“La Bamba” is a film that tells the story of the singer Ritchie Valens. Ritchie Valens, real name Richard Valenzuela, was a Mexican American rock ‘n’ roll snger during the 50s. The movie follows the life of Valens, from working on a farm to being one of the most popular rock ‘n’ roll musicians in the United States. The movie ends with the unfortunate death of Ritchie. I saw “La Bamba” as a kid with my parents and it immediately became one of my favorite movies. I honestly can not remember how many times I’ve seen this movie. The way I viewed this movie as a kid is much different to the way I look at it now. I still enjoy the movie but now I notice the themes of the Chicano/a family that are found within it. The film and Chicano/a families are connected through the theme of machismo.

The theme of machismo is clearly seen in “La Bamba.” There is one specific character that serves as the embodiment of machismo. This character is Bob, Ritchie’s brother. As a kid, I viewed Bob as the cool and tough older brother. This idea came from the image presented at the beginning of the film. However, now that I know more about issues affecting Chicano families, I realize that he is a representation of machismo. Machismo is something that affects many Chicano families. It implements the idea that males hold all the power. Machismo promotes the idea that males have all the power in the family and that the women should always do what the male wants. Basically it is male dominance over women. In “La Bamba”, Bob serves as a physical representation of machismo. In many scenes of the film, Bob’s machismo can be seen in many of the scenes with Rosie, the mother of his daughter. Bob does not hesitate to degrade Rosie. My devaluing her, Bob is trying to show that he is the dominant one. Bob is showing this idea of male dominance that is connected to Machismo. Bob also shows machismo by creating an image for himself. This image is one of a tough guy who doesn’t show any emotions. This is also another effect of machismo. Males with the machismo ideology tend to create an image so that they are not seen as weak. I believe this is what Bob is doing. In the film there are instances where Bob shows his true emotions. These situations make the viewer think that maybe the “macho” image is just a facade. Machismo is portrayed in this film through Bob and his actions. “La Bamba” is a great film that presents themes relevant to Chicanos/as, such as machismo, through characters like Bob.