, but above all an ode to cultural diversity, and a historic success on Broadway.Diving into the cinema in Puerto Rico
The island's cinemas will welcome you with open arms with many films in English or Spanish versions, while the Fine Arts Popular will offer you a wide selection of independent cinema in original version. And if the weather is too nice to lock yourself in front of a screen, you can still wander around the city looking for the facades of theaters such as the Hollywood Theater, the Teatro Tapia or the Teatro Yagüez, real works of art.
